Unethical Editorial Practices in a journal: Extending Unfounded Accusations to Third Parties without Direct Communication

Abstract

This article addresses the unethical editorial practices demonstrated by in rejecting a manuscript submitted by author “A”, the corresponding author, based on concerns over the prolific authorship of “A” and his co-author “B”, as well as unfounded accusations about the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) in previous publications co-authored by “B” and “C”. The decision to extend these concerns, which were entirely unrelated to “A”'s current submission, to him is deeply problematic. The accusations regarding AI use are especially unfounded, given the technological context of the articles' publication in 2018 and 2020, when generative AI was not capable of producing scholarly-level content. The rejection based on perceived “excessive” publishing, rather than any factual concerns about the manuscript, signals a deeper issue of editorial bias and academic jealousy. This article calls attention to how such negative sentiment can cloud editorial judgment and undermine the principles of fairness, professionalism, and academic integrity in peer review.