[ RadSafe ] Re: Critique of Busby

[Monty Charles]

Dear Franz

I think you are being very hard indeed on Dan Fahey.  I am very pleased 
indeed that he and you have responded to this issue.   Dr Chris Busby has 
views which are extreme and controversial.  He has failed to publish in 
mainstream peer reviewed Journals over several years. He is now 
submitting a number of papers to a new journal (European Biology and 
Bioelectromagnetics) of which he is a founding editor and he is claiming that 
his articles are peer reviewed.  The Journal is offering the possibility during 
the peer-review process for anyone to send in comments to the editor. 
Presumably one will be supplied with a pre-publication copy of the paper. 
This is indeed an unusual and bold gesture by a group who have had 
difficulty publishing their views through conventional routes.  If they can 
withstand peer review then of course they should be published.  But it is not 
clear what will happen to comments such as those of Dan Fahey.  Merely 
inviting comments does not in itself constitute peer review unless the 
comments are considered and responded to and adjudicated in the normal 
editorial process. Since the Journal is taking an unorthodox approach - 
presumably to substantiate its claim of being peer-reviewed - I think it is fair 
to ask that all comments and responses should be openly available - as with 
conventional letters to the Editor.  I would urge radsafers to ask the journal 
to facilitate this if it is to maintain its stance that the published papers are 
truly peer reviewed.

Monty Charles



Dr Monty Charles
Reader in Radiation Physics
Head of Radiation Biophysics
Coordinator of Taught Postgraduate Courses
School of Physics & Astronomy
University of Birmingham
Birmingham B15 2TT
Tel +44 (0)121 414 3483