Meeting: 2024 Council of Science Editors Annual Meeting

Date: May 4–7, 2024

Venue: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Portland, OR, USA

Organizer: Council of Science Editors

From May 4 to May 7, 2024, the annual meeting of the Council of Science Editors (CSE) took place in Portland, Oregon, USA (Fig. 1). This event occurs yearly, but this year’s gathering was especially significant due to the launch of the ninth edition of The CSE Manual: Scientific Style and Format for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, a manual published by the CSE. Three Korean editors, including Professor Sun Huh, a former president of the Korean Council of Science Editors, played a pivotal role in editing this edition. Notably, Professor Huh authored the newly added Chapter 33, which generated considerable anticipation.

The event took place at the Marriott Hotel, a location that appears to be a traditional choice for CSE events. The accompanying photo demonstrates why this is the case (Fig. 2).

For this event, the CSE developed exclusive content that was accessible through an app named “Guidebook” (Fig. 3). This feature substantially facilitated participation in various activities for first-time attendees like myself, ensuring a smooth experience without any difficulties.

On the 4th and 5th, several specialized courses, known as “Short Courses,” were available. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend most of them as they were primarily designed for professional publishers. I completed my registration on the 4th, and on the 5th, I took part in the attendee reception and the poster session. My poster was based on an article by President Ki-Hong Kim of the Korean Council of Science Editors, which detailed the founding and development of Science Editing. The purpose of the poster was to promote Science Editing and encourage submissions (Fig. 4). It was displayed from the first day to the last, and I believe that most attendees viewed it, which should help increase future submissions.

The main general sessions spanned two days, the 6th and 7th, and unfortunately, I was unable to attend all of them due to overlapping schedules with multiple sessions occurring every hour. The first day’s highlight was the unveiling of the “CSE Manual, Ninth Edition.” A decade had passed since the release of the eighth edition, and the editors of the new edition presented the updated guidelines, new features, and revised sections. The latest CSE manual is organized into four parts: “Publishing Fundamentals,” “General Style Conventions,” “Special Scientific Conventions,” and “Technical Elements of Publications.” Notably, Chapter 33, titled “Digital Standards for Academic Journals,” is a significant addition to this edition. Professor Huh, who authored and edited this chapter, offered an in-depth explanation via a video lecture, as shown in Fig. 5.

The first afternoon session I attended was titled “Bridging AI and Human Expertise for Sustainable Scholarly Communications: Enhancing Integrity and Efficiency.” This session provided a range of viewpoints on the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in publishing, as outlined in the session description below:

In this session, we explore the transformative potential of AI in scholarly publishing. Specifically, we examine how AI can strengthen the integrity of academic publications and expedite the dissemination of knowledge, aligning with the overarching goal of sustainability.

We emphasize the profound impact of AI on scholarly publishing workflows, highlighting the pivotal role of AI in augmenting human expertise, with sustainability at the forefront of our discussion. AI-driven tools assist editors and peer reviewers in making more informed decisions, ultimately improving the overall quality of research, a critical factor in advancing sustainable practices and innovation. These tools are indispensable in safeguarding the credibility of scholarly research by detecting plagiarism, identifying image manipulation, and upholding ethical standards, all of which are essential for the long-term sustainability of academic discourse.

While the primary objective is improving research integrity, it’s imperative to recognize that AI offers a multifaceted approach to sustainable scholarly communication. By automating administrative tasks, expediting the review process, and streamlining peer review, AI contributes significantly to the reduction of the environmental footprint associated with scholarly publishing, thereby promoting a more sustainable future.

Furthermore, AI tools can also enhance the reader’s experience by providing personalized recommendations that facilitate the efficient discovery of relevant content. This not only fosters a culture of knowledge sharing but also aligns with the sustainable dissemination of research findings.

In essence, our session aims to shed light on the synergistic relationship between AI and human expertise in scholarly publishing. It connects the dots between the principles of sustainability and the transformation of academic communication. While we stress the significance of research integrity, our presentation strikes a harmonious balance between upholding rigorous standards and harnessing the potential of AI to advance efficiency, accessibility, and the long-term sustainability of scholarly communication.

The next session I attended was “Expanded Inclusive Language Guidelines.” This session explored aspects of commonly used language that are now considered inappropriate. For instance, the phrase “commit suicide” is being avoided because of its negative connotations. The complete description of the session is as follows:

Terminology, usage, and word choice are critically important, especially when describing people. In medical and science fields, inclusive language can help people write about patients, study participants, and other populations in a way that is equitable, compassionate, clear, and consistent. This session will address updates to the AMA Manual of Style inclusive language guidance, including terms used to discuss age, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, and race and ethnicity; updates to APA’s Inclusive Language Guide, including terms used to discuss body weight, neurodiversity, and pregnancy, and APA Style’s new journal article reporting standards for race, ethnicity, and culture; and updates to the ACS Inclusivity Style Guide, including inclusive narratives, framing, and sentence structures; inclusive data visualization; and accessibility.

The highlight of the final day was the session titled “Ethics Clinic: Paper Mills and Predatory Publishers.” During this session, three speakers presented individual issues, after which participants grouped into teams to discuss and propose optimal solutions (Fig. 6).

The session was marked by enthusiastic discussions, active participation, and direct communication with the speakers. The description of the session is as follows:

Paper mills and predatory publishers are using a variety of tactics that compromise the integrity of the scientific record, including selling content, fabricating or plagiarizing content, selling authorship, false representation, and manipulating peer review. In this traditional Ethics Clinic, presenters will share cases of paper mill activity and discuss the specific tools they are using and policy changes they have enacted to prevent paper mills from infiltrating and impacting their publications. Presenters will help educate participants on predatory publishers to help authors and reviewers become more aware of unethical behavior. This is an interactive session, so please come prepared to share and learn!

The majority of attendees at this year’s CSE Annual Meeting were editors. Although it was my first time attending and I knew few people there, the event was structured to be highly educational. I had a very productive and beneficial experience. I would like to conclude by expressing my gratitude to the Korean Council of Science Editors for providing such a wonderful opportunity.

Notes

Conflict of Interest

Jaegyun Park has been the Editor-in-Chief of Science Editing since 2023.

Funding

The author received no financial support for this article.

Data Availability

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Supplementary Materials

Fig. 1.

A view of Portland (Oregon, USA) from above.

Fig. 2.

The pub immediately visible upon entering the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront (Portland, OR, USA).

Fig. 3.

The 2024 Council of Science Editors Annual Meeting Guidebook.

Fig. 4.

Poster session presentation.

Fig. 5.

Lecture on Chapter 33 of the The CSE Manual, ninth edition, by Sun Huh, former president of the Korean Council of Science Editors.

Fig. 6.

Problems presented in the publishing ethics session.

Figure & Data

References

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