Editors Guidelines

Editors are responsible for the fairness, timeliness and integrity of the review of the manuscripts assigned to them. They judge each manuscript on its merits and in line with the journal’s scope, and they act in accordance with COPE guidance.

Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.

The author’s identity, institution, country, funding and ability to pay the article processing charge play no part in a decision. Payment is requested only after acceptance, and editors do not take it into account. Withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal’s withdrawal policy.

All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal's scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review. Editors check fit with the Aims and Scope, the completeness of ethics and consent statements, the data-availability statement, and any concern raised by similarity screening. A similarity report is interpreted in context and is not an automatic accept or reject threshold.

Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts. Editors choose reviewers with relevant expertise and without competing interests, such as a recent collaboration, shared institution or financial tie with the authors, and they do not rely on reviewers suggested by authors alone.

When double-blind review is requested, editors must ensure that author-identifying information is not shared with reviewers.

Editors decline to handle a manuscript if they have a personal, financial, institutional or collaborative relationship with an author. Editors do not handle their own submissions. Another editor handles such manuscripts, and the editorial office records the arrangement.

Manuscripts and reviews are confidential. Editors do not share or discuss them except with the journal’s editorial staff, reviewers and other editors involved. Editors must obtain journal permission before using AI to assist with the handling of a manuscript. Any permitted use must be disclosed, and confidential manuscript content must not be uploaded where confidentiality cannot be assured.

Editors who see signs of image manipulation, data fabrication, duplicate publication, unreported competing interests, or research that lacks the approval or consent that applies, raise the concern with the editorial office. Concerns are handled under the Editorial Policies and COPE guidance. Research involving human embryos, gametes or animals is expected to report the approvals that apply to it.

Decisions are communicated to authors with the reviewers’ reports and a clear statement of what is required for revision. Editors keep a constructive tone and give reasons for rejection. Authors who appeal are heard by an editor not involved in the original decision.

Guest editors of a collection follow the same guidelines. They do not handle manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, including their own, and the journal’s editorial board makes or oversees the final decisions. See Special Issues.