Editorial Policies

COPE Recommendation for Conflict of Interest (specific to editors)
Editorial Process
Advertisement Policies
Editorial Policies
Creative Commons License
Peer Review Process
COPE Recommendation for Plagiarism
Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Publisher Policies
Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosures (specific to editors)

1. COPE Recommendation for Conflict of Interest (Specific to Editors)

The COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) recommendations for Conflict of Interest (COI) specific to editors emphasize the importance of transparency in the editorial process. Editors must declare any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence their judgment or decision-making. COI can arise in various forms, such as:

Financial interests: If an editor has a financial stake in a company, institution, or product relevant to the manuscript under review, it could bias their decision.
Personal relationships: Close personal or professional relationships with authors, reviewers, or other stakeholders could potentially lead to biased decisions.
Academic rivalry: Conflicts may also arise if an editor is competing with the author or has competing professional interests.

The COPE guidelines suggest that editors disclose all potential COIs and, when necessary, recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict may arise. By following these guidelines, the journal ensures impartiality in editorial decisions and builds trust among authors and readers. Furthermore, journals should establish clear policies on handling potential conflicts, providing an ethical framework for editors to follow.

2. Editorial Process

The Editorial Process refers to the set of procedures followed to determine whether a manuscript is suitable for publication. This process ensures that the research published is of high quality, relevant, and aligned with the journal’s scope. Key stages in the editorial process include:

Initial Screening: The editorial team checks the manuscript for relevance, formatting, and adherence to submission guidelines. If a manuscript does not meet these basic criteria, it is rejected at this stage.
Peer Review: The manuscript is sent for peer review by experts in the field. This typically follows a double-blind review process, where both the reviewers and the authors remain anonymous.
Revisions: After receiving feedback from peer reviewers, the authors are given the opportunity to revise their manuscript, addressing reviewer comments.
Final Decision: Based on the revisions, the editor makes a final decision to accept, reject, or request further modifications.

This process ensures that only rigorous, ethically conducted, and well-written research is published, while maintaining the journal's credibility.

3. Advertisement Policies

The Advertisement Policies of a journal outline the guidelines for publishing advertisements within the journal. These policies are crucial to maintaining the integrity and impartiality of the journal. Key points include:

Separation of Editorial and Advertising Content: Advertisements must be clearly distinguishable from editorial content, ensuring that the presence of ads does not influence the journal's research or opinions.
Ethical Standards: Advertisements should align with the journal’s mission and ethics, avoiding deceptive or misleading content.
Relevance to the Audience: Ads should be relevant to the journal’s readership and topics, such as products or services related to medical research, health, or scientific resources.

These policies safeguard the journal’s objectivity and avoid any conflict between editorial decisions and revenue-generating activities.

4. Editorial Policies

Editorial Policies are designed to establish a framework for managing the manuscript submission, review, and publication processes. These policies ensure consistency, fairness, and transparency. Key components of editorial policies typically include:

Scope and Aims: The journal defines the types of articles it publishes (e.g., research articles, reviews, case studies) and its focus (e.g., endocrinology, diabetes research).
Author Guidelines: Detailed instructions for authors on manuscript formatting, ethical standards, and submission processes.
Review Process: Clearly defined procedures for peer review, ensuring that all articles undergo a thorough evaluation by experts.
Publication Ethics: The journal’s stance on plagiarism, conflicts of interest, and data fabrication.

Editorial policies aim to maintain high scholarly standards, ensure ethical publication practices, and provide clarity to authors and reviewers.

5. Creative Commons License

The Creative Commons License (CC License) is a legal framework that allows authors to retain copyright while permitting others to reuse, distribute, and even modify the work under specific conditions. For open-access journals, a CC BY (Attribution) license is often used, which allows anyone to share, adapt, or build upon the work as long as they credit the original author. Key benefits of the Creative Commons License include:

Maximized Reach: The work is made freely accessible to a global audience, promoting wider dissemination.
Encouragement of Reuse: The license allows for the work to be reused in new contexts, such as educational materials, policy briefs, or subsequent research.
Attribution: Authors are always credited, ensuring that their intellectual property rights are respected.

By adopting a Creative Commons License, the journal encourages the open exchange of knowledge, supporting the broader dissemination of research in endocrinology and diabetes.

6. Peer Review Process

The Peer Review Process is central to the journal’s quality control system. It ensures that published articles are methodologically sound, scientifically rigorous, and ethically conducted. The process typically involves:

Submission: Authors submit their manuscript to the journal.
Initial Assessment: The editor conducts a preliminary review to ensure the manuscript fits the journal’s scope and quality standards.
Peer Review: The manuscript is sent to two or more external reviewers who evaluate its validity, methodology, significance, and relevance. In some cases, a double-blind review is used, where neither the author nor the reviewer knows each other’s identity.
Feedback: Reviewers provide detailed feedback, suggesting improvements or revisions. Authors are expected to address these comments in a revised version of the manuscript.
Final Decision: Based on the reviewer comments, the editor decides whether to accept, reject, or request further revisions.

This process ensures that the journal publishes high-quality, credible research that contributes meaningfully to the field.

7. COPE Recommendation for Plagiarism

The COPE Recommendation for Plagiarism provides a structured approach to handling plagiarism in academic publishing. The journal adheres to strict guidelines to detect and address plagiarism:

Detection: Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using software tools such as Turnitin or iThenticate before publication.
Investigation: If plagiarism is suspected, the editorial team conducts a thorough investigation, often involving the author and possibly the institutions involved.
Action: Depending on the severity, actions range from requesting revisions to retracting the article or even banning the author from future submissions.

By following COPE’s recommendations, the journal upholds ethical publication practices, ensuring that all published content is original and properly cited.

8. Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement serves as a guiding document for authors, editors, and reviewers, establishing clear expectations regarding ethical conduct throughout the publication process. Key aspects include:

Authorship Integrity: Authors must have made substantial contributions to the work and should only be included as authors if they meet specific authorship criteria.
Data Integrity: Authors are expected to report research data honestly, without fabrication or manipulation.
Ethical Conduct: Manuscripts involving human participants or animals must adhere to ethical standards and must be approved by relevant ethics committees.
Retractions and Corrections: The statement provides guidelines on handling retractions or corrections if errors or misconduct are discovered after publication.

This statement ensures that all research published by the journal adheres to the highest ethical standards.

9. Publisher Policies

The Publisher Policies provide a framework for how the journal operates within the academic publishing ecosystem. These policies include:

Copyright and Licensing: Clarifies the ownership of the intellectual property published in the journal and the terms under which authors’ works are made available.
Open Access: Many journals, including this one, may adopt an open-access model to ensure that articles are freely accessible online to a global audience.
Archiving: The policies specify how articles will be archived and preserved for long-term access, ensuring the sustainability of the journal’s content.

Publisher policies are critical in ensuring the journal’s alignment with industry standards, promoting ethical publishing practices, and maintaining the journal’s integrity.

10. Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosures (Specific to Editors)

Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosures are key elements in maintaining editorial integrity. Editors are required to disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could influence their decision-making process. This includes:

Financial Interests: Editors must declare any financial relationships with authors, sponsors, or other entities that may present a conflict.
Personal or Professional Relationships: Editors should also disclose any personal, academic, or professional relationships that might cause bias in their decision-making.