An editorial board member received a complaint of suspected financial fraud in the working of a particular journal and was presented with limited evidence of the same. The editorial board member was invited by the editor to serve on the board and has just completed his tenure. The fraud has apparently been committed by the editor himself.
Is there any ethical binding on the editorial board member to investigate the so called fraud?
As this is a society journal, the advice was that the complainant should contact the treasurer of the society stating that he has some concerns, without placing any blame on one individual. The treasurer should be presented with the evidence and asked to look into the matter. The committee thought that the word “fraud” should be avoided as it is possible that the financial misconduct may have been unintentional.