🚨 We warned about Frontiers’ predatory publishing model — now editorial resignation highlights systemic COI risks driven by the publisher’s own processes
Michael Okun has resigned as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience (
@FrontNeurosci @FrontiersIn), alleging that automated systems are selecting peer reviewers without adequate checks for expertise or conflicts of interest, while also limiting meaningful editorial control over those decisions.
⚠️ These claims point to a structural conflict of interest embedded in the publisher’s workflow—where automation and platform design may override independent editorial judgment, including safeguards for expertise and COI screening.
📌🔱 We at
@SciGuardians raised concerns about Frontiers’ predatory practices in May 2025:
x.com/SciGuardians/status/19…
⚠️ Predatory publishers—such as
@FrontiersIn,
@MDPIOpenAccess, and
@BenthamScienceP—are among the six plagues we have identified as corrupting academia, consistently contributing to the exploitation of members of the academic community and their disempowerment.