Summary: The editorial board of the prestigious Journal of Human Evolution (JHE) has made headlines by resigning en masse. Over the course of 38 years, this board was pivotal in shaping the journal’s influence and legacy. However, mounting frustrations with Elsevier, the journal's publisher, have culminated in a bold and unified exit. The conflict underscores the growing divide between editorial standards and publishing business models in the scientific world.
The Catalyst for Resignation
The decision from the JHE editorial board wasn’t abrupt; it was the result of a decade of strained relations with Elsevier. According to the board, the publisher's changes undermined the foundations of quality, integrity, and accessibility that are essential for a journal of such academic stature. Let’s dissect the key grievances raised by the editors to understand the driving forces behind this shared resignation.
1. Reduced Editorial Support
The board expressed significant concern over Elsevier's decision to eliminate critical editorial roles, including a copy editor and a special issues editor. These roles are invaluable for ensuring language quality, grammatical precision, adherence to nomenclature standards, and overall readability. Elsevier’s stance that editors should not concern themselves with these details was seen as dismissive of the laborious process required to maintain scientific rigor. This refusal to prioritize editorial quality has placed undue burden on the board members, forcing them to assume tasks outside their primary expertise.
2. Restructuring of the Editorial Board
A major restructuring initiative by Elsevier aimed at halving the number of associate editors added fuel to the fire. This change would compel fewer editors to handle significantly larger workloads, often outside their areas of expertise. The result? Potential erosion of quality in peer reviews and editorial processes. The board feared that such a move would dilute the journal’s commitment to excellence by prioritizing quantity over quality.
3. Compromised Independence
The unilateral restructuring of the board’s governance marked a turning point. In 2023, Elsevier mandated that all associate editors renew their contracts annually. This not only jeopardized editorial independence but also undermined the integrity of the board. For a journal as distinguished as JHE, such mandates were seen as an encroachment on the autonomy needed to uphold rigorous academic standards.
4. Improper Use of AI
The widespread integration of artificial intelligence in the publication process emerged as another thorny issue. Elsevier’s use of AI tools, often without notifying the board, led to numerous style and formatting errors. Worse, the system reportedly reversed versions of papers that had already been accepted and formatted. Authors and editors were left scrambling to correct the publisher’s mistakes, which caused embarrassment for the journal and disrupted its editorial workflow. This lack of transparency and accountability further strained the relationship.
5. Escalating Author Page Charges
Perhaps the most contentious issue was the significant increase in author page charges for publishing in JHE. The board argued that these fees far exceeded those of comparable journals, including other for-profit and open-access publications under Elsevier. Such practices not only limited accessibility for underfunded researchers but also contradicted public pledges of inclusivity and equality. This shift toward profitability was seen as a betrayal of the journal's core mission and academic values.
The Breaking Point: Editorial Compensation
The final straw came when Elsevier announced it was terminating JHE’s dual-editor model unless lead editors Mark Grabowski and Andrea Taylor accepted a 50% pay cut. This ultimatum forced the editors to choose between financial stability and a compromise in their editorial principles. Unwilling to concede, the board collectively decided to resign. This act of unity underscored their shared belief that they could no longer uphold the quality and standards they had cultivated for nearly four decades under Elsevier’s continued oversight.
A Broader Pattern in Scientific Publishing
This resignation marks the 20th such mass departure from editorial boards within the scientific publishing industry since 2023. A recurring theme among these resignations involves growing discontent with for-profit publishers prioritizing profitability over academic quality and accessibility. These trends, while reflective of broader changes in publishing business models, are increasingly alienating the very professionals who lend credibility to these journals. Such actions risk eroding trust in the scientific publishing process and the dissemination of knowledge itself.
Final Observations
The decision of the JHE editorial board is neither an isolated incident nor a mere dispute over operational disagreements. It represents a clarion call to reevaluate the balance between profitability and academic integrity in scientific publishing. As editorial boards and researchers continue to push back, it remains to be seen whether publishers like Elsevier will adjust their models to prioritize the very scholarship they claim to support—or continue down a path of alienating their most valuable contributors.
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Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and Afif Ramdhasuma (mv38TB_Ljj8)