Editors & Editorial
Board Members Guidelines
IJGMSP runs with complete editorial independence. Editorial independence refers to the ability of editors to make publication decisions solely on scholarly merit without undue influence from external parties such as sponsors, institutions, or commercial interests. This principle is widely recognised in international publishing standards, including COPE guidance on editorial integrity; further information can be found at https://publicationethics.org/guidance/cope-position/editorial-independence.
An evaluation of a manuscript’s merit and originality (for both the author and the IJGMSP) is used exclusively to determine whether to accept or reject an article. Therefore, decisions about whether or not to accept a manuscript for publication will be based strictly on its merit, originality, methodological integrity, style of writing, and relevance to the scope of the IJGMSP. Editorial decisions made about acceptance, rejection, or resubmission to the author will be made without bias to the author’s institutional affiliation, financial interests, or personal relationships. The editors are expected to behave fairly and impartially in making all editorial decisions. The ultimate responsibility of making decisions concerning the publication of the manuscript lies with the Editor-in-Chief(s) after taking into account the reviews and evaluations provided by the editorial team.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
IJGMSP is committed to maintaining accuracy in the scholarly record. Errors and misconduct are handled following COPE post publication guidelines (https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines). Minor issues are corrected, while serious concerns may lead to retraction or expression of concern. This ensures reliability of published work. The more details about retraction and expression of concern can be accessed at https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/retraction-guidelines ; https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/expressions-concern.
Complaints and Appeals
A formal procedure for submitting complaints and appeals related to the editorial and peer-review process has been established as a new and key feature. Complaints typically concern frustration over delays, differences of opinion regarding editorial decisions, issues of reviewer conduct or questions of publication ethics. Appeals, however, are typically to re-evaluate decisions made by the editorial staff based on the author’s belief that a proper evaluation was not received. This approach is consistent with international practices outlined by COPE and WAME, and further guidance can be found at https://publicationethics.org/news-opinion/complaints-and-appeals; and https://www.wame.org/policies.
The editorial office operates under strict guidelines of confidentiality and will handle any concerns about editorial decisions with the utmost care. Once a concern has been received, the editorial office will confirm receipt and conduct an initial evaluation to determine what level of concern is being raised. If necessary, the issue will be reviewed further in conjunction with appropriate senior editorial staff to ensure that any consideration of the issue will be objective. Any party wishing to appeal will be required to submit documentation addressing why their appeal should be granted, as well as responses to any reviewer comments or data that could be presented to a peer reviewer for use in his/her evaluation.
When making their evaluations, the editorial office will consider whatever information is available to them at the time, including correspondence between editors and peer reviewers. As a result, the editorial office will render decisions relative to each party and communicate those decisions to all parties as soon as the decision is reached. In the interest of addressing concerns in a timely manner, the editorial office will also ensure to provide appropriate follow-up with respect to each concern and will strive to arrive at a resolution in as short a time as possible. However, in cases where there are difficulties with an issue, the resolution may take longer than expected.
Publication Misconduct
Publication misconduct includes plagiarism, falsification, duplicate submission, citation manipulation, and undeclared conflicts of interest. These behaviours are addressed in accordance with COPE guidelines and can be accessed at https://publicationethics.org/news-opinion/research-misconduct. Every case is thoroughly investigated based on its severity, and then appropriate actions will be taken. Actions may include rejecting the submission, retracting it, or informing an institution, with the objective to maintain integrity and trust in academic or scholarly publishing.
Harassment and Unethical Behaviour
This journal and publisher does not tolerate any kind of harassment or discrimination, including abusive behaviour in any form, whether it is physical, emotional or verbal. There shall be no exceptions to this rule and all policies will follow the international research and academic ethics codes by establishing an appropriate and respectful environment for everyone involved in both journals.
Archiving and Preservation
All published content is preserved in trusted digital repositories for the long term with the publisher’s own archiving system. Which ensures continued access to and preservation of the scholarly record.
Data Protection, Privacy Rights, and Right to Erasure
IJGMSP adheres to relevant data protection legislation, including internationally recognized standards like GDPR where appropriate; further details can be found at https://gdpr.eu/. Personal information collected through submission and peer review procedures is only used for purposes related to the editorial process, which includes correspondence and management of the manuscript. Authors can request access to, modification of, or deletion of personal information held by the editorial office. Deletion of papers from the scholarly record, however, does not normally occur, except in situations where there are legal or ethical obligations that require editorial action other than deletion. Personal data is handled responsibly and used only for editorial purposes.
Ready to submit?
Start a new manuscript submission or continue a submission in progress
