Situation
Louis Rhodes, an editor of a multidisciplinary journal, receives a submission that is clearly below the standards for publication. It has no identifiable problem; its data are inadequately related to anything else in the paper; and it is ungrammatical.
Questions
- What is the Rhodes’ responsibility to the author of the paper?
- What are the Rhodes’ responsibilities to potential reviewers?
Discussion
Editorial responsibility in this case is unproblematic. All journals have standards of scholarship. When a paper obviously fails to meet minimal standards, editors should not send the paper out for review. Reviewers should not be burdened by requests to evaluate a paper that has no likelihood of ever being developed into a publishable piece. The author is also spared the unavoidable loss of self esteem that a review, if done, would bring. All parties benefit by the editor’s declining to review the paper, but it would be an educational service for the editor to specify minimal standards for submission in a sympathetic and helpful way.
