You are a medical publication professional and have achieved acceptance of a manuscript into a top-tier journal after much discussion among authors and peer reviewers, resulting in several rewrites of the manuscript and its associated conclusions. You have now received page proofs for which comments need to be returned to the journal within 48 hours. The journal editor has made additional substantial changes to the authors’ approved text – not only for journal style, but also changing the meaning of many of the concluding statements. The authors do not agree to the changes and have complained that the journal’s actions breach ICMJE authorship criteria and Good Publication Practice.
What would you do?
- Accept the editor’s suggested changes so that the manuscript can get published in a top journal without further delay
- Reject the editor’s suggestions and request that the journal reinserts the original concluding statements and sends revised page proofs to authors for approval
- Reinsert the original concluding statements but modify them and/or add text to also address the editor’s comments
- Report the editor’s actions to ICMJE to solicit guidance on next steps
This poll is now closed. Poll results will be released in The MAP in early December 2019.