Editor's Guidelines

1. Editorial Purpose

The Editors of the International Journal of Clinical Virology (IJCV) uphold academic integrity and ensure fair, objective, and transparent editorial decisions. They serve as custodians of scientific quality, facilitating rigorous peer review while maintaining author and reviewer confidentiality.

2. Core Responsibilities of Editors

• Manage all submitted manuscripts through a fair, timely, and unbiased review process.
• Ensure decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
• Prevent any discrimination based on nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, or personal beliefs.
• Maintain transparency in handling conflicts of interest and corrections post-publication.

3. Ethical Standards and Independence

Editors act independently from commercial influence or sponsor bias. No external parties—advertisers, funders, or institutions—may interfere with editorial judgments. Editorial content must reflect scientific validity rather than political, financial, or personal agendas.

4. Editorial Decision-Making Process

1. Initial assessment of manuscript suitability and compliance with journal policies.
2. Assignment to qualified peer reviewers with relevant expertise.
3. Evaluation of reviewer comments and author responses.
4. Final decision: accept, revise, or reject based on academic quality and ethical compliance.

Editors must document decision rationale clearly within the journal’s OJS system.

5. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Editors must treat all submissions as confidential documents. Information from manuscripts may not be disclosed to anyone other than reviewers, editorial board members, or publisher staff directly involved in processing. All communications comply with GDPR and privacy principles.

6. Handling Conflicts of Interest

• Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a competing interest (e.g., collaborative or institutional ties).
• Alternate editors should be appointed for such submissions to preserve impartiality.
• All editorial board members must submit annual conflict-of-interest declarations.

7. Reviewer Selection and Oversight

Editors must ensure reviewers possess suitable expertise and no conflicts of interest. The review process should remain double-blind. Editors are responsible for monitoring reviewer quality, timeliness, and adherence to ethical review conduct.

8. Decision Timeliness

IJCV aims for efficient peer-review turnaround. Editors should issue initial decisions within 3 weeks and final acceptance within 6–8 weeks when possible, maintaining open communication with authors regarding progress or delays.

9. Editorial Communication Ethics

Editors must correspond respectfully and transparently with authors, reviewers, and staff. Criticism of manuscripts should be constructive. Editors should avoid coercive citation or inappropriate influence on authorship or conclusions.

10. Handling Research Misconduct

When potential misconduct (plagiarism, data falsification, duplicate submission) is suspected, editors must follow COPE flowcharts for investigation. They should gather evidence, contact authors for clarification, and coordinate with institutions if necessary.

11. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

Editors are responsible for initiating post-publication actions when errors or ethical breaches are identified. They must distinguish between honest mistakes and misconduct, ensuring transparency through clear notices on the journal website.

12. Relations with Reviewers

Editors should provide reviewers with clear guidelines, timelines, and feedback. Constructive acknowledgment of reviewer contributions maintains engagement and reinforces a high standard of review quality.

13. Relations with Authors

• Editors must ensure authors receive fair, transparent, and timely decisions.
• Manuscript rejection should always be supported by academic reasoning and reviewer input.
• Editors should offer guidance on improving rejected submissions where appropriate.

14. Relation with the Publisher

Editors collaborate with the publisher to maintain operational integrity but must retain full editorial independence. Financial or institutional interests must never override scholarly judgment.

15. Diversity and Inclusivity

Editors are encouraged to promote equitable representation among reviewers and authors, supporting diversity of gender, geography, and perspective. Inclusive practices strengthen global participation in virology research dissemination.

16. Handling Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by providing evidence of factual or procedural errors. Appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and, when necessary, an independent advisory editor. Complaints about editorial conduct are handled confidentially under COPE guidelines.

17. Editorial Training and Evaluation

All editorial members must complete annual training in publication ethics, peer-review management, and data privacy. Performance is reviewed yearly based on timeliness, decision quality, and adherence to ethical standards.

18. Public Responsibility and Transparency

Editors should advocate for data availability, reproducibility, and responsible reporting. They must ensure that the journal publishes corrections, retractions, and editorial notes transparently.

19. Continuous Improvement

Editors are expected to contribute to the enhancement of editorial processes, technology adoption, and reviewer engagement to sustain IJCV’s high publishing standards.

20. Key References and Resources

• COPE Core Practices and Flowcharts
• ICMJE Recommendations for Editors
• WAME Editorial Standards
• DOAJ Best Practice Principles

21. Contact

For Editorial Queries
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.clinvirologyjournal.com/

View Editorial Responsibilities