In their response to a review, the authors insult the reviewer, question their professional knowledge and the comments made regarding the finalization of the publication. The reviewer cannot refuse them on the basis that they are insulted and requires revision of the work based on the comments they made. The reviewer does not agree to withdraw from reviewing the submitted publication, and the authors rudely refuse to correct the comments they made.
Does the editorial board of a journal have the ethical right to refuse publication for insulting the reviewer?
08.24.2023. Dear colleagues!
I want to inform you how this particular situation was resolved. The authors withdrew the article a few days ago in protest against the reviewer's remarks. Thank you very much to everyone who took part in the discussion! Your thoughts helped us a lot not to make a hasty rash decision.
Best regards, Anatolii Smikhula.