TEACHING ETHICS THROUGHOUT THE CURRICULUM

Case 79. Selection of Reviewers -- Perceived personal animosity
between a potential reviewer and author

Situation

In submitting a paper to which Thomas Araujo is the editor, Professor Grace Ferrante requests that it not be sent to a particular person for review because the named person knows about the work and will correctly identify authorship. Since Ferrante believes that the named person disagrees with her professionally and dislikes her personally, she feels that the person will be unable to evaluate the paper objectively.

Questions

1.    What is the Araujo's responsibility? Should she grant Ferrante's request?
2.    What is Araujo's responsibility, if any, to the named person who has been charged as unable to be objective?
3.    What is the Araujo's responsibility to the journal she edits and to the sociological community? 


     Reflect on the above questions and form your own answers before clicking the Discussion key to review the commentary provided with this case.