I used to have a good relationship with an author, but now it's broken. However, my work is heavily based on the work of that author, and I'm not sure if citing it without informing them is OK here. Would there be any potential trouble from this? What if they explicitly tell me to not cite theirs? I just don't want to make the relationship worse, because they may not want to have any affiliation with me. But this is just my thought, I really don't know what they really think.
Answer
Yes, cite the other author's papers regarding any data or ideas on which your own work is based. It is crucial to do so; you MUST acknowledge the other author's contributions to your field if your own work builds upon those. As mentioned by others, unless you are writing a rebuttal, keep a neutral, dispassionate tone in your writing and refer to the other author's papers in neutral terms. Be specific in your citations. And yes, try to avoid having your paper reviewed by this author, at least for now.
The bigger problem was somewhat glossed over. Can you reach out and attempt to repair your relationship with the author with whom you've had the falling out? Ultimately that will be the best for your career, and maybe for your health. You can say, "I perceive we've had this 'time out' but I'd like to apologize if I've caused some problem. Can we meet for coffee and see if we can find some common ground?". Or something like that. It takes courage to go back to someone who has become hostile, but it could be that your load will be much lightened by such an effort. There's the possibility that some misunderstanding can be resolved. And even if you are rejected, you have at least tried. Life is short. I'm hoping for you!
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