Editor Guidelines
Ethical Considerations
This section details our commitment to publication ethics. It provides guidance on identifying and handling potential issues such as plagiarism, data fabrication, and conflicts of interest, ensuring the integrity of the publishing process.
Key Ethical Principles
Editors must uphold these core ethical principles:
- Integrity: Maintaining honesty and transparency in all editorial processes
- Confidentiality: Protecting the confidentiality of authors, reviewers, and manuscripts
- Fairness: Ensuring impartial treatment of all submissions
- Accountability: Taking responsibility for editorial decisions and actions
- Respect: Treating all participants in the publishing process with respect
Identifying Ethical Issues
Be vigilant for these potential ethical concerns:
- Plagiarism: Text or ideas copied from other sources without attribution
- Data fabrication: Manufactured or altered research data
- Image manipulation: Inappropriately altered images that misrepresent findings
- Duplicate publication: Submission of previously published work
- Authorship disputes: Disagreements about who should be listed as authors
- Conflict of interest: Undisclosed relationships that could influence the work
Handling Ethical Concerns
When ethical issues are suspected:
- Document the specific concerns and evidence
- Consult with the Editor-in-Chief or ethics committee
- Follow COPE guidelines for addressing the specific issue
- Communicate with authors respectfully but firmly
- Take appropriate action based on the severity of the issue
- Maintain confidentiality throughout the process
Conflict of Interest Management
Editors must:
- Disclose any personal, professional, or financial conflicts
- Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts exist
- Ensure reviewers disclose potential conflicts
- Monitor for conflicts among editorial board members
- Document how conflicts were managed