Conflicts of Interest Arising from Simultaneous Service by Editors of Competing Journals or Publishers

Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva
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Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva: Independent Researcher, P.O. Box 7, Ikenobe 3011-2, Kagawa-ken 761-0799, Japan

Publications, 2021, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: In this day and age of challenging post-publication peer review and heightened academic scrutiny, editors serve an increasingly important role in screening submissions and managing the quality of information that is published in scholarly journals. Publishers compete for an intellectual market while commercial publishers compete for a commercial share of the market. The assumption argued in this perspective is that having editorial positions in competing journals or publishers (CJPs) may represent competing intellectual, professional and/or financial interests. Thus, based on this assumption, an editor would be expected to show loyalty to a single entity (journal or publisher). Editorial positions on the editorial boards of CJPs, as well as conflicts, financial or other, should be clearly indicated for all editors on the editorial board page of a journal’s website, for transparency. In science and academia, based on these arguments, the author is of the belief that editors should thus generally not serve on the editorial boards of CJPs, or only under limited and fully transparent conditions, even if they serve as editors voluntarily. The author recognizes that not all academics, including editors, might agree with this perspective, so a wider debate is encouraged.

Keywords: accountability; bias; collective self-deception; conflict of interest; editorial responsibility; open access mega journal; peer review and post-publication peer review; predatory publishing; quality control; transparency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A2 D83 L82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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