The Maritime Economist Magazine Spring 2015

THEMARITIME Economist CHALLENGE “ When aitmeasuretobecomes a target, ceases be a good measure. –Charles Albert Eric Goodhart ME Mag There are a few major perspectives almost in all scientific fields which usually define the mainstream. Once a mainstream perspective is established, scholars tend to follow it or take it as basis of further research. Having a fundamental starting point is very helpful especially for young scholars who usually lose their ways in the literature. On the other hand, the popularity of a perspective or philosophy maintains itself since reviewers are influenced by early scholars which causes self-perpetuating literature. When a young scholar criticizes his/her pioneers in the field, an extraordinary effort will be needed to overcome orthodoxy of thoughts. Ensuring fairness among papers published by a popular scientist and a heterodox or papers written with mathematical complexity and philosophical interpretation is not an easy task. 46 Most scholars may think that a review invitation validates the rationality or correctness of their academic perspective, and they may tend to review papers in terms of their own standards and intellectual standpoint. Intellectual accumulation and experience are helpful for reviewers’ role while they also need to respect and yield criticisms and heterodoxy in contrast to their existing viewpoint. We should bear in mind that innovative theories and discoveries are usually born with a heterodox approach. References Burnham, J. C. (1990). The evolution of editorial peer review. Jama, 263(10), 1323-1329. Horton, R. (2000). Genetically modified food: consternation, confusion, and crack-up. MJA 172 (4): 148–9. Kennefick, D. (2005). Einstein versus the Physical Review. Physics Today 58(9), 43. Smith, R. (2006). Peer review: a flawed process at the heart of science and journals. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 99(4), 178-182. Okan Duru Assistant Professor, Department of Maritime Administration Texas A&M University at Galveston Dr Okan Duru is an Assistant Professor of Maritime Finance and Logistics at Department of Maritime Administration, Texas A&M University at Galveston as well as Visiting Scholar at Kobe University. He received his PhD from Kobe University, Japan. His research interests are in shipping asset management, behavioral economics of shipping business, forecasting, judgment and decision making. He has published many journal papers and conference papers as well as editing journal issues. He reviewed several papers for Maritime Policy and Management, International Journal of Forecasting, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, European Journal of Operational Research, Journal of the Operational Research Society-JORS, Applied Soft Computing, Fuzzy Sets and Systems, International Journal of Fuzzy Systems, among others.

The Maritime Economist Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 46