Guidelines For Editor-in-Chief

The EiC has the right to act for any suspect/ misconduct or if an allegation of misconduct is brought to them. This duty extends to both papers in press and published papers.

Authors of criticized material should be given the opportunity to respond and studies reporting negative results should not be excluded.

The Editor in Chief will be responsible for and will have control over the scientific content of the journal, taking into account the aims and scope and the publisher’s editorial policies.

The EiC should seek to acknowledge the contribution of reviewers to the journal.

The EiC should not simply reject papers that raise concerns about possible misconduct. The EiC should first seek a response from those suspected of misconduct. If they are not satisfied with the response, they should ask the relevant employers, or institution, or some appropriate body (perhaps a regulatory body or national research integrity organisation) to investigate.

The EiC should make all reasonable efforts to ensure that a proper investigation into alleged misconduct is conducted; if this does not happen, editors should make all reasonable attempts to persist in obtaining a resolution to the problem.

The EiC should encourage and be willing to consider cogent criticisms of work published in their journal.

The EiC should respond promptly to complaints and should ensure there is a way for dissatisfied complainants to take complaints further.

The Editor in Chief will be acting as spokesperson for Journal, reaching out to academics and practitioners, attending meetings, and working to promote the journal as a desirable place to publish and as an unimpeachable source of information.