Ethics for Editors

Archives of Community Medicine and Public Health (ACMPH) is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in publishing. Editors play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity, transparency, and quality of the editorial and peer review process. This Ethics for Editors policy outlines the ethical responsibilities and principles that guide the conduct of editors.

Editorial Independence and Objectivity

Editors must ensure that editorial decisions are based purely on academic merit and research quality without any external influence. The following principles apply:

  • Unbiased Decision-Making: Manuscripts should be evaluated fairly based on scientific content, without discrimination regarding race, gender, nationality, religion, or institutional affiliation.
  • Freedom from External Influence: Editorial decisions must be independent of commercial, political, or personal pressures.
  • Transparent Review Process: Editors must ensure a fair, rigorous, and unbiased double-blind peer review process.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Editors must maintain strict confidentiality regarding all aspects of manuscript handling:

  • Confidential Peer Review: The identity of authors and reviewers must remain confidential throughout the review process.
  • Data Protection: Editors must not disclose manuscript details, data, or reviewer reports to unauthorized individuals.
  • Editorial Transparency: Manuscript discussions should only be shared with relevant editorial team members.

Handling Conflicts of Interest

Editors must disclose and avoid conflicts of interest that could compromise their editorial decisions:

  • Manuscript Conflicts: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have a personal or professional connection with the authors.
  • Financial Conflicts: Any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts must be disclosed and managed transparently.
  • Impartial Editorial Role: Editors should not exploit unpublished manuscript data for personal research.

Ethical Oversight of the Peer Review Process

Editors are responsible for ensuring the ethical integrity of the peer review process:

  • Reviewer Selection: Reviewers must be chosen based on their expertise and impartiality.
  • Preventing Bias: Editors must monitor for signs of bias in reviewer comments and evaluations.
  • Timely Review: Editors should ensure that peer review is conducted efficiently and without unnecessary delays.
  • Handling Review Misconduct: Any unethical reviewer behavior, such as breaches of confidentiality or conflicts of interest, must be addressed.

Dealing with Ethical Violations and Research Misconduct

Editors must take immediate action if ethical concerns arise regarding a submitted or published manuscript:

  • Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication: Manuscripts must be screened using iThenticate to detect plagiarism and prevent duplicate submissions.
  • Data Fabrication and Falsification: Editors must reject or retract any manuscript found to contain manipulated or falsified data.
  • Human and Animal Research Ethics: Research involving human or animal subjects must comply with ethical standards, such as obtaining institutional review board (IRB) approval.
  • Retractions and Corrections: In cases of serious ethical breaches, editors must follow COPE retraction guidelines to correct or retract articles.

Publication Ethics and Editorial Responsibilities

ACMPH follows international ethical publishing standards established by:

Continuous Editorial Training

Editors should participate in continuous learning and professional development programs:

  • Attend editorial training sessions and workshops.
  • Engage with ethical publishing resources from COPE, ICMJE, and WAME.
  • Stay updated on emerging trends in open-access publishing.

Upholding Editorial Integrity and Ethical Publishing!