Q: How to convince a co-author if I disagree with his/her views?
I have asked 5 co-authors to review a manuscript, and one of them requested to receive the manuscript at the very end after other 4 co-authors finished reviewing. Upon discussing with other 4 co-authors, I did as required by the above co-author. Then he/she spent more than 2 months for review and suggested to remove a part of Discussion section. (The reason is that the data of the inflammatory effects on a compound is from only animal experiments, instead of clinical trial.) I want to decline this suggestion, but what point should I pay attention to avoid getting him/her offended?
I think you should explain why you feel the results from animal experiments can also add value to the manuscript. Give a point-by-point response to the issue he/she has raised, with supporting evidence and/or logical reasoning. If you explain your point-of-view in a polite manner, I don't think he/she would be offended. You can also add that if he/she is still keen on removing that part, perhaps you could take the opinion of the other co-authors on this and then arrive at a decision based on what the majority thinks.
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