Your initiative to address the issue of sexism in publishing is laudable (Nature 491, 495; 2012). But scientific editors may be biased in other ways that influence the publication process — and they are not in the best position to recognize and correct their own biases.

An independent, external assessment body that regularly evaluates editorial practices across scientific journals might be the answer. This would promote transparency and reassure authors that their work is being dealt with fairly. An 'objectivity factor' resulting from such an assessment could become a key metric of journal performance, alongside its impact factor.