u/Jxntb733

I'd like to share an email I received from a journal editor. I have anonymized it:

[Dear Dr NAME,

Thank you for your time in reviewing the manuscript titled "[NAME_OF_2025_ISMRM_DIGITAL_POSTER]", submitted to [JOURNALNAME].

In checking the feedback to the authors, I notice that you have made the following comments:

"This was a low effort, badly edited paper that reads like AI slop and makes me fear it comes form a "Paper Mill"; allow me to decontruct how unworthy it is below. "

We encourage our reviewers to make specific technical points on the manuscript, however, we do ask that you refrain from using phrases which could be deemed as potentially offensive. As such, I was wondering whether you would be happy for us to remove this sentence from your comments.

Thanks again for your work on this manuscript.

Best wishes,

NAME

Manuscript Associate Editor

[JOURNAL NAME]]

And I'd like to share the email I sent back:

[Dear NAME,

Thank you for your email and for handling the review process.

I respectfully but firmly disagree with removing the sentence in question. Peer review is meant to be honest and rigorous, not sanitized. My assessment that the manuscript reads as low-effort AI-generated "slop" with clear signs of possible paper-mill origin is my substantive professional judgment, not a personal insult. I stand by it completely, and I detailed the reasons immediately afterward. Removing that framing would soften a valid and important warning to all involved.

Fifty years ago it was considered offensive in many circles to argue that same-sex couples should have the right to marry or that a free press should not face imprisonment for criticism. Standards of what counts as "offensive" shift; that does not mean reviewers should self-censor clear-eyed evaluations of scientific quality. If my candid opinion about the level of effort (or lack thereof) in a submission offends, that is an acceptable cost of maintaining standards.

I do not want my words edited by anyone. If that is a requirement for participating in your peer review process, please do not invite me to review for [JOURNALNAME] (or other [JOURNALNAME] journals) in the future. Better yet, if your editorial team cannot readily identify that this manuscript is the poor product of a copy-and-paste LLM prompt, I would strongly urge you to re-evaluate the standards of what you are publishing.

I am happy for you to share my full, unedited comments with the authors as written.

Best regards,

Dr. NAME]