Reviewer’s report
Title: 
A Thematic Analysis of experiences of HIV risks among female sex
workers in the Yunnan-Vietnam Chinese border region
Version: 
0 
Date: 
15 Jul 2020
Reviewer's report:
Abstract
Introduction: The authors should note that in as much as FSWs are at risk of
transmitting HIV during
sex work if they are positive, those who are HIV negative can be infected with
HIV by clients. So, the risk of infection is not only for clients but sex workers
too can also be exposed to various high risk situations.
Results: The four themes presented in this section lack clarity and don't provide
a compelling picture of the conclusion presented. It would seem the themes are
presented in a more general manner and don't provide a nuanced understanding
of the issues under investigation. 
What do the authors mean by this statement, "Working Without the Influence".
The statement is confusing to the readers.
"A Brief Summary of Findings": What is the reason for having this section as a
standalone text separate from the abstract/findings. Shouldn't it form part of the
results section of the abstract?
General comment: Throughout the paper, there are two overlapping line
numbers. Can the authors correct this anomaly. 
The authors should use the standard referencing style recommended by journal.
Introduction
Lines 57-58: As earlier noted, the risk of sex work is two-sided: on the one hand
there is a risk of transmission of 
HIV and other STIs to the clients and on the
other hand sex workers risk being infected with HIV from clients. 
Lines 57-58: I think the use of the words, "commercial sex" is too strong and
might be considered demeaning instead I suggest the authors use the terms "sex
work"
In as much as the introduction section provides rich contextual information about
the sex work situation in the Yunnan region, it falls short of offering a clear
logical flow of the ideas making it difficult for the reader to pick up the key
issues on interest. 
I would suggest a reorganization of the introduction section by
outlining the general situation, the specific situation, the gap in 
knowledge of the
specific situation, and what the authors did to fill the gap.
Methods
Information on the study setting should be included in the methods section.
How were participants approached and selected to participate in the study? This
is not clear from the narrative. Who approached the participants and how were
participants selected into the study? 
As the age of the majority in China is 18, can the authors explain the rationale
for including participants below 18 in the study. How were such participants
consented to participate in the study? 
The analysis process is not clear to me. Can the authors indicate a step by step
analysis process? How were differences in coding resolved? 
Can the authors explain the reason behind using psychological thematic analysis
over other forms of qualitative analysis?. 
It is not not clear whether the analysis
was done manually or using a qualitative analysis software. 
Can the authors
clarify this?
What were the key domains of the semi-structured interviews? How was data
from the semi-structured interviews captured before being transcribed? 
A description of the participant's Socio-Demographic information should be
included in the methods section.
Results
Line 203: Desire for Condom Use: This sub theme doesn't seem to fully capture
the range of issues 
articulated in the text. The authors should consider changing
it to something else that is linked with the .
I don't have a problem with the way text narratives from the FGDs are quoted but
the readers can find this style difficult to follow.
Can the authors include the age and HIV status of sex workers in the text
narratives from the FGDs?
It appears that only three sex workers reported having STI symptoms and it is
unclear whether this view was representative of a majority of sex workers. It is
also worth presenting views of sex workers who did not report having any STI
symptoms as their views can have important public health implications.
Again the sub theme, "Poor Gynaecological Service Access" doesn't seem to
capture the the main points presented by the authors.
Similarly the points articulated under the sub-theme, " Low HIV/AIDS Literacy"
aren't clear and and require re-writting/re-framing. 
Line 388: Working Without the Influence: This sub title as framed appears
vague/incomplete to me and can be confusing to the readers. The text under this
sub theme should be revised and present a strong argument on alcohol and drug
use.
Line 389: The statement reading, "Few sex workers reported addiction problems,
the majority said they did not drink to excess or use drugs when working and
practiced professionalism. Several extracts supported a professional work
mentality" is not clear and should be revised. 
Discussion
I am not sure the findings talked about the transient nature of sex workers and
yet this is a key highlight of the discussion section.
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Are the methods appropriate and well described?
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No
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Not relevant to this manuscript
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