Overview
The Editorial Boards play a vital role in shaping the journal's content, maintaining its quality, and upholding its integrity, thereby ensuring the journal remains relevant and influential within its respective field. Each journal has a structured editorial team, with roles defined according to the journal’s developmental needs and current priorities. In some journals, editorial responsibilities may overlap, or specific roles may include additional duties unique to that journal. All members of the ICJN editorial boards are expected to adhere to the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the journal's policies.
The primary responsibilities of editorial boards include:
- Identifying emerging topics and providing strategic guidance for the journal's development, including feedback on past issues and recommendations for topics and potential authors.
- Participating in editorial review, including providing secondary opinions when reviewers' evaluations diverge.
- Contributing content through editorials and other occasional short pieces.
- Representing the journal at relevant academic conferences.
- Promoting the journal to authors, readers, and subscribers, and encouraging colleagues to submit high-quality work.
Benefits of serving on the editorial board include:
- Publication Discounts: Special discounts or waivers on the article processing charge for personal submissions.
- Professional Visibility: Opportunities to highlight expertise and contributions via interviews (written or video) on the journal website.
- Early Access to Insights: Priority access to previews of content and perspectives in the relevant field.
Editorial Roles and Responsibilities
Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief provides overall strategic leadership for the journal, ensuring scientific rigor, defining the journal's aims and scope, overseeing the editorial process (including initial screening and final decision-making), advising on journal development, representing the journal externally, and upholding the highest academic and ethical standards.
Associate Editors
Associate Editors manage the peer review process for assigned manuscripts, solicit high-quality submissions, support the Editor-in-Chief in decision-making, conduct initial assessments, coordinate peer review, make recommendations or decisions, promote the journal, and contribute to its strategic development.
Executive Editors
Executive Editors are responsible for maintaining scientific quality, recruiting distinguished scholars to the editorial board, soliciting high-quality submissions, participating in editorial evaluation and decision-making, promoting the journal, and advising on development strategies.
Editorial Board
Comprising leading researchers from globally recognized institutions, Editorial Boards review manuscripts within their expertise, advise on editorial policies, promote the journal in the academic community, and contribute to strategic planning and development.
Early Career Editorial Board
Early Career Editorial Boards share similar responsibilities to standard Editorial Boards, with additional insights on issues relevant to early-career researchers. A limited number of members are selected annually based on expertise and potential contributions.
Peer Review
Most manuscript types, including Original Articles, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Guidelines, Perspectives, Opinions, and Short Communications, will undergo peer review. Editorials, Corrections, and Letters to the Editor are generally not peer-reviewed, although exceptions may apply.
Typically, at least two independent reviewers from the relevant field are involved. All manuscripts are screened using similarity-detection software during peer review. A similarity index exceeding 20%, excluding references, may result in rejection, even if overlapping content derives from previous work by the authors.
Submissions first undergo a completeness check before editorial evaluation. If the editor has a conflict of interest, another Editorial Board member oversees the review process. Editors consider reviewers' reports but are not obligated to follow recommendations. Authors receive review reports alongside the editorial decision.
The journal operates a double-anonymous peer review, in which authors and reviewers remain unaware of each other's identities to ensure independent assessment.
1. Initial Quality Check
The editorial office screens all submissions for completeness, compliance with submission requirements, and plagiarism (including self-plagiarism) before editorial assessment.
2. Preliminary Editorial Assessment
The Editor-in-Chief evaluates scientific quality, originality, and relevance. Manuscripts may be rejected, returned for revision before peer review, or assigned to an Associate Editor or Handling Editor for further coordination.
3. Peer Review
The Handling Editor coordinates the peer review process and communicates with authors and reviewers. At least two qualified reviewers provide reports. Major revisions may require reassessment by original reviewers. Failure to adequately address comments may lead to rejection.
Recommendations may include: Accept, Accept with Minor Revisions, Request Revision, Reject, Reject but Encourage Resubmission, or invite an additional reviewer. Final decisions rest with the Editor-in-Chief.
4. Acceptance and Production
Accepted manuscripts proceed to copyediting, figure preparation (if needed), and typesetting. Page proofs are sent electronically to the corresponding author for approval before publication.
Editorial Independence
All manuscripts are evaluated fairly without regard to the authors' race, gender, nationality, institutional affiliation, or personal beliefs. Editorial decisions must remain objective, impartial, and free from external influence.
Confidentiality
Editors must maintain strict confidentiality regarding all materials and communications, including manuscripts, reviewer identities, and editorial correspondence. Information must not be disclosed outside the editorial process.
Conflict of Interest
Editors must disclose any personal, professional, or financial conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when relevant. Please note that all Editorial Boards of ICJN are required to recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a potential conflict of interest exists. Manuscripts submitted by Editorial Boards or their close collaborators will be assigned to an independent editor with no conflicts of interest, who will manage the peer review process and make editorial decisions.