Editorial Guidelines

1. Introduction

Editors are responsible for upholding the academic standards, integrity, and ethical principles of IMAC Review. Their duties span from initial manuscript assessment to final publication decisions. Editors must act independently, without influence from financial, political, or personal interests.

2. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are expected to:

1. Ensure manuscripts align with the journal’s scope and standards.

2. Conduct initial screening for originality, ethical compliance, and quality.

3. Assign manuscripts to appropriate reviewers with relevant expertise.

4. Oversee the peer review process, ensuring fairness and timeliness.

5. Make final publication decisions based solely on academic merit and ethical considerations.

6. Maintain confidentiality for all submissions.

7. Handle conflict of interest among authors, reviewers, or themselves.

3. Initial Manuscript Screening

Editors should:

• Verify compliance with author guidelines (format, citation, structure).

• Ensure manuscripts are original and free of plagiarism.

• Check for ethical compliance, including human subjects approval if applicable.

• Desk-reject manuscripts that clearly fall outside the journal’s scope or standards.

4. Reviewer Assignment

Editors must:

• Select at least two qualified independent reviewers for each manuscript.

• Avoid assigning reviewers with conflicts of interest.

• Ensure the review process is double-blind.

5. Decision-Making

Based on reviewer reports, editors may:

• Accept the manuscript without revision

• Request minor revisions

• Request major revisions

• Reject the manuscript

All decisions must be documented in the OJS system.

6. Ethical Oversight

Editors must ensure that:

• All published work adheres to ethical standards set by COPE.

• Plagiarism or duplicate submission issues are addressed promptly.

• Retractions, corrections, and expressions of concern are issued when necessary.

7. Conflict of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling any manuscript where a personal, institutional, or financial conflict exists. An alternate editor should be assigned.

8. Appeals and Complaints

Editors are responsible for:

• Handling appeals from authors regarding rejection decisions.

• Maintaining transparency and fairness during the appeals process.

• Communicating decisions clearly and promptly.

9. Editorial Independence

Editors must remain independent of commercial, political, or personal influence. Payment of APCs does not influence editorial decisions.