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Double-Blind, Double-Olive: Masking Bias in Editorial Decisions Through Mandatory Oil Tasting

Lars Smakasson1 , Olivia Pressington2 , Ravi Telamouli3
Uppsala Centre for Editorial Neuroscience
Yale Program in Publishing Psychology
Hyderabad School of Cognitive Publishing
Published: 2026-01-15

Abstract

Editorial bias in manuscript handling is well-documented but poorly addressed. We describe a novel intervention in which editors must complete a blind olive oil tasting before making any accept/reject decision. The tasting activates gustatory cortex regions associated with impartial judgment while temporarily suppressing the amygdala's prestige-detection circuitry. In a year-long trial at 8 journals, the intervention eliminated the correlation between author institution prestige and acceptance rates (r dropped from 0.64 to 0.02) while editors unanimously reported that their jobs had become dramatically more pleasant.

Introduction

A professional cobalt-blue olive oil tasting glass, designed to conceal the colour of the oil during blind evaluation.
Key Image Professional cobalt-blue tasting glass, standard equipment for blind olive oil evaluation. The same concealment principle was applied to mask editorial bias during manuscript assessment.

Studies consistently show that manuscripts from prestigious institutions receive more favorable editorial treatment. This bias persists even under double-blind review, as editors often handle initial desk decisions and can identify institutional signals from writing style, dataset access, or the confident tone that comes from having an endowment.

Neurological Basis

People tasting olive oil at Morgenster Winery, Cape Town, South Africa, dipping bread into small dishes of oil.
Figure 1 Olive oil tasting at Morgenster Winery, Cape Town. Editors who participated in structured tasting sessions before reading manuscripts showed reduced anchoring bias across all measured dimensions.

Functional MRI studies demonstrate that olive oil tasting activates the insular cortex and orbito-frontal regions associated with nuanced evaluation, while temporarily reducing activity in the amygdala and ventral striatum — areas implicated in status-based decision-making. In essence, the act of carefully evaluating olive oil primes the brain for careful, unbiased evaluation of any subsequent stimulus.

Trial Protocol

Eight journals across natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities participated. Editors were provided with a curated set of six single-origin olive oils and required to complete a structured tasting evaluation (color, aroma, flavor, finish) before opening each new submission. The tasting form was submitted alongside the editorial decision to ensure compliance.

Outcomes

The correlation between author institution ranking and acceptance probability dropped from r = 0.64 to r = 0.02 (p < 0.001). Time-to-first-decision decreased by 31%, likely because editors looked forward to the tasting and stopped procrastinating on their desk. No editors requested to discontinue the intervention; three attempted to negotiate larger oil allowances.

References

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the olive groves of southern Greece for their unwavering support of scholarly innovation, and the International Olive Council for providing emergency oil supplies during the final stages of manuscript preparation.

Rights & Permissions

Copyright © 2026 the Author(s). Published by Olive Turn Press.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the.Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY)