Review Reports - Study on the Theme Evolution and Synergy Assessment of China’s New Energy Vehicle Policy Texts

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article "Study on the Theme Evolution and Synergy Assessment of China's New Energy Vehicle Policy Texts" was revised and the following changes should be made:

- Section 4 Discussion and Conclusions should be separated into two parts: Analysis and discussion in one section and the Conclusions in the other.

In the analysis and discussion, the entire context of the research must be considered, referring to its results, while in the conclusions, the results should be highlighted from a broader perspective.

- It is also important in the conclusions to make known the limitations of the study and the future work that emerges from this research.

- Figure 4, for example, presents interesting data. I hope that relevant data is presented in the analysis of the case and discussion; it would even be necessary to include a table or other graphs that contain values. This way, the relevant quantified results can also be included in the abstract.

Author Response

Dear editor,

Thanks for your letter and the reviewers’ comments concerning our manuscript (ID: sustainability-3125709). Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our manuscript, as well as having the important guiding significance to our studies. We have studied comments carefully and tried our best to revise the manuscript. Revised portions are marked in red in the revised manuscript. The point-to-point responses to the reviewer’s comments are listed as follows:

Reviewer 1#

The article "Study on the Theme Evolution and Synergy Assessment of China's New Energy Vehicle Policy Texts" was revised and the following changes should be made:

Section 4 Discussion and Conclusions should be separated into two parts: Analysis and discussion in one section and the Conclusions in the other.

A1: Thanks for your comments. According to your comments, We divided Section 4 Discussion and Conclusions into two parts: Section 4.1 Discussion and Section 4.2 Conclusions. In Section 4.1 Discussion, we explored the research background, reasons for the results, and differences from previous research findings. In Section 4.2 Conclusions, we provided a comprehensive summary of the research results. Please see the Section‘4.1 Discussion’‘Section 4.2 Conclusions’in the revised manuscript.

It is also important in the conclusions to make known the limitations of the study and the future work that emerges from this research.

A2: Thanks for your valuable suggestions. we have added‘4.3 Limitations and avenues for future research’ Section to make known the limitations of the study and the future work that emerges from this research. Please see the Section‘4.3 Limitations and avenues for future research’in the revised manuscript.

Figure 4, for example, presents interesting data. I hope that relevant data is presented in the analysis of the case and discussion; it would even be necessary to include a table or other graphs that contain values. This way, the relevant quantified results can also be included in the abstract.

A3: Thanks for your comments. We have included corresponding data analysis and descriptions in this paper, as well as added‘Table 4 showing the Descriptive Statistical Results of Energy Policy Effectiveness’. Additionally, we have included‘Figure 4 illustrating the Number of policy texts for each topic’and‘Figure 6 showing the Evolution of Average Scores for Policy Strength, Objectives, and Measures’. Furthermore, relevant quantitative results will be presented in the abstract. Please see the revised manuscript.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper titled "Study on the Theme Evolution and Synergy Assessment of China’s New Energy Vehicle Policy Texts" presents a solid framework and content. However, there are areas that require further improvement and refinement, particularly in the introduction, methodology, table explanation, language, and references. The specific comments are as follows:

1. Introduction:

o Problem Identification: The introduction needs to more clearly highlight the research problem. It is recommended to pinpoint the main issues or gaps in current research on new energy vehicle policies in the opening paragraphs.

o Highlighting Contributions: The introduction should emphasize the innovations and contributions of the paper.

2. Methodology:

o Detailed Description: The methodology section requires a more detailed and precise description of the research methods. Specifically, the steps involved in using the Dynamic Topic Modeling (DTM) and the policy synergy evaluation model should be elaborated with more specifics, such as data processing procedures and model parameter settings.

3. Explanation of Table 2:

o Scoring Criteria Explanation: The scoring standards in Table 2 need to be explained in detail. For instance, the policy intensity scoring criteria should clarify the specific standards and basis for each score, and how the execution intensity and details of policy tools are determined.

4. Language Polishing:

o Natural Language: The overall language of the paper is formal but requires polishing to make the expression more natural and fluent. It is recommended to have the paper professionally edited for English language, particularly focusing on sentence structure and word choice accuracy.

5. References:

o Improving Quality: The quality of references needs to be improved. It is suggested to cite more recent and high-impact journal articles.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Extensive editing of English language required

Author Response

Dear editor,

Reviewer 2#

Section Introduction:

o Problem Identification: The introduction needs to more clearly highlight the research problem. It is recommended to pinpoint the main issues or gaps in current research on new energy vehicle policies in the opening paragraphs.

o Highlighting Contributions: The introduction should emphasize the innovations and contributions of the paper.

A1: Thanks for your careful review of our manuscript. According to your comments, we have rewritten the Section‘1. Introduction’. Specially, we have described in more detail the refined subjects involved in the issues studied in this paper, such as the the main issues or gaps in current research on new energy vehicle policies, etc. Also, we have carefully added and reorganized the innovations and contributions of the paper in the revised manuscript.

Methodology:

o Detailed Description: The methodology section requires a more detailed and precise description of the research methods. Specifically, the steps involved in using the Dynamic Topic Modeling (DTM) and the policy synergy evaluation model should be elaborated with more specifics, such as data processing procedures and model parameter settings.

A2: Thanks for your instructive suggestions. According to your comments, we have rewritten the Section‘2.2 Research Methods’. Specially, we have described in more detail of the steps involved in using the Dynamic Topic Modeling (DTM) and the policy synergy evaluation model. Please see the Section‘2.2.1 DTM Model’and ‘2.2.2 Policy Effectiveness and Policy Synergy Evaluation Model’.

Explanation of Table 2:

o Scoring Criteria Explanation: The scoring standards in Table 2 need to be explained in detail. For instance, the policy intensity scoring criteria should clarify the specific standards and basis for each score, and how the execution intensity and details of policy tools are determined.

A3:Thanks for your valuable suggestions. According to your comments, We have enhanced and refined the content of Tables 1 and 2, particularly focusing on the criteria for evaluating policy intensity and objectives, as well as the scoring criteria for the three policy tools. Please consult Tables 1 and 2 for more details.

(4) Language Polishing:

o Natural Language: The overall language of the paper is formal but requires polishing to make the expression more natural and fluent. It is recommended to have the paper professionally edited for English language, particularly focusing on sentence structure and word choice accuracy.

A4: Thanks for your comments. We have hired a professional organization to refine our language. Please see the revised manuscript.

(5) References:

o Improving Quality: The quality of references needs to be improved. It is suggested to cite more recent and high-impact journal articles.

A5: Thank you for bringing the quality issues with the references to our attention. After a thorough review, we have revised the references by including high-quality articles from reputable journals such as Atmospheric Pollution Research, Energy Policy, and Journal of Cleaner Production. The number of references has also been increased to 45, as outlined in the reference section of the revised manuscript.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper focuses on Analyzing policy synergy and tracking the evolution of policy themes can effectively improve the implementation efficiency of New Energy Vehicle (NEV) policies. Also paper goal is to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the implementation of NEV policies

Dear author your research are more valuable thanks for your work and enhance your research with the following comments:

1. Please rewrite the abstract to add your results and the datasets used and the methods and techniques used in the paper

2. Also, we need to remove the research goals from the abstract and add it after the final part of introduction section.

3. Section 2 material and methods you must add the date you access the link(Pkulaw (https://www.pkulaw.com/) and get the data from website

4. In this sentence you write (After removing duplicates and weakly related or less effective texts, we obtained 133 91 policy texts)

Please explain how you remove the duplicate in the data

5. At the end of section 2.1.1 you write (Figure 1 illustrates the annual number of new energy vehicle policies issued.) but you named figure 1 with number of publications

Please update the name of figure in the section or in the caption of figure name

6. Section 2.1.2 Text Data Preprocessing please in this section add a sentence about the text data processing then but all your paragraphs’ data in number section as a list not paragraph.

7. In section 2.1.2 to process your data you use knowledge graph software write why you choose this type of software and if there other types of software can be used with your data.

8. Please write what the number in table 2 score means in your data ?

9. Table 3. Energy Policy Theme Keywords Table. Must be like the journal format

10. Section 4 named by discussion and conclusion

Please but discussion section 4 and add new section for conclusion

11. Please add more experimental charts in the paper

12. Please add some parts of your data sets and features

13. Your references are good, but you can add, Two recommendation system algorithms used svd and association rule on implicit and explicit data sets, Predict student learning styles and suitable assessment methods using click stream, Adaptive Learning Systems based on ILOs of Courses.

14. Please increase the discuss of formulas (1) and (2) in the research.

15. What is the difference of adding new keywords after figure 3 and theme keywords in table 2

Comments on the Quality of English Language

need revision

Author Response

ear editor,

Reviewer 3#

Dear author your research are more valuable thanks for your work and enhance your research with the following comments:

（1）Please rewrite the abstract to add your results and the datasets used and the methods and techniques used in the paper

A1: Thanks for your instructive suggestions. According to your comments, we have checked and rewritten the abstract, in which results and the datasets used and the methods and techniques used in the paper have been added in the revised manuscript. Please see the revised manuscript.

Also, we need to remove the research goals from the abstract and add it after the final part of introduction section.

A2: Thanks for your valuable suggestions. We have removed the research goals from the abstract and add it after the final part of introduction section. please see the Section ‘Introduction’ and marked in red in the revised manuscript.

Section 2 material and methods you must add the date you access the link(Pkulaw (https://www.pkulaw.com/) and get the data from website.

A3: Thanks for your comments.We have specified the dates for accessing the link and obtaining data from the website(https://www.pkulaw.com/; accessed on 16 May 2024). please see the Section‘2.1.1 Policy Text Data Acquisition’in the revised manuscript.

In this sentence you write (After removing duplicates and weakly related or less effective texts, we obtained 133 91 policy texts), Please explain how you remove the duplicate in the data.

A4: Thanks for your comments. We explained how to remove duplicate samples in section ‘2.1.1 Policy Text Data Acquisition’. please see this Section and marked in red in the revised manuscript:“we excluded duplicate entries from the vehicle model directories exempt from purchase tax, policies with low relevance for evaluation, and texts with limited legal authority, such as announcements and approvals”.

At the end of section 2.1.1 you write (Figure 1 illustrates the annual number of new energy vehicle policies issued.) but you named figure 1 with number of publications

Please update the name of figure in the section or in the caption of figure name

A5：Thanks for your careful review of our manuscript. We have modified the title of Figure 1,‘Figure 1. Annual number of new energy vehicle policies issued’. Also,The expression in the text is consistent with Figure. Please see the Section‘2.1.1 Policy Text Data Acquisition’in the revised manuscript.

Section 2.1.2 Text Data Preprocessing please in this section add a sentence about the text data processing then but all your paragraphs’ data in number section as a list not paragraph.

A6：Thanks for your valuable suggestions. According to your comments, We have included a sentence on text processing and created a diagram of the Topic Model Building Process to better illustrate the specific operational process. Please see t the Section‘2.1.2 Text Data Preprocessing’in the revised manuscript.

In section 2.1.2 to process your data you use knowledge graph software write why you choose this type of software and if there other types of software can be used with your data.

A7：Thanks for your instructive suggestions. We provided a detailed explanation for choosing Gephi software over other options, highlighting the limitations of alternative software and the advantages of Gephi for drawing and graphic display. Please see‘Gephi, a specialized tool for knowledge mapping, effectively visualizes and analyse the relationships and evolution of topics within policy texts, offering powerful network visualization capabilities [34]. While other data visualization tools, such as Tableau and Power BI, and text analysis software like NVivo, can process similar data, they are less effective than Gephi in conducting network analysis and deep topic exploration’in the revised manuscript.

Please write what the number in table 2 score means in your data ?

A8: Thanks for your valuable suggestions. According to your comments, We have enhanced and refined the content of Tables 1 and 2, particularly focusing on the criteria for evaluating policy intensity and objectives, as well as the scoring criteria for the three policy tools. Please consult Tables 1 and 2 for more details.

-Table 3. Energy Policy Theme Keywords Table. Must be like the journal format

A9: Thanks for your careful review of our manuscript. We have modified the format of Table 3 according to the requirements of the journal table. Please refer to Table 3. Energy Policy Theme Keywords Table.

（10）-Section 4 named by discussion and conclusion

Please but discussion section 4 and add new section for conclusion

A10: Thanks for your comments. According to your comments, We divided Section 4 Discussion and Conclusions into two parts: Section 4.1 Discussion and Section 4.2 Conclusions. In Section 4.1 Discussion, we explored the research background, reasons for the results, and differences from previous research findings. In Section 4.2 Conclusions, we provided a comprehensive summary of the research results. Please see the Section‘4.1 Discussion’‘Section 4.2 Conclusions’in the revised manuscript.

Please add more experimental charts in the paper

A11: Many thanks for your instructive suggestions. We have included corresponding data analysis and descriptions in this paper, as well as added‘Table 4 showing the Descriptive Statistical Results of Energy Policy Effectiveness’. Additionally, we have included‘Figure 4 illustrating the Number of policy texts for each topic’and‘Figure 6 showing the Evolution of Average Scores for Policy Strength, Objectives, and Measures’. Furthermore, relevant quantitative results will be presented in the abstract. Please see the revised manuscript.

Please add some parts of your data sets and features

A12: Thanks for your review of our manuscript. In question 11, we have included charts and analyzed them to describe their characteristics.Please see the revised manuscript.

Your references are good, but you can add, Two recommendation system algorithms used svd and association rule on implicit and explicit data sets, Predict student learning styles and suitable assessment methods using click stream, Adaptive Learning Systems based on ILOs of Courses.

A13: Thanks for your instructive suggestions.We have arranged the references using the method you provided. Meanwhile, we have revised the references by including high-quality articles from reputable journals such as Atmospheric Pollution Research, Energy Policy, and Journal of Cleaner Production. The number of references has also been increased to 45, as outlined in the reference section of the revised manuscript.

Please increase the discuss of formulas (1) and (2) in the research.

A14: Many thanks for your review and comments. In‘2.2.2 Policy Effectiveness and Policy Synergy Evaluation Model’, we have outlined the differences and connections between the two formulas. for example,‘this paper divides policy effectiveness into overall effectiveness and average effectiveness, and uses formulas (4) and (5) to calculate the policy synergy for new energy vehicle policies in each year, which is used to evaluate the overall effectiveness and average effectiveness of China's energy policies’.

What is the difference of adding new keywords after figure 3 and theme keywords in table 2

A15: Thanks for your instructive suggestions. The topic keywords in Table 3 display only the top 10 keywords in the top ranking, while the remaining phrases are not shown. In Figure 3, the keywords under each theme are displayed, and the importance of each keyword can be observed through the dynamic evolution process in four periods.

Comments on the Quality of English Languageneed revision

A16: Thanks for your comments. We have hired a professional organization to refine our language. Please see the revised manuscript.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The comments issued by this reviewer have mostly been addressed by the author so it is suggested to publish the document.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author has revised the manuscript as required, and it is recommended for acceptance.