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In a recent opinion paper (https://doi.org/10.3897/ese.2022.e95926), I argued that individuals with multiple retractions or a record of academic misconduct should not serve as editors, including as editors-in-chief, on the editorial boards of scholarly or academic journals. As a first step towards appreciating how such a policy could be applied in practice, 30 individuals listed on the Retraction Watch Leaderboard were screened. Several cases are highlighted to offer an appreciation of the reputational risks to journals and publishers that might occur by including individuals with a tainted academic record on editorial boards. Given the risks (reputational and legal) associated with this type of assessment and decision, more formal positioning and guidance are needed by global ethics policy-related bodies such as COPE, the ICMJE, and the CSE.