Since a year ago my lab group is invested in producing a special issue for a journal of a controversial publisher that is listed as a predatory one in its open access branch. But my compliances about the doubtful ethics of the publisher were not heard on the bases that the Journal is not in the open-access actually publishes some reputable journals, one of them the journal where the special issue is going to be published.
Now they inform me that as all the laboratory is into the publication, I have to participate of it. As I am strongly against doing so, I'm also not in the best situation with them, as I posed as a problem in several ethical and organizational aspects before. So now I don't know how to proceed in a manner that won't suppose bringing more troubles into our already deteriorated relationship.
I'm afraid that keeping my position against participating in such endeavor will put me as the only one who doesn't want to work, as well as the only one always complaining and therefor damaging my already difficult track in trying to finish my PhD.
I have no idea of how to proceed, or if I should do it at all, as the actual journal in question is not one of the listed as predatory. Should I follow the reputation of the publisher and keep opposing? or should I follow the reputation of the journal and avoid more troubles to our already tense relationship?
