Ethical for the Editor-in-Chief

Expected Ethical Standards for the Editor-in-Chief

Independence

  • Editorial decisions are made independently of commercial, political, religious, or institutional influence.
  • The Editor-in-Chief does not accept payments, gifts, or other inducements that could be perceived as influencing editorial decisions.

Confidentiality

  • All material submitted to LJD is treated as confidential.
  • Unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript is not used by the Editor-in-Chief for any personal benefit.
  • The identities of authors and reviewers are not disclosed to one another, nor to any party outside the editorial process.

Fairness and Impartiality

  • Manuscripts are evaluated on their scientific merit, without regard to the authors' race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, institutional affiliation, seniority, or political affiliation.
  • Decisions are explained to authors in clear, respectful, and constructive terms.

Management of Conflict of Interest

  • The Editor-in-Chief discloses any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest at the earliest opportunity.
  • Where a conflict exists, the Editor-in-Chief recuses themselves from handling the manuscript.
  • The Editor-in-Chief does not handle manuscripts authored by themselves or by their immediate co-workers.

Diligence and Timeliness

  • Decisions are made within the journal's standard timeline, with delays communicated promptly and honestly to authors.

Accountability

  • The Editor-in-Chief takes responsibility for editorial decisions made under their authority.
  • When errors are identified in the editorial process, the Editor-in-Chief acknowledges them and corrects the record.

Continuing Professional Development

  • The Editor-in-Chief maintains awareness of evolving standards in publication ethics, peer review, open science, and indexing.
  • Attends or follows the work of COPE, ICMJE, WAME, and similar bodies.