FROM : Grit, Social Support, and Academic Success of Youth Formerly in Foster Care

Reviewer-1

The relevance of research to social policy needs to be examined

We have included this more thoroughly as part of the discussion of results.

The grammar and punctuation are mostly accurate. However, there are frequent errors. Sentences are not always succinct, and word selection needs to be more consistent.

Thank you for this suggestion.  There is always room to improve how ideas are presented and shared with others. The authors have reviewed the paper for succinctness and consistency in word selection. We hope this version better represents the ideas we wish to convey in this manuscript. 

The word “THE” can be eliminated from the title.

The title has been updated to read: GRIT, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF YOUTH FORMERLY IN FOSTER CARE

There are numerous issues with punctuation, especially not using commas properly and several misspelled words.  A comma is needed after words such as, ideally, unfortunately, and before words such as particularly.

The paper has been revised to consistently use the suggested format for commas.

The use of In fact is unnecessary.

The term “in fact” has been removed from the narrative.

There is a confusion with citations:

Page 3- … school [7] (Geiger et al., 2018).

Page 3- Add the number [13] at the end of the paragraph.

All citations have been updated to match the revisions to the paper and reordering of several sources.  Thank you for your careful attention to these details.  Both authors use APA 7^th edition and this form of citation is new to us.  Your guidance is helpful!

The participants' section can be written more concisely

This section has been revised and is briefer now.

misspelled word: score as 40 (vert high support).

Corrected.

There is some use of colloquial terms and missed words- “The good news it these are skills”- page 11.

This has been corrected.

“Results suggest there may be an interwoven relationship between personal levels of grit and perception of social support that is worth exploring.” 

Corrected.

Reviewer 2

The Introduction should be expanded to illustrate the interrelationships between variables such as grit, social support, and academic success. Additionally, the study's objectives should be clearly stated in this section rather than leaving the readers to infer them until page five.

Additional clarity has been added to the introduction by moving the purpose paragraph to the introduction.

The section on Grit requires further elaboration on this construct.

A clearer description of how grit may apply to YFFC has been included.

In the Materials and Methods section, it is necessary to include a description of the research setting and specify the sampling method used.

More detail has been added regarding the anonymous survey and the convenience sample of undergraduate student participants.

A paragraph detailing the data analysis process should be added.

A paragraph about the data analysis process has been added to the Materials and Methods section.

Furthermore, more comprehensive information should be provided regarding the process of obtaining participant consent.

More information has been added to describe the consent process.  Consent was implied by reading the introduction script to the online survey and agreeing to participate by continuing to the next screen to start the survey questions.

The research setting should also be utilized to discuss the findings, provide context, and enhance the interpretation of the results.

We have expanded the research study description with more context.