Thursday, December 20, 2012

Iranian Assistant Professor of Psychiatric Nursing Terrorizes the Government of Canada

It is reported that the Canadian Journal of Psychiatric Nursing Research has refused to publish an article by an Iranian assistant professor despite earlier acceptance of the article.

The journal has informed the author that, on the command of the Government of Canada, it cannot publish the article as previously agreed, for political and non-academic reasons.

Canada has closed its embassy in Tehran and ordered Iranian diplomats out of Canada for what it called the "civil rights abuse of the citizens of Iran" and "the threat [posed by Iran] to the security of Canadian personnel and Israel."

Canada's Minister of External Affairs, John Baird, has called Iran "the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world," and a country that "routinely threatens the existence of Israel," a somewhat biased point of view, one might think in view of Israel's repeated hysterical demands that the US nuke Iran now, and a view that has no logical connection with psychiatric nursing, obviously.

Which raises some questions. Is John Baird a total moron? Is the Harper government bribed by a certain shitty little warmongering country? Is Canada nothing more than a weak and helpless subordinate in US/Israel's drive for complete imperial dominance of the Middle East? And does refusing to publish a minor academic work in a minor academic journal really going to undermine the Government of Iran?

But whichever is the case, and perhaps there has to be a positive answer to all four questions, Canadian journal publishers might as well wind up their business if they are too gutless to stare down such petty-minded governmental stupidity. The Can. J. of Psych. Nursing Res. is published by the Registered Psychiatric Nurses Foundation, a pretty flaky looking outfit. Let's hope other Canadian journal publishers show greater commitment to the ethic of international cooperation and solidarity among scientists.

3 comments:

  1. Besides this single unattributed article, is there any actual evidence that this has happened?

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    1. Good question. I can find no report concerning the handling by Canadian journals of articles by Iranian scientists other than that cited. I have, therefore, emailed the Editors of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatric Nursing Research, to inquire whether, in their view, the PressTV report is accurate.

      Any information provided by the Editors will be posted here.

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  2. The Editors of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatric Nursing Research kindly and very promptly responded to my inquiry concerning the veracity of the PressTV report cited in this post.

    They state categorically that the manuscript in question was found — on the basis of blind peer review — "to require many amendments before publication could be considered." The author was informed of this by the Editors, "but did not comply."

    I have, therefore, emailed the Directors of PressTV requesting that they check the details of their report and, as necessary, issue either a retraction, or evidence to substantiate the claims made.

    Any information provided by the Directors of PressTV will be posted here.



    e, and that

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