Editorial and Publisher Responsibilities

Policies

Editorial and Publisher Responsibilities

 

Who is accountable for what, and how independence is protected.

This policy sets out the duties of the editors and the publisher of Radiology Research Journal (RRJ), following the COPE Core Practices, the WAME Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency.

Editorial Independence

The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the entire editorial content of the journal and over the timing of publication. The publisher, the supporting institution, funders, advertisers, and any commercial partner have no role whatsoever in the evaluation of manuscripts or in decisions to accept or reject.

Decisions rest on the scientific validity, originality, ethical soundness, and relevance of the work, and are never influenced by the authors' nationality, institution, seniority, gender, ethnicity, religion, political belief, or ability to pay.

1. Responsibilities of Editors
Fair and Timely Decisions
Evaluate every manuscript on intellectual content alone, ensure a rigorous and timely review, and communicate decisions with reasons that authors can act upon.
Confidentiality
Disclose no information about a submission to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher as required. Unpublished material must never be used in an editor's own research.
Recusal
Withdraw from handling any manuscript in which the editor has a competing interest, including work by close collaborators, colleagues at the same institution, or the editor's own submissions.
Safeguarding Integrity
Act on any credible concern about a published or submitted article, apply the COPE flowcharts, and publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when the evidence requires it.
No Coercive Practices
Never require authors to cite the journal, the editor's own work, or that of colleagues as a condition of acceptance. Citation manipulation is treated as misconduct on the part of an editor as much as an author.
Supporting Reviewers and Authors
Give reviewers clear guidance, protect their anonymity, act on abusive or unprofessional reports, and treat authors with courtesy regardless of the decision reached.
2. Responsibilities of the Publisher
Protecting Independence
Guarantee the editorial autonomy described above in practice as well as in principle, and appoint or remove an Editor-in-Chief only on grounds relating to the stewardship of the journal.
Infrastructure and Preservation
Maintain the publishing platform, register DOIs, keep metadata accurate and openly available, and sustain the arrangements described in the Archiving Policy.
Supporting Investigations
Provide the editors with the resources and legal support needed to investigate allegations, and publish the resulting notices without commercial or reputational interference.
Transparency of Ownership
Disclose the journal's ownership and management structure publicly, and state clearly the business model that sustains it.
3. Ownership, Revenue, and Advertising
Journal owner and publisher[PUBLISHER NAME], [ADDRESS]
Source of operating fundsInstitutional support from [PUBLISHER / SUPPORTING INSTITUTION]. No author fees, no subscription income.
AdvertisingThe journal does not accept advertising.
SponsorshipAny sponsored supplement is labelled as such, is peer reviewed identically, and gives the sponsor no editorial influence.
Direct marketingAny solicitation of submissions is targeted, truthful, states the journal's real scope and indexing status, and never misrepresents the journal.
What This Journal Will Never Do
Guarantee acceptance or publication within a stated period in exchange for anything.
Send indiscriminate solicitation emails, or claim indexing and metrics the journal does not hold.
List an individual on the Editorial Board without their written agreement.
Introduce a hidden charge at any stage after submission.
Accept a manuscript brokered by a paper mill or authorship-selling service.
4. Complaints Procedure

A complaint concerns the conduct of the journal — a process not followed, an unreasonable delay, discourteous treatment, a perceived conflict of interest, or a breach of these policies. A challenge to the outcome of a review is an appeal, handled under the Manuscript Appeal Policy.

STEP 1
Write to [EDITORIAL EMAIL], marking the message as a formal complaint. Acknowledgement within 7 days.
STEP 2
The Editor-in-Chief investigates and responds substantively within 30 days.
STEP 3
If the complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, it is referred to the publisher and an uninvolved board member.
STEP 4
If unresolved, the complainant may refer the matter to COPE, which reviews journal conduct against its Core Practices.

Complaints are recorded, reviewed collectively by the Editorial Board at least annually, and used to improve the journal's procedures. Raising a complaint has no bearing on the handling of any current or future submission by the complainant.

5. Governance and Continuity
The Editorial Board meets at least [ANNUALLY] to review policy, performance, indexing progress, and board composition.
All policies carry a version number and review date, and are updated as COPE, ICMJE, and DOAJ guidance develops.
Editorial records are retained so that any decision can be reconstructed and audited if a concern is raised later.
If the journal is transferred to another publisher or ceases publication, the change is announced in advance and the archive is preserved as set out in the Archiving Policy.
Accountability

Final responsibility for everything Radiology Research Journal publishes rests with the Editor-in-Chief, and final responsibility for the journal's infrastructure, transparency, and continuity rests with [PUBLISHER NAME]. Both may be contacted at [EDITORIAL EMAIL].

Radiology Research Journal (RRJ) · Editorial and Publisher Responsibilities · Version 1.0, [MONTH YEAR]