Publication Decision

Executive and general editors are responsible for deciding which of the submitted articles should be published. Editors are guided by the policies established by the Editorial Staff and the Editorial Board. These policies must comply with current legal requirements regarding defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. In making decisions, editors may consult with other members of the Editorial Team and the Journal’s Editorial Board. Editorial decisions must remain independent of commercial considerations.

Editors will make all decisions in the editorial process independently of any commercial or sales-related criteria, including marketing, funding, advertising, or placement in the print edition’s market (the digital version is open access).

Transparency and Respect

Editors must ensure that submitted works do not engage in any form of discrimination based on false notions of race or sex, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, nationality, skin color, national origin, language or linguistic variety, religion, religious or philosophical beliefs, ethnic origin, political or union opinions, migration status, refugee or asylum-seeking status, statelessness, age, marital status, family situation, parentage, pregnancy, family responsibilities, criminal record or status, occupation, place of residence, physical appearance, physical traits, serological status, disability, genetic characteristics, psychophysical capacity, physical, mental, or social health, economic or social status, personal, social and/or cultural habits, or any other personal, family, or social condition or circumstance, whether temporary or permanent, of the authors.

Confidentiality

Editors and other members of the Editorial Team must not disclose any information about a manuscript under review.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Editors must not use unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript in their own research without the express written consent of the author. Editors must recuse themselves from evaluating manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest due to competition, collaboration, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the submission.

Cooperation in Investigations

Editors must take the necessary steps whenever ethical concerns are raised regarding a manuscript under review or a published article.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

In cases where fundamental errors are found in already published works—either through the editors’ own review or notification by the authors—editors will make every effort to correct the issue in the digital version and clearly indicate the correction in future print editions.