thank <…>for recommending to+<verb>

Question

My technical paper is reviewed by two reviewers. The comment of first review is as follows:

Reviewer #1: After the first revision, the paper has shown a comprehensive detailed information related to development in renewable energy. I would recommend this paper to be published in the Journal of ClP.

Now I want to thank this reviewer. Is use of "to publish" in the following sentence correct grammatically and conceptually? If it is not, kindly suggest ways to make it clearer.

We thank the honorable reviewer for recommending to publish the paper and confirming the responses.

Thanks.

Answer 1

You wrote "my technical paper". If you were the sole author, we would be grandiloquent. Honorable is in much the same grand register, but in some countries academics expect to be addressed like grandees, so I won't attempt to dissuade you from using the adjective.

You thank the reviewer for recommending publication of the paper.

You thank the reviewer for recommending that the paper be published.

You thank the reviewer for recommending the paper for publication.

Recommending + {infinitive} is marginally idiomatic in modern English.

P.S. My ear tells me that the third option there is the most suitable choice.