Open Source as the Foundation of Safety and Security in Logistics Digital Transformation

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper looks at an important topic. The authors have included a lot of sources and cover many angles. But the paper is too long, too repetitive, and sometimes hard to follow. It often sounds very positive without looking at the challenges. Still, with some clear changes, this can become a strong paper.

The paper talks a lot about theory but does not give enough real examples from the logistics world. It would be good to show how open-source software has actually been used in logistics to solve problems or improve security.

It has too many sections that say the same thing in slightly different ways. This makes it hard to see the main message. 

The authors should also talk about these side of the story to give a more balanced view.

Even though the title says it's about logistics, there’s not much that is specific to logistics. The authors should use examples and ideas from that field to make their points more relevant.

It would also help to define "digital transformation." Right now, the term is used in different ways without a clear meaning. A good place to add a strong definition is where the paper talks about logistics systems. One useful definition is that digital transformation is a social and structural change that reshapes how organisations create a new value toward sustained competitive advantage. Specifically, this has been defined in the following article (page 3): 

• Saeedikiya, M., Salunke, S., & Kowalkiewicz, M. (2025). The nexus of digital transformation and innovation: A multilevel framework and research agenda. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100640

This conceptualisation, highlights a necessity of digital transformation as a source of competitive advantage in the era of creative destruction.

The paper might also look at a few newer studies that are closely related. These papers give more real-world examples and updated ideas that can improve the argument. I suggest looking at:

• Kern, J. (2021). The digital transformation of logistics: A review about technologies and their implementation status. The digital transformation of logistics: Demystifying impacts of the fourth industrial revolution, 361-403.

• Egorov, D., Levina, A., Kalyazina, S., Schuur, P., & Gerrits, B. (2020, May). The challenges of the logistics industry in the era of digital transformation. In International conference on technological transformation: A new role for human, machines and management (pp. 201-209). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

• Saeedikiya, M., Salunke, S., & Kowalkiewicz, M. (2024). Toward a dynamic capability perspective of digital transformation in SMEs: A study of the mobility sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 439, 140718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.140718

• Paksoy, T., Kochan, C. G., & Ali, S. S. (Eds.). (2020). Logistics 4.0: Digital transformation of supply chain management. CRC Press.

• Saeedikiya, M., et al. (2024). Cognitions affecting innovation among Generation Z entrepreneurs. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-02-2023-0188

It would also help if the authors added some short examples or stories showing how open-source has helped in real logistics cases ( like delivery tracking, etc).

 Clear, simple writing will help more people understand the main ideas.

The authors also need to fix some long lists of citations. Sometimes there are too many references together without saying what each one adds. 

In my opinion, the paper is on a great topic and has many useful ideas, but it needs to be shorter, clearer, and more focused. If the authors add real examples of logistics (or mobility sector as another example), more recent reports and papers, and write in a simpler way, this can become a very helpful and interesting article.

Any papers recommended in the report are for reference purposes only and are not mandatory.
You are also encouraged to cite and reference other papers related to this topic as you deem appropriate.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

thank You for Your very constructive and insightful review! We have done our best to improve the paper in the given time frame:

1. improved its structure to make it easier to follow - we have shortened it a bit and removed any repetitive sections;
2. leveraged benefits of open-source with its challenges - they are summarized in the discussion;
3. included some examples from the logistics environments to showcase the present and future applications of open-source;
4. defined the term "digital transformation" and what it means to logistics in the introduction;
5. added the proposed additional references to existing literature;
6. fixed the citations to be concise and on-spot with the contents.

We hope to have improved the article in ways You deem appropriate! Please, let us know, whether it requires additional rework.

Best regards, RG

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript explored how open-source software serves as a foundational element for safety and security in the digital transformation of logistics systems, which is of great research significance. However, to improve the quality of the manuscript, the following aspects need to be addressed:

 

 

Major issues

• Research question and motivation: While the introduction briefly mentions the importance of trust, security, and open - source software in the digital transformation of logistics, it fails to clearly and in - depth elaborate on the research question and motivation. Specifically, the significance and urgency of exploring whether the open - source development model offers greater security and reliability for digital systems compared to proprietary approaches are not well - presented.
• The review of related work lacks focus: The literature review covers a wide range of content, but fails to highlight the core literature closely related to this study. Moreover, it does not clearly compare the differences and innovative points between this study and existing research. It is recommended to streamline the review of related work, select key studies on the application of open - source software in the digital transformation of logistics and its security assurance mechanisms, etc. Through comparative analysis, clarify the unique contributions of this study in terms of research perspective, methodology, or conclusions.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

thank You for Your improvement suggestions! We have done our best to improve the article in the given time frame:

1. improved the structure to highlight the motivation behind the research and the results of the study - the scope and focus of the research are outlined by the introduction and methodological framework;
2. improved the presentation of the open-source way to deal with security and reliability issues - its limitations, challenges and benefits are discussed in detail and exemplified by use-cases;
3. streamlined the literature review to highlight the different aspects of the study because they are important to interoperability of future logistics applications;
4. improved the contents to showcase the focus of this narrative review for evaluating open-source role in shaping secure and transparent digital infrastructures within logistics.

We hope to have improved the article in ways You deem appropriate! Please, let us know, whether it requires additional rework.

Best regards, RG

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This work try to present open-source as the Foundation of Safety and Security in
Logistics Digital Transformation by analysis of the key elements of open-source development. It is an interesting topic. But the work needs to be more clear in the pinciple of environment of logistics industry, and further improve the logics and solutions in theoretical and practical views.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

thank You for Your improvement suggestions! We have done our best to improve the article in the given time frame:

1. improved the structure to highlight the motivation behind the research and the results of the study - the scope and focus of the research are outlined by the introduction and methodological framework;
2. improved the presentation of the open-source way to deal with security and reliability issues - its limitations, challenges and benefits are discussed in detail and exemplified by use-cases;
3. streamlined the literature review to highlight the different aspects of the study because they are important to interoperability of future logistics applications;
4. improved the contents to showcase the focus of this narrative review for evaluating open-source role in shaping secure and transparent digital infrastructures within logistics.

We hope to have improved the article in ways You deem appropriate! Please, let us know, whether it requires additional rework.

Best regards, RG

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This manuscript explores how open-source software serves as a foundational element for safety and security in the digital transformation of logistics systems. On the whole, the topic is interesting, the prior work is synthesized effectively, and the multi-dimensional analysis (legal, economic, security) is comprehensive. However, I have the following concerns:

(1) The manuscript synthesizes the existing literature effectively but is lack of new theories or workable solutions. Hence, the research contributions of this manuscript should be further demonstrated.

(2) The existing literature has already investigated open-source applications in many fields. The manuscript does not sufficiently elucidate why logistics represents a uniquely innovative context.

(3) The manuscript focuses on legal, economic, and political implications of open-source software. However, the economic analysis is less detailed compared with legal and security discussions.

(4) There are a few writing problems in the manuscript. Please check whether “» «” is a standard English quotation mark or not; in Lines 126, 509, 624, 1054, “open” should be revised as “Open”; in Line 709, there is a lack of a period after “geopolitical shifts”. Hence, I suggest the authors check and revise the text of the manuscript carefully.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

excellent except for a  few small mistakes

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

thank You for Your improvement suggestions! We have done our best to improve the article in the given time frame:

1. improved the structure to highlight the motivation behind the research and the results of the study - the scope and focus of the research are outlined by the introduction and methodological framework;
2. streamlined the literature review to highlight the different aspects of the study because they are important to interoperability of future logistics applications;
3. improved the presentation of the open-source way to deal with security and reliability issues, but also to address the software supply chain where firms, producing closed-source software are currently investing resources in terms of financial support and manpower to gain access to the source code and benefit from the results (surely their financial calculation cannot be wrong);
4. corrected the writing errors, partially introduced by the primary word processing software, which is closed-source by the way.

We hope to have improved the article in ways You deemed appropriate! Please, let us know, whether it requires additional rework.

Best regards, RG

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

All comments have been considered.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In this revised paper, authors have answered reviewers all questions. Now,  it can be accepted.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

In this revised paper, authors have answered reviewers all questions. Now,  it can be accepted.

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

By carefully reviewing this revised edition, I find that the quality of the manuscript has been improved and reached the publication standard.