Editorial Roles and Responsibilities

Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief has overall responsibility for the academic direction, editorial integrity, and scholarly quality of JCIA. The Editor-in-Chief shall:

• Report to the Chairman of the University Publication Committee via the University Journal Management Committee.
• Plan the publication of the journal to ensure adherence to the designated schedule.
• Determine the journal's policy and scope.
• Develop the reputation of the journal through quality publications and high editorial standards such as prompt feedback and decisions, rapid publication turnaround times, as well as clear and non-negative reviewer reports.
• Acquire and select high-quality manuscripts that are relevant to the scope and objectives of the journal
• Make decisions and selections regarding the publication of manuscripts fairly, without bias, and uninfluenced by external pressures.
• Possess no conflict of interest in the selection of manuscripts for publication.
• Be responsible for managing the peer review process.
• Establish the publication ethics policy.
• Be responsible for the selection of manuscripts published in the journal.
• Promote the journal to peers within the relevant academic field.
• Prepare a clear succession plan before their service term concludes.
• Make or oversee final decisions regarding manuscript acceptance or rejection.
• Work with the Managing Editor and Editorial Board to continuously improve the journal.
• Represent JCIA in relevant academic publishing and scholarly communication activities.

Managing Editor

The Managing Editor supports the Editor-in-Chief in the operational and academic management of the journal. The Managing Editor shall:

• Act as the university-appointed manager responsible for handling administrative matters related to the journal.
• Assist the Editor-in-Chief by managing the acquisition and administrative processing of articles slated for publication.
• Assist in identifying suitable editors and Editorial Board Members to handle manuscripts where applicable.
• Monitor manuscript revisions and ensure that required editorial processes are completed.
• Support adherence to JCIA's publication ethics and editorial policies.
• Perform technical checks (e.g., Turnitin, journal style alignment), ensure the manuscript's scope accords with the journal's publication style, manage the appointment and honoraria of reviewers, as well as oversee author revisions, editing, proofreading, DOI assignments, and printing.

Advisory Board

The Advisory Board offers strategic academic advice and external perspectives to support JCIA's development and international standing. Members of the Advisory Board may:

• Provide strategic advice on the journal's academic development.
• Advise on emerging research areas relevant to the journal's scope.
• Support the development of the journal's international visibility and scholarly reputation.
• Provide recommendations concerning editorial policies and publishing practices.
• Advise on opportunities for academic collaboration and scholarly engagement.
• Provide independent perspectives on the journal's long-term development.
• Support initiatives intended to strengthen the quality and impact of JCIA.

Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board Members contribute subject-matter expertise and scholarly leadership to JCIA's editorial activities. Editorial Board Members may:

• Assist the Chief Editor in planning journal publications.
• Determine the policy, scope, and development of the journal.
• Assist in the acquisition of high-quality manuscripts that remain relevant to the journal's scope and objectives.
• Review manuscripts when appropriately assigned.
• Recommend qualified reviewers where required.
• Assist in managing the peer-review process.
• Contribute to the academic development and visibility of the journal.
• Participate in editorial discussions and policy development when requested.
• Support appropriate scholarly and professional engagement on behalf of JCIA.

Editorial Board Members should decline assignments where they lack sufficient expertise or where a conflict of interest could compromise their independence.

Editorial Independence

JCIA is committed to editorial independence in all aspects of scholarly publishing. Editorial decisions shall be made independently on the basis of academic and scholarly considerations. Editors shall not allow commercial interests, institutional pressure, personal relationships, political considerations, or other external influences to determine editorial outcomes. Neither the identity of an author nor the author's institutional affiliation shall constitute a basis for favourable or unfavourable editorial treatment.

Editorial decisions shall not be influenced by:

Where an editor believes that their independence may reasonably be questioned, the matter should be disclosed to the Editor-in-Chief, and an appropriate alternative editor should be considered.

Peer Review Oversight

JCIA is committed to a rigorous, fair, and transparent peer-review process. Editors are responsible for ensuring that:

• Manuscripts are assessed for relevance and suitability before entering peer review.
• Reviewers possess appropriate subject expertise.
• Reviewers are selected objectively and independently.
• Potential reviewer conflicts of interest are considered.
• Manuscripts are evaluated according to appropriate scholarly and methodological standards.
• Reviewer comments are relevant, constructive, and professionally expressed.
• Review processes are conducted within a reasonable timeframe.
• Authors are provided with clear editorial decisions and appropriate reviewer feedback.
• Confidentiality is maintained throughout the review process.
• Editorial decisions are not based solely on a single review when further assessment is reasonably required.

Editors may also reject a manuscript without external review when it falls outside the journal's scope or does not meet the journal's basic scholarly or ethical requirements.

Conflicts of Interest

Editors and Editorial Board Members must disclose and appropriately manage actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.

A conflict of interest may arise from:

• Personal relationships
• Professional relationships
• Previous collaboration
• Institutional affiliation
• Financial interests
• Competitive relationships
• Supervisory relationships
• Academic or intellectual rivalry
• Other circumstances that could reasonably affect editorial judgment

Editors should not handle manuscripts where a conflict of interest could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality. When a conflict exists, the manuscript should be reassigned to an appropriately qualified editor. Editors and reviewers must not use unpublished manuscript information for personal, academic, competitive, financial, or other advantage.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts submitted to JCIA shall be treated as confidential documents. Editors and Editorial Board Members shall not disclose information about submitted manuscripts to individuals who are not authorized to participate in the editorial process.

Confidential information includes:

• Manuscript content
• Author identities where applicable
• Reviewer identities
• Reviewer reports
• Editorial discussions
• Editorial decisions
• Unpublished research findings
• Other information obtained through the editorial process

Editors and reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through manuscript evaluation for their own research or personal benefit without appropriate permission from the authors. Confidentiality requirements continue after an editor's or reviewer's formal involvement with a manuscript has ended.

Publication Ethics

JCIA is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and research integrity. Editors shall promote responsible scholarly publishing and take appropriate action when ethical concerns arise.

Potential concerns may include:

• Plagiarism
• Duplicate or redundant publication
• Fabrication or falsification of data
• Manipulation of images or results
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Authorship disputes
• Peer-review manipulation
• Citation manipulation
• Research misconduct
• Unethical research practices
• Misrepresentation of research findings

Editors shall assess allegations fairly and confidentially and shall provide authors with an appropriate opportunity to respond where applicable. Where necessary, JCIA may request clarification or supporting information from authors, institutions, reviewers, or other relevant parties. Editorial actions may include manuscript rejection, correction, retraction, or other appropriate measures depending on the nature and severity of the concern.

Post-Publication Responsibilities

JCIA recognizes that editorial responsibility continues after an article has been published. The editorial team shall consider credible concerns relating to published articles and take appropriate action where necessary.

Post-publication actions may include:

• Publication of a correction
• Publication of an editorial notice
• Publication of an expression of concern
• Retraction of an article
• Removal or amendment of inaccurate metadata
• Investigation of potential research misconduct
• Correction of significant errors affecting the scholarly record

Corrections and other post-publication notices shall be handled transparently and linked to the affected publication where appropriate. Retraction shall be considered when an article contains serious errors or when there is reliable evidence of research or publication misconduct that substantially affects the validity or integrity of the scholarly record.

Editorial Accountability

All JCIA editors are expected to act professionally, objectively, fairly, and responsibly in carrying out their editorial duties.

Editors should:

• Maintain appropriate expertise for their assigned responsibilities.
• Declare relevant conflicts of interest.
• Respect manuscript confidentiality.
• Avoid discrimination or personal bias.
• Support rigorous and fair peer review.
• Respond appropriately to ethical concerns.
• Protect the integrity of the scholarly record.
• Maintain professional communication with authors, reviewers, and other editorial personnel.

JCIA reserves the right to review editorial appointments and responsibilities where an individual's conduct is inconsistent with the journal's editorial policies, ethical standards, or responsibilities.