Editorial Board Members of Emres Publishers may seek advice from the Editorial Advisory Panel and the in-house publishing team regarding any aspect of a submitted manuscript that raises concerns. These concerns may include, for example, ethical issues or issues related to data or materials access. Very occasionally, concerns may also pertain to the societal implications of publishing a paper, including threats to security. In such circumstances, advice will usually be sought simultaneously with the technical peer-review process.
The threat posed by bioweapons raises the unusual need to assess the balance of risk and benefit in publication. Editorial Board Members may not be best qualified to make such judgments unassisted, so we reserve the right to seek expert advice in cases where we believe concerns may arise. We recognize the widespread view that openness in science helps alert society to potential threats and defend against them. We anticipate that only very rarely, if at all, will the risks be perceived as outweighing the benefits of publishing a paper that has otherwise been deemed appropriate for Emres Journals. Nevertheless, we believe it is appropriate to consider such risks and have a formal policy for dealing with them if the need arises.
Once a decision has been reached, authors will be informed if biosecurity advice has influenced that decision.
