Editors play a pivotal role in maintaining the journal's academic integrity and reputation. Their core responsibilities include:
- Ensuring Accuracy and Ethical Standards
- Vigilantly identifying and rectifying inaccuracies by issuing timely amendments.
- Adhering to the publisher's editorial and review policies.
- Overseeing the journal's processes to guarantee fairness, efficiency, and professionalism.
- Ensuring timely publication while driving the journal's growth and development.
- Integrating significant advancements in the field to enhance the journal's relevance.
- Addressing scientific controversies (e.g., gene editing, clinical trials, surrogacy) to clarify ambiguities and foster informed discourse.
Commitment to the Scientific Community
- Ensuring manuscript clarity, accuracy, and alignment with the journal’s scope.
- Upholding journal integrity through corrections, retractions, or supplementary data when necessary.
- Actively soliciting high-quality, cutting-edge research to engage readers.
- Combating unethical practices such as plagiarism and copyright violations.
- Facilitating discussions on groundbreaking scientific developments and their societal implications.
Editorial Oversight of the Journal
- Making final publication decisions based on peer review feedback.
- Evaluating manuscripts based solely on intellectual merit, free from bias related to authors' gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or political views.
- Maintaining strict confidentiality of submissions, including author identities, reviewer details, and editorial correspondence.
Standard Editorial Workflow for Manuscript Processing
- Initial Submission : The corresponding author submits the manuscript.
- Registration : Manuscript details are logged, and a unique identifier is assigned.
- Acknowledgement : The author receives a confirmation within 72 hours.
- Scope Assessment : The editorial team verifies alignment with the journal’s aims.
- Assignment : The Editor-in-Chief delegates the manuscript to an editor or assistant editor.
- Article Classification : Categorization by type (e.g., review, research article, case report, expert opinion).
- Preliminary Evaluation : Screening for originality and plagiarism.
- Reviewer Selection : Identification and assignment of at least three impartial reviewers.
- Peer Review : Reviewers submit feedback within 21 days.
- Decision Process
- The Managing Editor assesses reviewer comments and makes recommendations.
- In cases of conflicting reviews, a discussion is initiated among reviewers, the Editor-in-Chief, and the Managing Editor.
- The final decision (acceptance, revision, or rejection) is made in consultation with the editorial board.
- Possible Editorial Decisions:
- Accept as Is : Minor errors may remain but do not hinder publication.
- Accept with Minor Revisions : Requires adjustments without further review.
- Revise and Resubmit : Substantial revisions needed; resubmission within six months retains original handling.
- Reject : Manuscript is out of scope, lacks novelty, or requires significant restructuring for reconsideration.
- Author Notification : The Managing Editor or Editor-in-Chief communicates the decision.
- Post-Acceptance Process :
- Formatting, DOI assignment, and copyediting within seven days.
- Galley proof generation and author approval.
- Online publication with volume, issue, and year designation.
- Archiving in relevant databases.
