Editor Guidelines

Editor Guidelines

  • The Editor/Editor-in-chief plays a crucial role in maintaining the standards of journals. Also, the Editor is an important member to lead the honest peer-review process.
  • Actively seek the views of authors, readers, reviewers and editorial board members about ways of improving their journal’s processes
  • Appoint suitably qualified editorial board members who can actively contribute to the development and good management of the journal
  • Provide clear guidance to editorial board members about their expected functions and duties, these might include:
  • acting as ambassadors for the journal
  • supporting and promoting the journal
  • seeking out the best authors and best work (e.g. from meeting abstracts) and actively encouraging submissions
  • reviewing submissions to the journal
  • accepting commissions to write editorials, reviews and commentaries on papers in their specialist areas
  • attending and contributing to editorial board meetings

Note: Please follow our TJPPS Publication Ethics for editor ethical guidelines and best practice.

Confidentiality    

The Editor and the members of the Editorial Board must not disclose any information about a submitted paper to anyone other than the authors of the paper, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher, as  appropriate.

In the case where authors have a  conflict of interest, the editor may request that the authors include a statement to this effect in the manuscript before it can be reviewed or  accepted for publication.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest      

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted paper will not be used in the own research of the Editor or the members of the Editorial Board without the express written consent of the author.

Standards of Objectivity    

The editor should act in a balanced, objective and fair way while carrying out their expected duties, without discrimination on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, ethnic or geographical origin of the authors.

The editor should adopt and follow reasonable procedures in the event of complaints of an ethical or conflict nature, in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Society where appropriate to give authors a reasonable opportunity to respond to any complaints. All complaints should be investigated no matter when the original publication was approved. Documentation associated with any such complaints should be retained.

Procedures for Dealing With Unethical Behaviour    

Misconduct and unethical behaviour may be identified  and brought to the attention of the editor and publisher at any time, by  anyone. Whoever informs the editor or publisher of such conduct should provide  sufficient information and evidence in order for an investigation to be  initiated. All allegations should be taken seriously and treated in the  same way with justice and equity, until a successful decision or conclusion is reached.

The editor   should  gather evidences, while  avoiding spreading any allegations beyond those who need to know. Minor  misconduct might be dealt with without the need to consult more widely and the  author should be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations. The editor  should inform the author or reviewer where there appears to be a  misunderstanding or misapplication of acceptable standards as a warning to  future behaviour.

Serious misconduct or a case of  plagiarism comes to light after a paper is published; these cases might require that the employers  of the accused be notified. The editor should make the decision whether or  not to involve the employers, either by examining the available evidence itself  or by further consultation with a limited number of experts. The editor should  inform the author, the head of the author’s and reviewer’s department and  funding agency, abstracting & indexing services and the readership of the  publication concurrently with formal retraction or withdrawal of the  publication from the journal. The editor should lay a formal embargo on contributions from an individual for a defined period. Thereafter, the Editorial Board will from time to time review the decisions.