The British Medical Journal enjoins academics and others, to boycott the publisher Reed Elsevier. Its main reason is that Elsevier (publisher, among other things, of the medical journal THE LANCET and the Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics) organises international arms trade fairs, and is therefore partially responsible for sustaining an industry that thrives on the suffering of others. The BMJ argues that academics should withdraw their support for Elsevier to express their disagreement with its involvement in the arms trade, and its profiteering from the suffering of others.
So, for better or worse, as of today and until the matter is resolved, I will not be submitting manuscripts to Elsevier published journals or books. Least one can do, I guess, and good on Richard Smith, the former Editor in Chief of the BMJ, for blowing the whistle on this one. Find the current BMJ Editorial on the issue here.
