Editors Guidelines
These guidelines delineate the essential responsibilities and ethical guidelines that define the role of Journal Editors. These guidelines encompass manuscript assessment, reviewer selection, communication, confidentiality, fairness, and the handling of potential ethical issues.
Duties of Editors
- Assessing the relevancy and alignment of a submitted manuscript with the Journal's aim and scope.
- Engaging knowledgeable reviewers and an area editor to evaluate the manuscript's content and value meticulously.
- Making the final editorial decision on each manuscript based on the Journal's priorities, the queue of similar manuscripts, and other pertinent considerations.
- Facilitating clear and concise communication between the author and the review team.
- Timetabling accepted manuscripts for publication, ensuring a consistent publication schedule.
- Ensuring equitable workload distribution among area editors and reviewers to maintain efficiency and avoid burnout.
- Mediating and resolving any arising conflicts in a professional manner.
Ethical Considerations:
Fairness and Impartiality: Editors should appraise manuscripts based on their intellectual merit, uninfluenced by the author's race, gender, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality, or political ideologies.
Confidentiality: Any details regarding a submitted manuscript must remain undisclosed by editors and editorial staff and shared only with the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisors, and the publisher, as required.
Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Editors must refrain from using unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research unless explicit written consent is obtained from the author. Any privileged information or ideas gained during the peer review process should remain confidential and not be exploited for personal gain.
Investigations and Cooperation: In the event of ethical complaints regarding a submitted manuscript or published paper, editors are expected to undertake responsive measures, working diligently towards a thorough investigation and appropriate resolution.
