tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post5165775312167315569..comments2024-03-25T02:33:41.590-05:00Comments on FemaleScienceProfessor: Pay-Per-ReviewFemale Science Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-28071640525696047422007-06-01T14:41:00.000-05:002007-06-01T14:41:00.000-05:00I'm an editor at a Big Journal, and I would absolu...I'm an editor at a Big Journal, and I would absolutely want to know if one of our referees was breaking the process in such a way. We would never use him/her again. That's just wrong.<BR/><BR/>[in fact, it's so wrong that our Big Journal has a news staff and I'm sure they'd like to hear about it too. I'm just saying, that's how wrong it is.]<BR/><BR/>And, for future reference, absolutely we want people to list up to 4 scientists who should not review their paper. We certainly do not want to send your paper to a competitor any more than you want us to do that.<BR/><BR/>It is helpful to us if authors list up to 4 specific people and say "we know they have competing work" or something similar. It is NOT helpful for authors to say things like "please don't send this to anyone in San Francisco Bay area" or "to anyone working on chemical biology." You may be laughing but it does happen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-83932953569273083662007-05-31T18:05:00.000-05:002007-05-31T18:05:00.000-05:00Wow! I have not run across this in my field (atmos...Wow! I have not run across this in my field (atmospheric sciences) yet. Absolutely I would forward the email to the editor. He is in violation of the entire peer review process and I think it's our responsibility (as scientists beholden to the peer review process) to keep that process as true as possible. I would be stunned to have this kind of request sent to me. Shows I'm living in some kind of naive world, I guess. :-)<BR/><BR/>BTW, I'm very much enjoying your blog. I'm a woman scientist (at a government agency), trying to balance research and motherhood. It's a fantastic mix, in my opinion...<BR/><BR/>I enjoy reading the differences in your world (academia) versus mine (government). Not so very different, but different nontheless.<BR/><BR/>JenKanga Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06251832877719706249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-74822234603266786032007-05-31T15:29:00.000-05:002007-05-31T15:29:00.000-05:00All manuscripts are signed, but it varies from jou...All manuscripts are signed, but it varies from journal to journal whether reviews and editorial comments are signed. This person could have chosen to be anonymous, but for his own reasons he chose to email me 'informally' to tell me he was reviewing the paper. This is not typical in general, but is a habit for this particular person.Female Science Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-2224472778257872392007-05-31T15:20:00.000-05:002007-05-31T15:20:00.000-05:00Is the review process in your discipline double-bl...Is the review process in your discipline double-blind to the peer reviewers (I know that the editors have to know who submitted the paper)? And, if it is, was the person able to guess that you are the author because the work is so closely related to yours? I am sorry if these are dumb questions.mike3550https://www.blogger.com/profile/09621465191508532187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-55325518043959483122007-05-31T12:17:00.000-05:002007-05-31T12:17:00.000-05:00You really ought to pass this along to the journal...You really ought to pass this along to the journal's editors--particularly since it sounds as if this is a habit for this reviewer. <BR/><BR/>This is unvarnished corruption, and overlooking it does a disservice to other reviewers, authors and science in general. Peer review is one of the strongest things that science has going for it, and this sort of behavior will undermine it very quickly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-38165902112878160252007-05-31T12:08:00.000-05:002007-05-31T12:08:00.000-05:00Having served as a reviewing/associate editor as w...Having served as a reviewing/associate editor as well as co-editor-in-chief for a few journals, I think it is imperative to point out this kind of behavior to the editor handling the paper. The behavior you described clearly shows that this reviewer is not exactly being objective (among other things).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-61124428794013429322007-05-30T22:43:00.000-05:002007-05-30T22:43:00.000-05:00See, I think people like this should be blackliste...See, I think people like this should be blacklisted because otherwise they will abuse people who don't have enough power to do anything about it.<BR/><BR/>And the editor who ignored you? Should be made to see reason. Long boring ethics lectures/ mandatory training sessions might do the trick.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-67494161594412305192007-05-30T17:15:00.000-05:002007-05-30T17:15:00.000-05:00I definitely think you should report this to the e...I definitely think you should report this to the editor - you don't want this person in the referee pool. This person ought to know better, too - asking for an implied quid pro quo is waaaay over the line ethically.Douglas Natelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340091255404229559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-25131024541388290552007-05-30T16:42:00.000-05:002007-05-30T16:42:00.000-05:00Yuck. I'm well past the belief that life is fair, ...Yuck. I'm well past the belief that life is fair, but situations like this still leave a bad taste in my mouth. I think he deserves a kick in the shins with your pointiest shoes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-87178216921273587012007-05-30T15:16:00.000-05:002007-05-30T15:16:00.000-05:00This review has to be in violation of some ethics ...This review has to be in violation of some ethics code somewhere. He should be kicked out of whatever professional society he belongs to. I hope you report him again.Jamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328884172511150275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-86617136947495678052007-05-30T13:15:00.001-05:002007-05-30T13:15:00.001-05:00I have a protective streak so if this happened to ...I have a protective streak so if this happened to me, I would dob the reviewer in. My rationale is that although I might personally be able to refuse, there are others who might be less assertive, less experienced and less well-supported than me. If these people get the same requests as you do, then they might become victims.<BR/><BR/>This has two effects:<BR/>1. The victim is out of pocket and perhaps disillusioned by the peer review process.<BR/><BR/>2. The reviewer says, 'Fantastic, this gig works!' and he continues onto the next person.<BR/><BR/>What if someone has already made a complaint against him and the journal editors won't act on it because it is an isolated complaint?joaniumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17203372622777161183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-79482913932857446182007-05-30T13:15:00.000-05:002007-05-30T13:15:00.000-05:00The first time this reviewer wrote informing me of...The first time this reviewer wrote informing me of his imminent review, the results of which were apparently open for discussion, and asked for money, I forwarded the email to the editor. The editor did not reply, the review was not particularly positive, and the paper was published. <BR/><BR/>As an editor, I would want to know if a reviewer were doing this to an author.Female Science Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-69459055219240443902007-05-30T13:04:00.000-05:002007-05-30T13:04:00.000-05:00Wow, that sounds really awful. How about forwardin...Wow, that sounds really awful. How about forwarding the email unethical reviewer sent you to the editor? This person has no business reviewing any manuscript at all. It is quite confrontational, but I bet you are not the only one who is being targeted by him. I wonder if he is writing these kinds of emails to the male professors whose manuscripts he gets to review as well, or if he dares to contact only women professors.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, I can understand why you would not want to tell the editor about it - it is not a pleasant situation. You mentioned you are an editor yourself and I am really curious - if one of the reviewers for your journal was doing similar things, as an editor, would you want to know about it? Or would you prefer the authors deal with such a reviewer by themselves and never mentioned anything to you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-41172556948497779122007-05-30T12:16:00.000-05:002007-05-30T12:16:00.000-05:00Hmm...I think it is legitimate to ask that certain...Hmm...<BR/><BR/>I think it is legitimate to ask that certain people not review your papers. Usually these folks are known in the community for being difficult and those clued in will not wonder why you have done this.<BR/><BR/>I've had two problem children in the past. One is now dead, so that takes care of that. The other is still out there. It was usually pretty easy to tell when one of these folks was doing the review, because there were always requests for numerous citations to their work. Usually I would - if possible - use their own work in support of my arguments and to counter their criticism.<BR/><BR/>But to put the squeeze on you while someone has a paper of yours under review - Ick! Maybe you should blow the whistle to the editor?<BR/><BR/>Mr. B.Mr. B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02067666077743889680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-5426842868566539842007-05-30T12:05:00.000-05:002007-05-30T12:05:00.000-05:00Why not forward the inappropriate e-mail request t...Why not forward the inappropriate e-mail request to the journal's editor? Problem solved, right? You can't be the only one with this problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com