Re: Elsevier's Vanishing Act-The Real Issue

[David Goodman <dgoodman@princeton.edu>]

The real issue is not the poor writing and editorial and publishing
practices of those concerned, but that an article was removed after
publication from a scholarly journal for the worst of all imaginable
reasons.

Not for reasons of copyright violation, not for dual publication, not for
plagiarism, not for disputes about licensing, not for violations of
protection of human subjects, not for dangerous error, not for national
security, not even for scientific fraud: for political correctness.

The physical removal of a published scientific work because of politics
has until now been seen only in fiction-- and in Stalin's Russia.  Orwell
was too pessimistic--but only by 18 years.

My personal view, and I hope the personal view of us all.

Dr. David Goodm an
Princeton University Library
and
Palmer School of Library & Information Science, Long Island University
dgoodman@princeton.eduu