Editorial Judgment in Scientific Periodicals

Abstract

The kinds of Judgments that editors of scientific journals exercise are outlined and discussed. The most Important judgment is made on every paper submitted for editorial scrutiny: to publish or not to publish It. The principal focus of judgment on reports of observations made in experiments or field work concerns the criteria of science: the quality of design, methodology, execution and analysis, and the propriety of inferences and conclusions. Here strictness is appropriate. In heuristic essays the editorial focus is on relevance and rationality, and judgment should be liberal. Since editors are not omniscient and frequently rely on the judgment of referees, the choice of reviewers for each article is a further critical area of judgment by the editor. Finally, the role of the editor as ultimate arbiter requires him to be sensitive to bias, to arbitrate between disagreeing reviewers, and to judge when to overrule even unanimous referee opinion. The several kinds and areas of judgment are illustrated with case histories.