For 17 years I was a journal editor. I was not a researcher serving as a volunteer on a journal editorial board or a part-time academic editor also running my own lab; I was a professional editor at a broad life sciences weekly journal. Since stepping down as the Editor of the journal, I have … Read more
Why are these preprints not proceeding into the scholarly peer-reviewed literature? What does this mean for citations?
I have recently interacted with early career and late stage scientists who have had problems with predatory journals or journals with low requirements for members of their editorial boards. I advised each of these scientists and thought I would share that advice here. For an early career scientist, I first explained the typical roles of … Read more
One of the mysteries in scholarly publishing is the peer-review process. I created this short video to help scientists understand the process editors use in selecting reviewers. I describe it as a game of dodge ball. The editor typically has a large pool of potential reviewers who have the right expertise and scientific background, but … Read more
Tying all of the revenue associated with and costs of publication to the researcher creates an inherent conflict of interest. The STEM publishing industry has undergone at least 2 paradigm shifts since I entered the industry. In 2000, when I started at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a not-for-profit society publisher, … Read more