On Thursday 15 September, ISMTE held its delayed webinar on Responding to World Events, which had originally been conceived following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing issues faced by publishers and editors on whether to make public statements or how to join various sanctions placed on Russia. The event was moderated by Mark Paglia from AIP Publishing, and on the panel were COPE representatives Simon Linacre (Digital Science) and Caroline Porter (Sage) alongside Ed Gerstner from Springer Nature.
The discussion started by asking when, if ever, journal commentary on world events was appropriate, and the consensus that it was when in the context of research and the relevant discipline. Numerous examples were shared on how this can be done, but also how complex these issues are, such as with COVID, border relations between countries, the Black Lives Matter debate etc.
Ed made the point that the 'view from nowhere' was a myth, and we agreed that science does not operate in a vacuum but within other contexts, but these contexts should be explored and be transparent to maintain publishing integrity. Publishing can and should do more to improve transparency, with issues such as Equity Diversity and Inclusivity holding the industry back.
Related resource
Geopolitical intrusions on editorial decisions, COPE advice to editors