Ethics Over Optics (Presentation Slides)

Ethics Over Optics: Reimagining Peer Review Reform for Lasting Change Maryam Sayab, Asian Council of Science Editors (ACSE)

Peer review—the cornerstone of scholarly publishing—is experiencing a profound crisis of trust. Rising retractions, opaque processes, the proliferation of AI-generated content, reviewer fatigue, and unequal recognition have raised critical concerns about its credibility and fairness. While reform initiatives such as open peer review and AI-assisted workflows aim to enhance transparency, many fall short of addressing the deeper ethical foundations of the system. This presentation critically examines the ethical dimensions of peer review reform, raising questions about whether current innovations represent genuine progress or merely symbolic adaptations of outdated practices.

Maryam Sayab is the Director of Communications at the Asian Council of Science Editors (ACSE) and Co-Chair of Peer Review Week. With a background rooted in research integrity and publication ethics, she actively works to advance regional conversations around responsible peer review, transparent editorial practices, and inclusive open science. Maryam is dedicated to building bridges between global publishing standards and the practical realities faced by researchers and editors, especially across Asia and the Arab world. She also supports initiatives that strengthen community-driven collaboration, ethical scholarship, and the sustainable development of research ecosystems.