Guide to Editors

Role of the Editor

Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts should be published, guided by the journal's scope, the validity of the work, and its significance to researchers and readers. Editors evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.

Screening

On receipt, every submission is screened for scope, completeness, and basic ethical compliance (originality, appropriate disclosures, and adherence to author guidelines) before being sent for review. Submissions that fall outside the journal's scope, or that show clear evidence of misconduct, may be desk-rejected at this stage with a brief explanation to the author.

Assigning Reviewers

Editors select reviewers with relevant expertise and no disqualifying conflict of interest with the authors or the work. At least two independent reviewers are typically assigned per manuscript. Editors should avoid appointing reviewers who have recently collaborated with the authors, or who otherwise have a personal or financial stake in the outcome.

Managing the Review Process

Editors set a reasonable deadline for review, follow up on overdue assignments, and ensure that reviewer comments are relevant, substantiated, and delivered without unnecessary delay. Where reviewer recommendations conflict, editors may seek an additional opinion before reaching a decision.

Decision-Making

The editorial decision (accept, reject, or request revisions) should be based on the manuscript's importance, originality, clarity, and its relevance to the journal's scope, weighed against reviewer feedback. Editors should provide authors with clear, constructive reasoning for the decision, and treat all submissions as confidential until published.

Conflicts of Interest & Confidentiality

Editors must recuse themselves from handling any manuscript in which they have a competing interest, assigning it to another qualified editor instead. Unpublished manuscripts and their contents must not be used in an editor's own research, or disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and other editorial advisers, without the author's written consent.