1. Editorial Process, Peer-Review and Production
Discovery Medicine implements a double-blind peer review system. Upon receipt of a manuscript, the editorial office shall conduct an initial review. Only manuscripts that fall within the scope of the journal, are structurally complete, and contain the essential content will be forwarded for peer review. In cases where uncertainties arise, the editor may seek advice from the Editor-in-Chief or another editor approved by the Editor-in-Chief. Manuscripts passing the initial review will be sent for peer review, and the editor shall ensure that the research expertise of the reviewers aligns with or is sufficiently compatible with the subject matter of the manuscript. The editor shall also assist reviewers in avoiding potential conflicts of interest with the manuscript and ensure that the review reports are returned in a timely manner.
Before a final decision is made, the editor is responsible for guiding the authors through necessary revisions and acting as a mediator between the authors and reviewers to resolve any questions or concerns, thereby facilitating the efficient completion of the review process. The final decision will be made by the Editor-in-Chief or another editor authorized by the Editor-in-Chief.
After the acceptance of an article for publication, the editorial staff organize the production of the paper, which entails copy editing, layout and conversion to XML in preparation for publication on the journal website.
2. Editorial Board Responsibilities
2.1 Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief together with the editorial team strives to provide a better experience for authors and readers. The Editor-in-Chief will supervise operations and policies during the publication process.
The responsibilities of the EiC include but are not limited to the following:
• Defining the Aims and Scope of the Journal.
• Understanding the journal’s editorial procedure and overviewing the editorial process.
• Attending meetings with the publisher or publication board to promote the journal.
• Maintaining connection to the Editorial Board and assisting the Editorial Office in the smooth management of the journal.
• Providing suggestions for Editors when needed.
• Responsibilities for the academic quality of the publication process, including acceptance decisions, approval of Guest Editor(s) and Special Issue topics, and appointing new Editorial Board members.
2.2 Editorial Board Member
An Editorial Board member will be responsible for:
• Working closely with the Editors and other Editorial Board members to develop the Journal’s editorial vision, policy and practices.
• Providing expertise, advice, and assessment assistance to the Editors.
• Promoting the Journal to authors and readers, and soliciting or contributing high-quality manuscripts each year.
• Assisting the Editors in identifying potential reviewers.
• Pre-check and making decisions on new submissions related to their research interests;
• Review manuscripts.
The initial term for an Editorial Board membership is one year, renewable.
2.3 Guest Editor Responsibility/Guest Editing a Special Issue
Special Issues are normally edited by a Guest Editor who invites colleagues from the same research field to contribute an article on a topic within their area of expertise.
The responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following:
• Working together with the Editorial Office to prepare a description and keywords for the Special Issue webpage.
• Preparing an editorial to open or close the Special Issue.
• Pre-check, supervise the whole peer-review process and take decisions on new submissions in their Special Issue.
3. Process for in-House Submissions
Discovery Medicine requires that editorial staff or Editors not be involved in processing their own academic work. When the Editor or members of the Editorial Board submit manuscripts, the peer-review process will be managed by alternative members of the Editorial Board. The submitting Editor/Board member will have no involvement in the decision-making process. Decisions will be made by other Editorial Board members who do not have a conflict of interest with the author.
This section is required for all papers. If there are no interests to declare, please use the following wording: "Given his/her role as [Guest] Editor [in Chief],had no involvement in the peer-review of this article and has no access to information regarding its peer-review".
4. Ethical Guidelines for Editors
• Editor of a journal has complete responsibility and authority to make editorial decisions on all manuscripts submitted for peer-review and publication.
• Editor should treat all authors with fairness, courtesy, objectivity, and honesty. All manuscripts are to be assessed objectively based on their academic merit and free of all commercial or self-interests.
• Editor should have no conflict of interest with respect to articles they reject/accept.
• When errors are found in a manuscript, the Editor should promote the publication of corrections or retractions.
• Editor shall ensure that the peer-review process is fair, unbiased, and timely. Research articles must typically be reviewed by at least two reviewers.
• Editor shall ensure to preserve the reviewers’ anonymity.
• Editor shall not disclose any information concerning submitted manuscripts before publication of the manuscript.
• Editor shall cooperate with the publisher to describe, implement, and regularly review policies for handling ethical issues and allegations or findings of misconduct by authors and anyone else involved in the peer-review process.
• Editor shall be vigilant in avoiding the possibility of Editors and/or reviewers delaying a manuscript for suspicious or unusual reasons.
• Editor is responsible for developing mechanisms, in cooperation with the publisher, to ensure timely publication of accepted manuscripts.
• Editor is responsible for assigning manuscripts to reviewers based on their area of expertise and research interests.
Responsible research publication: international standards for Editors
Code of conduct and best practice guidelines for journal Editors
Updated on 10 January 2023
