Comments on alleged editor misconduct from editors-in-chief of anaesthesia journals

Editor—The editors-in-chief of various anaesthesia journals hold a meeting open to all editors-in-chief in the specialty twice a year, once at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting and again at the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Annual Meeting. These meetings are informal and used to share experiences to help us all deliver the best science and education for the benefit of our patients, in a spirit of collaboration. Misconduct is oft-discussed.

In October 2024 in Philadelphia, we discussed a recent editorial by von Ungern-Sternberg and colleagues that has just appeared in the British Journal of Anaesthesia,¹ and noted their serious allegations about editorial misconduct. The editors of the journal against whom these allegations were made were not at the meeting.

von Ungern-Sternberg and colleagues' account underscores the importance of having robust processes in place to address conflicts between authors and editors-in-chief. However, upon reviewing the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and our journal policies, they seem to lack clarity on addressing this issue. Perhaps such problems should be referred to the relevant publisher or governing body (e.g. board of directors), where the journal is part of a specialist society, to ensure a more impartial resolution.

As a working group of editors-in-chief, we are committed to using the adverse experiences described by von Ungern-Sternberg and colleagues as a catalyst for improvement. We aspire to establish clearer and more accessible pathways for authors to voice concerns about potential editorial misconduct and ensure transparency and accountability at all levels of the publishing process. We also recognise that perspectives differ, and the description offered by von Ungern-Sternberg and colleagues might not be shared by the editor(s) concerned. Since the matter is now in the public forum, we encourage those editors concerned to respond openly to the allegations.

Authors’ contributions

Drafting, editing, and final approval of manuscript: AAG, AD, RL, JJP, JP, APS, SKWS, BDS, BS, MW.

Editorial note

The editor-in-chief of the British Journal of Anaesthesia (Hugh C. Hemmings Jr) was present at the meeting in Philadelphia, but abstained from participating in this paper due to his conflict of interest. He does however agree with its contents.

Declaration of interests

AAG is editor-in-chief of the Spanish Journal of Anesthesiology and Critical Care [Revista Española de Anestesiologia y Reanimación]; AD is editor-in-chief of Pediatric Anesthesia; RL is editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia; JJP is editor-in-chief of Anesthesia & Analgesia and A&A Practice; JPR is editor-in-chief of Anesthesiology; AS is editor-in-chief of the Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology; SKWS is editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia [Journal canadien d'anesthésie]; BDS is editor-in-chief of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine; BJS is executive editor of A&A Practice; and MW is editor-in-chief of Anaesthesia. The authors declare that they have no other conflicts of interest.