Editorial policies in times of humanitarian crisis: When academic neutrality is challenged

Abstract

Although there is often a healthy distance between academic publishing and geopolitical affairs, this balance can be disrupted by urgent international events. In extreme cases, when countries are accused of genocide, unique moral questions might be raised about whether stakeholders in academic publishing have any moral obligation to act, and how the publishing deals with individual participants who believe that they do. We argue that certain situations can invite additional scrutiny at the levels of individual papers, authors, their affiliations, and country of affiliation. From our analysis, we outline some recommendations for academic journals, for example, to install a standing policy for dealing with manuscripts that could indirectly contribute to grave human rights violations. By implementing the measures outlined above, we hope to contribute, however modestly, to a scholarly community that is both intellectually free and ethically responsible.