Q: An author's work has been critiqued in an article to be published in my journal. Should I inform him?
I am putting together a journal and have received a critique of an author’s work. The critique was well-written, so I am forwarding it for peer review. My question is: should I inform the author whose work was critiqued? Should that author be involved in the publication process at all?
If I understand your question correctly, you are the editor of a journal and have received a critique of a published article in the form of a "Letter to the editor." Your question is whether it is required to inform the author of the published article regarding the critique as you initiate the peer review of the letter to editor.
Informing the author of the published article is not essential as you initiate the peer review. Based on the outcome of the peer review, you can contact the author of the published article. The author of the original article may then respond to the critique with a letter of their own.
From your question, it is also unclear whether the article which was critiqued was published in your own journal or some other journal. From my experience, usually, a journal publishes critiques or responses to those articles which have been published in their own journals.
Related reading:
- Is it ethical to publish a reply to a "Letter to the Editor" without publishing the original letter?
- Should letters to the editor be checked for factual accuracy before publication?
