The vital importance of being open: reflections on peer reviewing in scholarly publishing

ABSTRACT This position paper reflects upon the publication policies and practices of the Scottish Geographical Journal (SGJ), as presented by the new editorial team in their introductory editorial ‘‘In the critical department’: refreshing the Scottish Geographical Journal’ (Philo, C., Hurst, M., Laurie, E., & Thomas, R. (2022). ‘In the Critical Department’: Refreshing the Scottish Geographical Journal. Scottish Geographical Journal, 138(1-2), 1–15). Specifically, the focus is on alternative, open peer review practices that the journal has considered as one opportunity to emphasise mutual respect between scholars and substantial research quality, vis-à-vis aggression and Journal Impact Factors. The paper draws from the author’s own experiences as science editor, from her activities in science policy, and from networks in non-commercial open access publishing often referred to as diamond or platinum OA.