I disagree with Joy Burrough-Boenisch's proposal that journal reviewers and editors, as well as English-language editors, should be informed when papers are to be assessed as part of a higher degree (Nature 536, 274; 2016).

The (student) status of an author is irrelevant to whether the science is of sufficient quality to justify publication. A declaration of student status could entrench bias against junior scientists who already have few, if any, publications on which to build a reputation.

I also question whether service providers who assist in the publication process warrant listing in a PhD thesis statement. Editors, for example, improve the quality of the science through appropriate peer review and — along with copy editors and English-language editors for translated texts — optimize its presentation through clarification and technical correction. However, they are not part of the scientific advance that justifies publishing the paper in the first place.