PEEER: Publishing for an Ethical and Equitable Environment in Research

Editors v.1

This statement has been superceded by https://peeer.net/editors/ (Oct’24)

On this page:
Editors for Change : a perspective
Joint Statement on #BetterPublishing: a statement of principles

That editors are gatekeepers who, abetted by reviewers, restrict access of meritorious science to journals under the guise of providing content expertise, while in fact often erring in judgment and being motivated by journals’ not authors’ interests, has become a common motif in critiques of scientific publishing. In our experiences — as associate and chief editors for a wide range of journals (for profit, not-for-profit, society-owned, publisher-owned, pay-to-read, pay-to-publish, and hybrid) — this critique is false the vast majority of the time. This is not to say that it does not happen — we have ourselves received reviews and decisions with which we disagree — but simply that it is rare in the journals at which we have served; it also is not to say that certain sectors of the publishing establishment aren’t fraught with problems and need to be greatly improved. Rather, it is to say that we have seen the potential for editors to do good, to improve publishing.

Based on our experiences, we believe the greatest opportunities lie in re-establishing a culture of publishing in society-owned journals. As many society-journals are nonetheless published by for-profit companies, which may raise potential for conflicts of interest, this will also require a cultural change by societies.

Following the development and endorsement of a Joint Statement on Scientific Publishing in collaboration with scientific societies, which continues to evolve as a work-in-progress, we — an alliance of current and past editors from multiple journals — acknowledge the following principles for fostering an accessible and equitable publishing environment.

Joint Statement by Editors on Principles for #BetterPublishing

That Learned Societies shall take leadership roles, including:

  • preserving the scientific integrity of journals by ensuring independence of editorial and peer review processes, which rely on editorial and review boards with relevant disciplinary expertise and research experience. 
  • supporting access to society-published research via globally affordable Open Access licensing; this entails specific support for research conducted in countries, teams, and by individuals without access to funding for Open Access publication. This ensures that no good-quality research is prevented from publication due to budget limitations.
  • producing society journal(s) through their own means or by collaborating with public or private institutions and publishers who share or respect our values, including promotion of gender equity, early career support, and the inclusion of geographically underrepresented researchers.
  • modelling transparency in their relationships with sponsors, publishers, and other partners in transient and persistent interactions, such as with journal publishers. 
  • working with institutional libraries to enhance the representation, visibility, and access of society-owned journals, including diamond/platinum open access.
  • safeguarding the legacy of scientific knowledge through accessible long-term curation.
  • ensuring society members are aware of choices they can make to support a more accessible, affordable, and equitable publishing environment.
  • facilitating training for society members on the principles of better publishing, as well as training on scientific writing to increase equity and equality.

That researchers have agency and can:

  • participate intentionally in the publishing ecosystem as authors.
  • contribute expertise as reviewers or editors to journals that are affiliated with learned societies, public institutions, and not-for-profit organizations.
  • promote geographic, career-stage, and gender diversity within the editorial boards when acting as chief editors, and within reviewers when acting as editors. 
  • choose to publish their work in journals owned by learned societies, public institutions, and not-for-profit organizations.
  • mentor young scientists to increase awareness about values and issues related to scientific publishing.
  • seek guidance in the hopes and concerns of emerging researchers.
  • commit to applying fair principles in editorial and reviewing practices and contribute to compiling and disseminating a code of good practice in publishing.