Mentioning a personal tragedy in an academic style paper. Is it allowed? I am working as an editor for an edited book volume on covid-19.
I have come across a very peculiar chapter submitted by an author. In the chapter, the author discloses a personal incident where the author's father's friend passes away due to covid-19.
I am not sure what to do here i.e. whether to email the author as that paragraph seems very peculiar. Is describing such kind of incident, which I see as highly emotive and personal, allowed in academia for example book chapters or journal papers?
Since you are the editor of the volume, it is you who decides whether it is allowed. There isn’t any codified set of rules specifying whether any given content is allowed or not. That’s exactly one of the things editors are supposed to do - to edit.
Consider whether it makes sense to have such a paragraph in the volume given its topic and purpose. If you think it is appropriate, allow it. If not, don’t. If it is a borderline case, you can raise your concerns with the author and suggest that they change or remove the problematic paragraph, without requiring it outright.