Our journal sends out solicitations and an A0 from a tier 1 firm has responded asking for writing an article as long as the journal sends in assistance. In the past, we have assisted with formatting, blue-booking and basic help with regards to the article. This time around the A0 has asked for massive research assistance where most of the research is being done by a team of 3 editors assigned to him. It seems rather absurd for us to do the research and then accept it, as it is (i) a solicitation and (ii) the editors won't be keen on marking their own research down. We agree that A0s are overburdened and there would be nothing wrong with helping them. He is the one writing the article but everything else is provided by us. Yet, this simply does not sit right with me. Is that something other journals have done in the past, kindly shed a light as declining the request now would look bad on the journal.

This is why journals usually open these research assistantship positions to the student body instead of the editors themselves assisting the author with research.