Re: (off-topic) review process (was:self-plagiarism)

[Laszlo Toth <tothl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I think the best way would be to share your and other reviewers'
> concerns with the authors through the editor and ask them to further
> explain and clarify the matter. In any fair judiciary system, people are
> allowed to defend themselves. I don't see why this shouldn't
> be the case in the scientific review process.

I agree, but unfortunately, the current review systems are too rigid for
this. I remember how many times I knew that the reviewer was wrong (or
just misunderstood something), and how I wished to have the possibility
of getting into a discourse with him/her. This could be easily
implemented, for example, the journals could create "blogs" deticated to
the given manuscript, where the author and the reviewers could get into a
discussion (preferably anonimously). I hope than sooner or later this will
replace the current method which in many cases isn't fair with the
author.

               Laszlo Toth
        Hungarian Academy of Sciences         *
  Research Group on Artificial Intelligence   *   "Failure only begins
     e-mail: tothl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx            *    when you stop trying"
     http://www.inf.u-szeged.hu/~tothl        *