Researchers Express Concerns in Open Letter to Finnish Science Minister Regarding JUFO Decision

Open Letter Details Concerns

An open letter addressed to Sari Multala, Finland's Minister of Science and Culture, and the steering group of the Journal Evaluation Framework (JUFO) was published today, voicing significant concerns regarding JUFO's recent decision to downgrade the evaluation of Frontiers journals. This letter, which is available in both English and Finnish, aims to highlight perceived issues in the decision-making process that researchers believe contradicts the principles of open science.

Criticism of JUFO's Claims

The letter indicates that researchers have carefully analyzed JUFO’s announcement and found its claims to be vague and unsupported by substantial evidence. The authors argue that JUFO’s decision appears to conflict with the "Declaration for Open Science 2020 – 2025" published by the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies, which emphasizes promoting openness as a fundamental value within the research community.

Many signatories of the letter recount positive experiences with Frontiers, having collaborated with the organization as authors or editors. They argue that Frontiers’ editorial and peer review processes are at least comparable, if not superior, to those of traditional publishers. They emphasize that Frontiers exhibits a willingness to respond to constructive feedback and make necessary improvements.

Impact on Finnish Researchers

The authors express concern that the expedited nature of the JUFO decision may adversely affect Finnish researchers who contribute to Frontiers. The letter argues that JUFO’s decision does not accurately reflect the opinion of the Finnish scientific community, given that researcher feedback has not been disclosed, leaving the validity of JUFO’s rationale in question.

"We publicly state our disagreement with this decision," the letter asserts, emphasizing that journal evaluations should be founded on clear, measurable criteria and facts. Furthermore, any feedback from the community should be transparently shared to foster constructive dialogue.

Call for Reassessment of Decision

In closing, the letter urges Minister Multala and the JUFO steering group to reassess their decision using a transparent, thorough, and fact-based methodology. The researchers insist that a reconsideration based on clear evidence would benefit the open science initiative and uphold the integrity of Finnish research.

The authors of the letter include prominent academics from various Finnish universities, highlighting the collaborative nature of the scientific community in advocating for quality and transparency in research publishing.

For those interested in signing the open letter, additional information is available at openletter.earth.

Contact Information

For further inquiries, please refer to the original publication platform, Frontiers, where this letter was featured.