Who have forced the Editorial Boards of Mathematical Journals to introduce crazy rigid rules for their possible authors?

17 November 2023 3 6K Report

The greatest stupidities are the recently introduced Similarity Index and the rule that

every Reference Item have to be cited in the Text of the paper. There is also a reqirement for a Conclusion section and Declarations such as Conflict of Interest and Consent for Publications, for instance. The latter may now be 10 separate pages.

Some Journals and Edited Books are using very bad Numbering Systems for Definitions, Remarks, Theorems and Corollaries. They are numbered consequently without

indicating the section number. This makes very hard Corrections in Galey Proofs.

The latter thing can also be said about the ResearchGate.

Others journals are using some strange rules for presenting References. Frequenty,

the names of the Journals have to be emphasized instead of the titles of the papers which can be well used well in Google Searches.

And, the number of the year of publication is not placed just after

the volume number. Moreover, some journals are using colons and points

or nothing instead of commas and full stops.

Len Leonid Mizrah

Dear Dr. Arpad Szaz ,

I understand and share your frustration. It is a quite wide issue in scientific publishing. Here below are several thoughts:

Arguments for Increased Formal Rules:

Standardization: Formal rules can provide a standardized framework for authors, editors, and reviewers. This standardization may help maintain consistency and clarity in the publication process.

Quality Control: Rules can be implemented to ensure the quality and integrity of published work. This includes guidelines on ethical conduct, research rigor, and proper citation practices.

Transparency: Clear rules can enhance transparency in the editorial process, making it easier for authors to understand expectations and requirements.

Credibility: Well-defined rules can contribute to the credibility of academic and scientific publications, helping to establish trust among researchers and readers.

Ethical Considerations: Rules can address ethical considerations such as plagiarism, data fabrication, and conflicts of interest, helping to maintain the integrity of scholarly work.

Arguments Against Excessive Rules:

Bureaucracy: Too many rules can create bureaucratic hurdles and make the publication process cumbersome. This may discourage researchers and slow down the dissemination of new knowledge.

Innovation: Excessive rules might stifle creativity and innovative approaches to research and writing. A rigid framework may not accommodate emerging forms of scholarly communication.

Unintended Consequences: Some rules may have unintended consequences, leading to behaviors such as "gaming the system" to meet specific criteria rather than focusing on the quality of research.

Discouraging Diversity: Strict rules may disproportionately affect authors from underrepresented backgrounds or those who do not conform to traditional academic writing styles.

Evolution of Publishing: The landscape of academic publishing is evolving, with new models and platforms emerging. Excessive rules may not be adaptable to these changes.

In finding a balance, it's essential for the academic and publishing community to regularly evaluate existing rules, consider feedback from authors and researchers, and adjust guidelines to meet the evolving needs of the scholarly community. Striking a balance between maintaining standards and fostering innovation is crucial for a healthy and effective publishing ecosystem.

Andrew Paul McKenzie Pegman

Those new rules make sense. They have always been in place for other subjects, such as biology and ecology :)

Arpad Szaz

Dear Leonid,

Your for and against arguments are very well formulated

both in content and format. I have printed it out for further

studies, not only for me.

By now, you might have became an American from a Ukrainan.

Unfortunately, I had been learning English language, only after

the Russian and German ones, at a very old age.

In accordance with Paul's remark, such new rules

and measures have been introduced not only in

connection with Mathematics.

For these, in Hungary, it is customary to blame the

overpower of the Semi-Hungarian George Soros and

his liberal politicians and organizations.

Curiously enough, despite the Russian and Ukraiinian war,

by now we like Russians much better than West-Europeans

and Americans.

For this, recall that our two main freedom fights in, 1848 and

1956, were roughly supressed by Russian soldiers.

Moreover, Hungary had been strongly occupied by

them by for more than 40 years.

The same is true in connection Austrian and Turkish people

who had been done the same things for several hundreds of

years.

Since Academies are also well-occupied, we can only hope

that the elections, mainly those of Presidents Trump and Orban

will solve our present problems too.

With best regards,

Arpad

Where can I find public datasets with Covid-19 patient information?

How to get rid of somebody pretending to be the author of a publication?

Can I put a figure that was drawn by Bio-Render in publication paper?

Why is My firend's profile not visible?

How was your experience with Biomedical and Biotechnology Journal?

How to minimise the risk of being abused the profile of potential participants tagged in a social media post?

Research Gate Does it help researches to publicize their scientific work ?

I can't edit my publication, the "edit" is blurred. How can I edit it?

How to decrease the time for publication of paper in a journal ?

Does anybody know a public dataset of drop landing or jump landing maneuvers?