"scientist-ship"

Imagine a Major League Baseball game in which the pitcher is Japanese and the batter is also Japanese (as is already happening). Would the batter hesitate to hit the ball just because the pitcher is Japanese?

Hell, no.

The pitcher would throw the ball as hard as possible, and the batter would try to hit it as hard as possible. That is respect to the opponent, and respect for the game. That is sportsmanship.

Now, what about science?

When a Japanese research group (just an example; specific nationalities do not matter here) submits a paper to a journal, and one of the reviewers is also Japanese, would the reviewer give the paper a more favorable assessment just because they know the authors?

The answer is sometimes "Yes", unfortunately. Perhaps more often than we would like to admit.

It is not just about nationality. More generally, even when there is no formal conflict of interest, knowing the authors can still influence a reviewer's assessment.

What about respect for science, then?

(calligraphy by myself, meaning "respect")