Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Short Birth Interval and Associated Factors among Women of Chil d Bearing Age in 
Northern Ethiopia, 2016  
 
Version: 1 Date: 19 Apr 2019  
 
Reviewer: Prince Adu  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Dear Authors,  
Thank you for your comments and revisions to the earlier submission. Here are a few other 
issue s, if addressed would significantly improve the quality of the manuscript:  
Line 43 -44 (Abstract): replace "determine statistical test at multivariable analysis" with "to 
assess significance of associations in the multivariable analysis"  
Line 45: Should be "among women of child bearing age"  
Line 51: missing "is" after interval  
Table 3: There must be an index beneath the table specifying the full meaning of COR and AOR  
Line 115 -117: It is not quite clear what you are trying to say here about the outcome varia ble. 
Please make it clearer. Perhaps this belongs to the discussion section, not methods.  
Line 114: You responded to my earlier comments about your exclusion criteria. Your 
explanation is valid but what is stated in the manuscript does not communicate what you 
explained. When you say, those who did not remember the birth date OR did not have a birth 
certificate of their child were excluded from the study, it applies all persons in either categories 
were excluded but that is not what you did per your explanation. To resolve this, simply replace 
"or" with "and" in the sentence "those who did not r emember the birth date or did not have a 
birth certificate of their child were excluded from the study".  
Line 148: "of" is missing after "the rest"  
Line 174 -175: The authors in their response to my earlier inquiry have explained the consent 
process but thi s explanation/clarification needs to be included in the manuscript. Currently it is 
not. 
 
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and  well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an  
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further  
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Not suitable for publication unless extensively edited  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing i nterests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an  
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this  
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose  
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to t he content of the  
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds  or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below.  If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
 
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on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report  
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