Editors of the Journal of Clinical Advances in Dentistry (JCAD) are entrusted with maintaining the integrity, fairness, and quality of scholarly communication. Their responsibilities encompass ethical oversight, transparent decision-making, and support for authors, reviewers, and readers alike.

Primary Responsibilities

• Ensure that manuscripts undergo a fair and rigorous peer review process
• Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts and reviewer identities
• Decide on acceptance, revision, or rejection based on scholarly merit
• Adhere to COPE and ICMJE ethical publishing standards
• Encourage diversity and inclusion in editorial practices

Manuscript Evaluation

Editors must evaluate manuscripts based on intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, or political beliefs of authors.

Fairness and Transparency

Editorial decisions must be transparent and supported by reviewer comments. Authors should be informed promptly of editorial decisions with constructive feedback.

Handling Misconduct

Suspected cases of plagiarism, data manipulation, duplicate publication, or unethical research must be investigated in line with COPE flowcharts.

Confidentiality

Editors must not disclose information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, or other editorial staff.

Conflict of Interest Management

• Editors must declare personal or financial conflicts of interest
• Manuscripts with conflicts should be reassigned to independent editors
• Transparency regarding editorial roles is essential

Reviewer Management

• Select appropriate reviewers with relevant expertise
• Ensure reviewer feedback is constructive and respectful
• Replace reviewers who fail to provide timely or unbiased feedback

Promoting Ethical Research

Editors must promote adherence to reporting standards such as CONSORT, PRISMA, and STROBE, ensuring reproducibility and transparency in research.

Post-Publication Oversight

Editors are responsible for ensuring corrections, retractions, and updates when errors or ethical issues arise post-publication.

Engagement and Development

Editors should engage in continuous professional development, attend training, and contribute to the advancement of editorial best practices globally.

FAQs

What should an editor do if they suspect data fabrication?

Follow COPE procedures, request clarification from authors, and escalate if necessary.

How should conflicts of interest be managed?

Editors must declare conflicts and step aside from decisions where impartiality may be compromised.

Can editors reject a paper without peer review?

Yes, if the paper is clearly out of scope, unethical, or fails to meet basic quality standards.