Editors cover a range of responsibilities, ethical considerations, and best practices to ensure the integrity, quality, and fairness of the publication process. Guidelines for editors are as follow:
1). Editorial Responsibilities: Provide leadership and direction for the journal, ensuring its editorial integrity and adherence to the highest standards of scholarly publishing. Establish and maintain editorial policies, guidelines, and procedures that promote transparency, fairness, and ethical conduct throughout the publication process. Oversee the peer review process, ensuring timely and rigorous evaluation of submitted manuscripts by qualified reviewers.Make editorial decisions based on the quality, originality, and significance of manuscripts, while ensuring impartiality and avoiding conflicts of interest.
2). Peer Review Process: Select competent and impartial reviewers with expertise relevant to the subject matter of submitted manuscripts. Ensure confidentiality and anonymity in the peer review process, protecting the identities of both authors and reviewers. Evaluate reviewer comments and recommendations carefully, providing constructive feedback to authors and making fair and transparent decisions on manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection.
3). Ethical Standards: Uphold ethical standards in research and publishing, including adherence to principles of academic integrity, honesty, and transparency. Prevent and address plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, and other forms of academic misconduct through rigorous editorial screening and peer review. Handle allegations of research misconduct or ethical breaches promptly and impartially, following established guidelines and procedures.
4). Conflict of Interest: Disclose any potential conflicts of interest to authors, reviewers, and readers, and manage them appropriately to avoid bias or undue influence on editorial decisions. Refrain from making editorial decisions on manuscripts in which the editor has a personal or professional conflict of interest, delegating responsibility to another qualified editor if necessary.
5). Editorial Integrity: Maintain the independence and autonomy of the editorial process, free from undue influence or interference by stakeholders such as funders, sponsors, or affiliated institutions. Ensure that editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly merits of manuscripts, without regard to factors such as authors' reputation, affiliations, or funding sources.
6). Transparency and Accountability: Provide clear and comprehensive information to authors, reviewers, and readers about editorial policies, submission guidelines, peer review procedures, and publication standards. Foster transparency and accountability in editorial decision-making by documenting and justifying the rationale behind editorial decisions, as well as responding promptly and courteously to inquiries or concerns from authors or reviewers.
7). Continuous Improvement: Strive for continuous improvement in editorial practices, keeping abreast of developments in scholarly publishing, peer review methodologies, and ethical standards. Solicit feedback from authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and other stakeholders to identify areas for improvement and implement changes as needed to enhance the quality and efficiency of the publication process. These guidelines serve as a framework for editors to uphold the highest standards of editorial integrity, ethical conduct, and scholarly excellence in managing an agricultural research journal.