Last updated: August 20, 2024

Guidelines on methods of post-publication debate

Post-publication debate usually begins with a reader’s critique of a published article. Baishideng Publishing Group (Baishideng) journals allow debate post publication through Letters to the Editor. Baishideng handles post-publication debate in consultation with all relevant guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and in alignment with our Guidelines on Methods of Post-Publication Debate as follows:

Step 1: When a formal Letter to the Editor is received, the Editorial Office first performs a prereview to determine if the letter is qualified for external peer review. Content that is unreasonable, libelous, defamatory, and lacking evidence and supportive data will cause the letter to be rejected immediately.

Step 2: If the letter passes prereview, it will be sent for peer review, which it must pass before its publication (online).

Step 3: If the letter stimulates any amendments to a published article, such as correction or retraction, the original authors of the critiqued article will be notified immediately after the Letter to the Editor is published.

Step 4: The Editorial Office invites the original authors of the critiqued article to write their own reply to the published Letter to the Editor and to submit it as another Letter to the Editor. This reply Letter to the Editor from the original authors of the critiqued article will also undergo the process listed above of prereview and external peer review before its publication (online).