Editor Guidelines

This journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access publication dedicated to advancing knowledge within its specific field. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, editorial independence, and publishing ethics. All submissions undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process, where both the identities of the authors and the reviewers are concealed from each other to ensure maximum objectivity and impartiality. The journal operates on a semi-annual publication schedule.

This policy outlines the roles and responsibilities of the editorial team. For detailed procedures regarding the manuscript workflow, decision types, and appeal process, please refer to the journal's standalone Peer Review Policy.

All editors must uphold the following principles:

  • Academic Fairness: Decisions regarding the review and acceptance of manuscripts must be based solely on their scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigor, and contribution to the field. All forms of bias are prohibited.
  • Confidentiality: Editors must protect the confidentiality of all manuscript content, reviewer identities, review reports, and related correspondence throughout the entire editorial process.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Editors must proactively disclose any potential conflicts of interest (e.g., personal, professional, financial, or institutional relationships with authors) and recuse themselves from handling relevant manuscripts.According to COPE, “Any potential conflicts of interest must be declared in writing to the Publisher and the Editor-in-Chief upon appointment and updated as necessary. The Publisher may make relevant disclosures public. Editors must not be involved in any stage of the handling of a manuscript where a conflict exists.”

Editorial Board Responsibilities

Academic Editors

Editor-in-Chief (EiC)

The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) provides overall academic leadership and is responsible for the journal's scientific vision, quality, and reputation.

  • Sets the journal's vision, scope, and long-term strategy.
  • Appoints, leads, and engages the Editorial Board. Chairs annual board meetings.
  • Conducts the initial editorial assessment after technical screening, making desk-reject decisions when manuscripts are clearly out of scope or lack fundamental merit.
  • Assigns qualified Editorial Board Members as Handling Editors for manuscripts passing initial assessment.
  • Makes the final decision (Accept, Revise, Reject) on manuscripts based on the Handling Editor's recommendation and reviewer reports.
  • Represents the journal in the academic community, promotes it at conferences, and advocates for open-access publishing.

Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board Members are active researchers who provide expert guidance and managing the peer review of assigned manuscripts.

Primary Duties

  • Oversee the peer-review process for assigned manuscripts as the responsible editor.
  • Evaluate manuscripts and reviewer reports to provide clear recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief. Assess revised submissions to ensure key concerns have been addressed

Strategic & Developmental Contributions

  • Actively solicit high-quality submissions and propose topics for Special Issues to strengthen the journal's scope and impact.
  • Provide constructive feedback on journal policies, procedures, and strategic development.

Advocacy & Academic Service

  • Promote the journal within professional and academic networks to enhance its visibility and reputation.
  • Serve as a peer reviewer when invited.

Guest Editors

Guest Editors (GEs) are responsible for the intellectual direction and editorial management of a Special Issue. Their key duties include:

  • Proposing, defining, and promoting the Special Issue topic, aims, and scope.
  • Soliciting high-quality submissions by identifying and inviting potential authors.
  • Collaborating with the Editorial Office on promotional activities for the Call for Papers.
  • Overseeing the entire peer-review process, which includes selecting qualified reviewers, ensuring timely evaluations, and providing detailed recommendations to the EiC.
  • Maintaining regular communication with the Editorial Office regarding progress.
  • Adhering strictly to all agreed timelines.
  • Assisting in the promotion of the published collection.

Special Conflict of Interest Rule: Guest Editors may submit to their own Special Issue, but the total proportion of published papers with a Guest Editor as an author must not exceed 25%. They are excluded from decision-making on their own submissions. Learn more about Special Issue Policy.

 

In-House Editorial Office

The professional in-house staff ensures the efficient and quality-controlled operation of the publishing process.

Managing Editor: Oversees the editorial workflow from submission to publication and manages the production process.

Editorial Office Staff: Supports the peer-review and production processes under the direction of the academic editors.

Production Team (Copyeditors, Language Editors, etc.): Prepare accepted manuscripts into their final, publishable formats (PDF, XML, HTML).

 

Editorial and Peer Review Process

The journal employs a rigorous double-blind peer-review system. The complete manuscript handling workflow is detailed in the standalone Peer Review Policy, which all editors must follow.