Guidelines for Editors

• Editors of Pivot journals are categorized as academic editors and handling editors according to their different duties. Academic editors, including the Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board and Guest Editor, are responsible for the academic aspects of the editorial process, e.g., the intellectual content of the journal's website, the scientific nature of the research, etc. Handling editors, including Managing Editors, Assistant Editors, Production Editors, are mainly responsible for the editorial work, e.g., organizing peer review, tracing the editorial process, preparing the publishable version of the papers, etc. The whole team ensures the quality of publication in a collaborative manner.
• Ethical Guidelines for Editors

  We strictly adhere to the criteria specified by COPE, OASPA, DOAJ, WAME and ICMJE for an ethical practice in scholarly publishing under the principle of transparency. At each stage of the editorial process, we ask all editors to follow the criteria outlined below:

  • Adopt reasonable editorial policies that ensure complete and honest reporting, and maximum transparency of publishing;
  • Disclose any conflicts of interest with the manuscript or manuscript authors under consideration;
  • Hold a serious attitude towards scholarly publishing and be alert to potential instances of misconduct in research and publishing;
  • Protect the confidentiality of the author's materials and remind reviewers to do so as well;
  • Protect the reviewer's identity unless they have expressed a wish to disclose such information;
  • Ensure selected reviewers are qualified and appropriate for the manuscripts in question;
  • Ensure peer review is comprehensive, constructive, rigorous and timely;
  • Ensure editorial decision is unbiased;
  • Be accountable for the content approved to publish;
  • Maintain clear communication with authors and reviewers, keeping authors informed as to the status of their submissions in a timely, honest and unambiguous manner.

  We recommend that editors refer to the Responsible Research Publication: International Standards for Editors throughout the editorial process. 

• Responsibility of Academic Editors

  The main responsibility of academic editors is to provide academic advice to the journal, thereby guaranteeing the scientific quality of publications, supervising the editorial process, and representing the journal in academic communities, etc. Specific duties of the Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board and Guest Editor can be found at Join Us.

  Decision Making

  Making decisions (approving or declining publication) on manuscripts is one of the major duties of academic editors in upholding the scientific quality of a journal. Approving publication of a given manuscript can only be performed by academic editors from the journal who are acting independently from the editorial office.

  When making a decision on a manuscript, academic editors must check:

  • Whether the reviewers are qualified and suitable to review the manuscript;
  • Whether the review comments are thorough and adequate;
  • Whether the authors have properly responded to the review comments;
  • Whether the revised manuscript meets the standard for publication.

  Academic editors make their decisions on manuscripts based on peer review reports and their own expertise considering the manuscript's importance and contribution to the science of their field. They are entitled to make a decision that conflicts with reviewers' recommendations based on their own understanding of the study. In this case, justification is compulsory.

  When reviewers report back with conflicting recommendations, or authors submit a rebuttal to review comments, academic editors must look into the dispute in person, and then make an independent and as objective a decision as possible.

• Responsibility of Handling Editors

  Managing Editors and Assistant Editors

  Managing editors and assistant editors closely support academic editors in relation to the editorial aspects, e.g., ensuring a reasonable progress of the journal, coordinating the primary contact connecting authors, reviewers and academic editors, organizing peer review, and maintaining a professional, rigorous and efficient editorial process.

  Production Editors

  Production editors are responsible for language editing, copy editing, format conversion, and online publication. If any editing might affect the expression or meaning of any part of the content, production editors should notify the authors for confirmation prior to publication.