Spatial Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Traditional Villages Distribution in the Yellow River Basin

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors submitted a manuscript in which they conducted a comprehensive analysis of traditional villages in the Yellow River Basin, underlining the importance of the mentioned villages as carriers of cultural heritage and their roles in ecological sustainability and socio-economic development. The study consists of five chapters and appropriate subchapters and segments.

Comment 1. I commend the authors for utilising a methodology that is current and adequate.

Comment 2. The study presents relevant findings, however the research would benefit from a more extensive literature review to contextualise the current research. The authors referenced 58 studies in their research, which can be enriched.

Comment 3. Of 58 studies, 32 are from the past five years (2025 - 0, 2024 - 6, 2023 - 14, 2022 - 8, 2021 - 4). Authors should consider referencing more studies from 2025 and 2024.

Comment 4. In Table 4, V is written somewhere as a capital letter and somewhere is not. This should be unified according to journals instructions.

Comment 5. Legend in Figures 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are not visible. The authors should make is bigger and more visible (like in Figure 4).

Comment 6. The conclusion is well-written, but the authors should list the limitations of their research first and, after that, propose a future research agenda to address limitations in their work.

Comment 7. There are issues with numbering in the conclusion segment.

Comment 8. All references should be formatted according to the journal instructions, which I believe our editing team will assist perfectly in the final segment of this process.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Author/s

The study is thoroughly researched and offers insightful information about how locals' opinions, tolerance, and support for tourists relate to one another.

Its effect and clarity can be significantly improved by making minor adjustments to the structure and layout.

 

The authors must go over the text again and cut out some repetitions that aren't necessary.

Even though tolerance is a crucial component of this essay, its impact diminishes with repeated use.

In certain sections of the work, it is required to write about this subject in a different approach.

Eliminate unnecessary explanations and concentrate on providing the results concisely.

Abstract

The abstract might need a more comprehensive explanation of the main conclusions and contributions because it is lengthy.

Introduction

Additionally, the introduction is brief and does not provide readers with a chance to learn about the true motivation behind the topic's selection.

It must be improved, and the authors ought to explain the primary motivations of this study.

Line 66/128

The text lacks the depth of the author's viewpoint on the primary subjects. In spite of the incorporation and repetition of literature, the authors fail to give their own conclusions. Especially in the theoretical part of the paper.

Metodology

The hypotheses are well-formulated, and the approach has been carefully selected.

Sections Discussion and Conclusion ought to be separate chapters.

Discussion

It is assumed throughout the discussion that evaluation has a functional component rather than a broad and pointless component of self-praise.

The text's discussion-related part needs to be improved from a qualitative and scientific perspective. Readers need to be given a more thorough explanation of the results that were obtained.

The discussion section will be strengthened by a more comprehensive examination of the data (responses).

 Conclusion

The paper needs to improve its conclusion. Let's begin by examining the most important research results. Which theories were verified? Discuss it regarding the above considerations. What does the paper contribute to literature?

At this point, it is also recommended to finish the research's findings and create specific recommendations for company procedures and potential challenges.

In order to keep the support of the locals, describe the steps taken to lessen the negative consequences of tourism, such as environmental damage or cultural disruption.

 

 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In their manuscript, the authors investigated spatial characteristics and influencing factors of traditional villages distribution in Yellow River Basin. The topic of the study is relevant, and the results obtained by the authors are of scientific interest. At the same time, the text of the manuscript has some shortcomings, namely:

1. The Abstract should indicate the country of the study (China). Also, when it comes to key influencing factors, it is necessary to clearly indicate what exactly these factors influence.
2. At the beginning of the Introduction, it is worth giving a more detailed interpretation of the concept of “traditional villages”.
3. Authors should check the presence of all necessary references to sources of information throughout the text of the manuscript. For example, this applies to lines 37-41, 45-47, etc.
4. The literature review, the results of which are presented in the Introduction, is somewhat superficial. In particular, it lacks criticality. Also, do not refer to many sources at the same time, as is done, for example, in line 78. It is better to devote at least one sentence or phrase to each source.
5. The last paragraph of the Introduction needs to be more clearly formulated as to the purpose and tasks of the study (“Considering the above, the purpose of this study is…”).
6. Please check whether all websites referenced in section 2.2 are accessible.
7. I recommend (but do not insist) to move section 3.2.1 to section 2. However, in any case, the authors should justify in more detail the choice of variables, the list of which is given in Table 1. Why were these variables chosen? Is this list sufficiently complete? Could there be a problem of multicollinearity? And so on. Also, I am not entirely clear which variables are dependent and which are independent. Maybe the other way around?
8. The connection between sections 2 and 3 should be made clearer. In particular, in section 3 it would be worth referring to the equations given in section 2.
9. The Discussion section should focus more on discussing the results of the empirical analysis carried out in the previous section. Instead, a significant part of the discussion is devoted to managerial insights, the description of which should perhaps be partially moved to subsection 5.1.
10. The Discussion section should also focus more on the scientific novelty of the results obtained by the authors of this manuscript. How do these results differ from those previously obtained by other scientists?
11. Please check whether all the propositions given in section 4 and in subsection 5.1 directly follow from the results presented in section 3.

12. Some figures should perhaps be slightly enlarged to improve their readability. I also recommend a final grammar check.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Review comments for the Manuscript “Spatial Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Traditional Villages Distribution in Yellow River Basin” (Manuscript Number: sustainability-3615996)

 

General comments:

Traditional villages in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) are vital carriers of cultural heritage, ecological sustainability, and socio-economic development. This study employs spatial econometric analysis to examine the distribution patterns and influencing factors of 888 traditional villages in the YRB region. The manuscript thoroughly elaborates the study’s background and significance, and the overall structure and content are well-organized. While the work demonstrates academic rigor, certain recommendations for refinement should be addressed to enhance clarity and impact.

Specific comments

1. Kernel density estimation (KDE) and hotspot analysis methods are described in the methodology, but key parameters (e.g., bandwidth selection principles for KDE) are omitted. It is recommended that a description of how the parameters can be optimised to ensure reproducibility is provided. It is recommended to include limitations and future prospects in the discussion section, as this can make interested researchers to conduct future studies better.
2. Please ensure that all charts are of high resolution and contain clear legends, scales and geo-references; the map of China in figure I lacks a scale and legend.
3. Table 5 lists p-values (e.g., elevation: p < 0.1) but does not explain significance thresholds in the content or methods. It is recommended that statistical significance criteria (e.g., α = 0.05) be clearly defined to avoid misinterpretation.
4. The “Managerial Insights” section (Section 5.1) recommends “developing regionally differentiated protection frameworks” but lacks actionable examples. Strengthen this by linking specific strategies (e.g., tourism integration) to regional findings (e.g., middle vs. lower reaches).
5. The conclusion is a summary of the findings of the study, to illustrate the focus of the study, please rewrite the conclusion section.
6. Some references are cited in-text but missing from the reference list. Verify completeness.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors fully answered the reviewer's questions.

 

I wish you success in your further research.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have taken into account my comments that I expressed in the previous review.