REVIEWER 1 - COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
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**Review of "NUMBERS DON'T SPEAK, PEOPLE DO": TRUSTWORTHINESS IN HUMANITARIAN CASUALTY REPORTING DURING THE GAZA WAR (2024–2025)**

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### **🔍 Step 1. Summary of the Paper**

This mixed-methods study examines how trustworthiness is established in humanitarian casualty reporting during the 2024–2025 Gaza conflict. The paper integrates quantitative analysis of a publicly available dataset (N=20,390 records) with qualitative insights from 22 field interviews. Key findings indicate that 32.8% of documented victims were children under 18, with a modal age group of 19–30 and a consistent male majority (60%). Qualitatively, credibility is shown to emerge from procedural visibility, independent corroboration, and narrative integration rather than institutional authority. The paper claims to contribute a "two-path triangulation model" for data credibility, "range-plus-change-log" publication standards, and methodological frameworks for integrating micro-narratives with aggregate data.

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### **🔬 Step 2. Evaluation Criteria**

#### **1. Originality / Novelty**  
**Score: 7/10**  
The paper applies established mixed-methods approaches to a timely, high-stakes context but does not introduce fundamentally new methodologies. The "two-path triangulation" model and "range-plus-change-log" standards are pragmatic adaptations of existing verification principles rather than theoretical breakthroughs. However, the focus on distributed verification under infrastructure collapse offers a fresh perspective on credibility construction in conflict zones.

#### **2. Scientific Rigor / Methodology**  
**Score: 5/10**  
- **Quantitative Component:** The dataset lacks event dates, preventing temporal analysis—a critical limitation for conflict casualty research. Age/sex distributions are clearly presented, but the absence of cause-of-death or geographic data limits contextual interpretation.  
- **Qualitative Component:** Purposive sampling of 22 participants is reasonable, but remote data collection may compromise depth. Thematic analysis procedures are adequately described, though reflexivity practices could be more detailed.  
- **Integration:** Concurrent triangulation is appropriately applied, but the paper does not sufficiently address tensions between quantitative and qualitative findings.

#### **3. Clarity & Presentation**  
**Score: 6/10**  
The paper is generally well-structured but suffers from repetitive phrasing (e.g., "procedural visibility" appears excessively). Tables are clear but could better highlight key insights (e.g., visualizing age-sex distributions). The abstract accurately represents the study, though the title's stylized formatting ("DON'TSPEAK") is unprofessional.

#### **4. Reproducibility & Transparency**  
**Score: 8/10**  
Methods are described in sufficient detail, and the dataset is publicly accessible. Ethical protocols and data cleaning procedures (e.g., outlier removal) are clearly documented. However, interview guides and coding frameworks are not provided, limiting qualitative reproducibility.

#### **5. Significance & Impact**  
**Score: 9/10**  
The topic is critically important for humanitarian practice and policy. The paper addresses core challenges in conflict documentation and offers practical recommendations for balancing accuracy with human dignity. Findings could influence reporting standards in future crises.

#### **6. Ethics & Integrity**  
**Score: 8/10**  
Ethical approvals and data security measures are clearly stated. The use of a publicly sourced dataset labeled "Genocide of the Palestinian People" introduces potential bias, though the authors handle the data objectively. Conflicts of interest are appropriately disclosed.

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### **🧪 Step 3. Specific Suggestions for Improvement**

#### **Major Flaws**  
1. **Temporal Analysis Gap:** The absence of event dates in the dataset fundamentally limits analysis of reporting dynamics over time. The authors should either obtain dated records or explicitly justify this limitation's impact on conclusions.  
2. **Conceptual Overlap:** Key terms (e.g., "procedural visibility," "two-path corroboration") are redundantly defined and applied. Streamline and operationalize these constructs.  
3. **Sampling Justification:** Provide stronger rationale for the participant distribution (6 verification leads, 5 clinicians, etc.) and address potential selection bias from "established humanitarian networks."

#### **Minor Flaws**  
1. **Title Formatting:** Correct the title's spacing and punctuation.  
2. **Repetitive Phrasing:** Reduce redundant descriptions of findings (e.g., "credibility emerges from procedural visibility" appears 10+ times).  
3. **Table Optimization:** Consolidate Tables 1–5 into a single demographic overview with highlighted trends.

#### **Additional Analyses**  
1. Conduct sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of outlier removal on demographic patterns.  
2. Explore statistical tests (e.g., chi-square) to validate claimed consistencies in sex distributions across age groups.  
3. Triangulate findings with external datasets (e.g., UN reports) to assess generalizability.

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### **📊 Step 4. Final Decision & Justification**

**Overall Score: 7/10**  
**Recommendation: Weak Accept**  

**Justification:**  
This paper addresses a socially and academically significant topic with methodological competence and ethical sensitivity. The mixed-methods approach is appropriate, and the integration of quantitative patterns with qualitative insights strengthens the analysis. However, major limitations—particularly the lack of temporal data and conceptual redundancy—prevent a stronger endorsement. The recommended revisions are substantial but achievable within a revision cycle. If the authors address these issues, the paper could make a valuable contribution to humanitarian research and practice.

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**Confidential Comments to Editor:**  
While the paper's political context may attract scrutiny, the authors maintain a professional, evidence-based tone. I recommend ensuring that revisions do not compromise this balance. The dataset's provenance ("Genocide of the Palestinian People") warrants careful consideration, though the authors use it appropriately for demographic analysis.