Editorial Responsibilities

The Annals of Biomedical Science and Engineering (ABSE) entrusts its editorial leadership with ensuring excellence, transparency, and fairness in scholarly publishing. This document defines the core responsibilities, ethical expectations, and operational duties of all editorial roles in alignment with COPE Core Practices, ICMJE Recommendations, and DOAJ Best Practice Guidelines.

1. Purpose of the Editorial Team

The editorial team safeguards the scientific integrity of ABSE. Editors ensure manuscripts meet high academic and ethical standards while supporting authors and reviewers throughout the publication process.

2. Hierarchy and Role Definitions

Position Core Responsibilities
Editor-in-Chief (EIC) Provides overall leadership, sets editorial policy, appoints associate editors, and ensures ethical compliance.
Associate Editor (AE) Oversees peer review in assigned domains, ensures reviewer quality, and recommends decisions to the EIC.
Section Editor (SE) Handles specialized manuscripts within thematic sections, ensures fair review allocation, and maintains turnaround timelines.
Editorial Board Member (EBM) Advises on policy, promotes the journal, reviews manuscripts, and upholds the journal’s reputation.

3. Editorial Integrity and Independence

  • Editorial decisions are made solely on scientific merit, novelty, and clarity—not influenced by commercial, institutional, or personal interests.
  • The EIC maintains independence from publisher influence and ensures consistency of ethical standards across all sections.

4. Responsibilities to Authors

  • Treat every manuscript impartially, regardless of authors’ gender, nationality, or institutional affiliation.
  • Provide constructive and timely feedback during peer review.
  • Protect author confidentiality and intellectual property.
  • Support authors in improving manuscripts through transparent communication.

5. Responsibilities to Reviewers

  • Assign manuscripts according to reviewers’ expertise.
  • Acknowledge reviewer contributions and maintain a balanced workload.
  • Ensure reviewers adhere to confidentiality and ethical conduct.
  • Resolve reviewer conflicts and remove biased evaluators when necessary.

6. Responsibilities to Readers

Editors guarantee that published work is accurate, balanced, and relevant to ABSE’s scope. They should correct or retract content promptly if errors or ethical issues are identified.

7. Managing Manuscripts Ethically

  1. Perform an initial check for plagiarism and ethical compliance.
  2. Assign reviewers free of competing interests.
  3. Make decisions transparently and provide clear reasoning in OJS logs.
  4. Reject manuscripts only on scientific grounds—never for personal or political reasons.

8. Conflict of Interest Management

Editors must disclose any relationships that could affect objectivity. When a conflict exists, another editor must take over the manuscript. All disclosures are recorded in OJS for accountability.

9. Handling Ethical Issues and Misconduct

Editors must act swiftly on allegations of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or unethical research. Actions include:

  • Following COPE Flowcharts for investigation.
  • Consulting the Ethics Committee for independent review.
  • Issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when warranted.

10. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Editors are bound by ABSE’s Privacy Statement. Submission data, reviewer identities, and correspondence must remain confidential and stored securely within OJS.

11. Timeliness and Accountability

  • Editors must process manuscripts within defined timelines (typically 4–6 weeks for review).
  • Delays must be communicated promptly to authors.
  • All editorial actions should be documented transparently within OJS.

12. Continuous Quality Improvement

Editors participate in periodic training on ethics, diversity, and editorial technologies. Annual evaluations assess performance in timeliness, fairness, and editorial contribution.

13. Diversity and Inclusivity

ABSE promotes gender, geographic, and disciplinary diversity among editors and reviewers. Editors should consider inclusivity when inviting reviewers or board members.

14. Transparency in Editorial Decisions

Decisions must include clear justification referencing reviewer comments and editorial assessment. Editors should use consistent decision terminology—Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.

15. Corrections and Retractions

When errors are identified post-publication, editors coordinate corrections or retractions under the Withdrawal Policy. Each notice must state reasons, date, and citation link to preserve the scholarly record.

16. Collaboration with Publisher and Indexing Bodies

Editors cooperate with Heighten Science Publications Inc. and indexing agencies (CrossRef, DOAJ, Scopus etc.) to maintain data accuracy, DOI integrity, and ethical compliance. Editorial decisions remain autonomous.

17. Professional Conduct and Communication

Editors should maintain professionalism in all interactions. Harassment, discrimination, or unprofessional communication with authors or reviewers is prohibited. ABSE reserves the right to remove editors who breach professional ethics.

18. Accountability to the Scientific Community

“Editors are custodians of credibility. Their responsibility extends beyond acceptance decisions—to preserving trust in biomedical science and engineering research.”

19. Annual Reporting and Performance Review

  • Each editor submits an annual activity report summarizing handled manuscripts, review times, and ethical compliance.
  • The EIC compiles these into a yearly transparency report for internal review.

20. Contact Information

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