Journal of Diseases - Editor Guidelines
Standards and responsibilities for editorial board members.
Editorial Excellence in Disease Research
Editors at Diseases play essential roles maintaining publication quality and advancing disease research through rigorous peer review oversight. These comprehensive guidelines establish clear expectations for editorial board members, ensuring consistent, fair, and thorough manuscript evaluation processes that serve authors, reviewers, and readers effectively.
Understanding your responsibilities and following established protocols creates positive experiences for all stakeholders while upholding the scientific standards that define our journal's reputation in the disease research community.
Core Responsibilities
Editorial board members contribute specialized expertise at multiple stages of the peer review process. Your primary responsibilities encompass evaluating assigned manuscripts for scientific merit and scope appropriateness, selecting qualified reviewers with relevant expertise, synthesizing diverse feedback into coherent assessments, and making well-reasoned publication recommendations. Active engagement with these responsibilities ensures timely manuscript processing and high-quality outcomes benefiting the entire research community.
Manuscript Evaluation
Assess manuscripts within your expertise areas for scientific merit, clinical relevance, methodological rigor, and appropriate presentation. Initial screening efficiently identifies submissions warranting full peer review versus those requiring immediate editorial decisions due to fundamental concerns.
Reviewer Selection and Management
Identify and invite qualified peer reviewers with specific expertise matching manuscript content. Maintain awareness of reviewer availability, response patterns, and past performance quality to ensure efficient review processes with reliable, constructive feedback.
Decision Making
Synthesize sometimes conflicting reviewer feedback into fair, well-reasoned publication recommendations with clear justifications. Provide constructive guidance helping authors understand revision requirements or rejection rationale, balancing rigor with supportive mentorship.
Timeline Management
Complete editorial tasks within agreed timeframes, typically providing initial decisions within two weeks of manuscript assignment. Monitor review progress proactively, following up with delayed reviewers promptly to maintain processing efficiency and author satisfaction.
Ethical Standards
Editorial integrity requires strict adherence to ethical standards protecting authors, reviewers, and the scientific record from bias, misconduct, and inappropriate influence. All editors must follow Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines and journal-specific policies regarding conflicts of interest, confidentiality maintenance, and fair treatment of all submissions.
Strict Confidentiality
Maintain absolute confidentiality regarding manuscript content, reviewer identities, and editorial deliberations. Never share unpublished information externally, discuss submissions with uninvolved colleagues, or use ideas from manuscripts under review for personal research advantage.
Conflict Management
Recuse yourself immediately from manuscripts involving personal relationships, competitive research programs, institutional affiliations, financial interests, or any situation potentially compromising objective judgment. Disclose potential conflicts proactively to the managing editor for appropriate reassignment.
Impartial Assessment
Evaluate manuscripts based solely on scientific merit, methodological appropriateness, and contribution significance regardless of author nationality, institutional prestige, career stage, gender, or previous publication history. Personal theoretical perspectives should not unduly influence editorial decisions.
Editorial Support: The editorial office provides comprehensive assistance including manuscript management system access, reviewer database tools, decision template resources, and administrative coordination support. Contact the managing editor with questions about complex ethical situations, unusual manuscript circumstances, or policy interpretation requiring clarification.
Performance Excellence: Editors demonstrating sustained excellence through timely decisions, quality assessments, and constructive author engagement may be invited to assume senior editorial roles with expanded responsibilities and enhanced professional recognition.
