Thanks for the Guardians of Science

Abstract

Past-President Gary White's last leadership letter described the disturbing trend of the denial of science by politicians and some members of the public and addressed the role of The Wildlife Society (TWS) in the context of science denialism (White 2020). "More than ever, TWS must combat this trend. We must redouble our efforts to supply and advance science through our scientific journals, our communication outlets, our policy educational work and our professional networks. But even more importantly, TWSand the wildlife profession at large-must defend the credibility of our science and the scientific process. Scientists must be empowered to research the critical questions and publish their results without political interference. We must emphasize science above political views" (White 2020:7). The Journal of Wildlife Management (JWM) strives to follow this advice, but with outside interference, politics can intrude on publications. A recent example of politicians and administrators muddling with science is the Department of Interior's attempt to sway public opinion about drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA, by requesting public comment on a peer-reviewed and published article on maternal polar bear (Ursus maritimus) denning (Wilson and Durner 2020). The unusual move attracted a lot of attention

The valuable role of referees

“…This is not the first time editors have written about it. Previous editors have addressed the issue and the JWM editorial staff continues to do so (Krausman et al 2019, Krausman 2021). No author wants the consideration of their work delayed by referees or for any reason.…”