Editorial Responsibilities

Overview

Editors of the Journal of Addiction Therapy and Research (JATR) are entrusted with maintaining the scientific quality and ethical integrity of the publication process. Their primary responsibility is to ensure that all manuscripts are reviewed and published according to international best practices as outlined by COPE, ICMJE, and WAME.

Core Editorial Responsibilities

• Manage manuscripts from submission through peer review to final decision.
• Ensure reviewers are qualified, objective, and timely in their assessments.
• Preserve the anonymity and confidentiality of all peer-review communications.
• Base editorial decisions solely on scientific merit, originality, and relevance to addiction research.
• Uphold JATR’s policies on plagiarism, data integrity, and author disclosure.

Ethical Oversight

Editors must actively identify and address ethical breaches, including:

• Duplicate or redundant publication.
• Plagiarism or image manipulation.
• Data fabrication or falsification.
• Unethical research involving humans or animals.

When misconduct is suspected, editors must follow COPE’s flowcharts for handling ethical complaints and coordinate with the publisher’s ethics committee.

Peer Review Integrity

Editors oversee the peer-review process to ensure balanced, unbiased evaluations. They must verify that:

• Reviewers declare conflicts of interest before acceptance.
• Reviewer comments are constructive and relevant.
• Reviewers respect confidentiality and professional tone.

Final decisions must reflect a balanced interpretation of reviewer feedback.

Editorial Decision-Making

Decisions are guided by academic quality, not commercial or personal interests. Editors should:

1. Evaluate manuscripts impartially.
2. Provide clear, justified decisions with constructive feedback.
3. Avoid any favoritism or prejudice.
4. Refrain from handling papers in which they have a personal or professional conflict.

Conflict of Interest Management

Editors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence their decisions. When a conflict exists, the manuscript should be reassigned to an independent editor.

Transparency and Accountability

• Maintain records of editorial communications in the OJS system.
• Adhere to transparent criteria for acceptance or rejection.
• Provide timely responses to author queries.
• Report annually on editorial performance and turnaround times.

Diversity and Fair Representation

Editors must promote inclusion and equity across gender, geography, and discipline. JATR encourages balanced representation in its editorial board, reviewer pool, and published content.

Post-Publication Oversight

Editors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and credibility of the published record. They must coordinate corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern following COPE Retraction Guidelines.

Editorial Development and Training

Editors should participate in continuous professional development through:

• COPE webinars and case studies.
• ICMJE editorial ethics workshops.
• Annual JATR editorial board evaluations and mentorship sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)