Debacle decision

Fri 01 Jul 2011 11:38 AM

When there were first calls to boycott Synthese, I was in a bit of a bind. I had agreed, long before, to participate in a special issue. I felt as if the general editors had been irreponsible, but I felt a stronger obligation to support the guest editors and other contributors to that special issue.

As I've documented in earlier posts, the debacle escalated in various ways. The editors of the special issue have been good about keeping me updated, and I have always made clear that I favoured pulling the special issue entirely. It seems I was the only contributing author with that preference, however.

This is disappointing, because outrage about the general editors' misconduct is appropriate. Yet this dissolves the dilemma for me. Since one paper more or less will not make or sink the special issue, I won't harm either the guest editors or the other contributors by withdrawing. So that's what I've done.