Journal Management and Editorial Independence

1. Introduction

Magistra Andalusia: Jurnal Ilmu Sastra (MAJIS) is committed to transparent, ethical, efficient, and academically independent journal management.

As a scholarly journal managed by Universitas Andalas, MAJIS recognises that effective journal governance requires clearly defined responsibilities and appropriate separation between journal ownership, administrative management, and editorial decision-making.

The journal's management framework is designed to ensure that:

  • editorial decisions are based on scholarly and ethical considerations;

  • editors can exercise independent academic judgment;

  • authors and reviewers are treated fairly;

  • editorial responsibilities are clearly allocated;

  • conflicts of interest are identified and managed;

  • the journal's business and administrative arrangements do not interfere with editorial decisions;

  • editorial and publishing processes are transparent;

  • editorial personnel receive appropriate guidance and training; and

  • the integrity and continuity of the scholarly record are protected.

MAJIS follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, particularly Core Practice 8: Journal Management, and has developed this policy with reference to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. COPE states that effective journal management requires an appropriate infrastructure, transparent policies and processes, suitable software, efficient management and training of editorial personnel, and safeguards for editorial independence.

This policy does not constitute or imply COPE approval, certification, or endorsement of MAJIS.

2. Description

2.1 Journal Management

Journal management encompasses the governance, editorial, administrative, technical, financial, and operational activities required to maintain MAJIS as a sustainable scholarly publication.

It includes:

  • journal ownership and governance;

  • editorial leadership;

  • editorial board management;

  • manuscript administration;

  • peer-review management;

  • publication production;

  • digital infrastructure;

  • archiving and preservation;

  • financial and operational arrangements;

  • staff and editor training;

  • ethical oversight;

  • website transparency;

  • communications and marketing; and

  • quality assurance.

2.2 Editorial Independence

Editorial independence means that decisions concerning the selection, evaluation, revision, acceptance, rejection, and publication of manuscripts are made according to scholarly, editorial, and ethical criteria rather than inappropriate influence from:

  • the journal owner;

  • the publisher;

  • institutional authorities;

  • funders;

  • sponsors;

  • advertisers;

  • authors;

  • reviewers;

  • commercial interests;

  • political interests;

  • personal relationships; or

  • other non-editorial interests.

COPE emphasises that editorial decisions should be based on the quality of submissions and appropriate peer review rather than political, financial, or personal influence.

2.3 Governance

Governance refers to the formal arrangements through which responsibility for the journal is allocated among:

  • the journal owner or institutional authority;

  • the Editor-in-Chief;

  • Associate Editors;

  • Managing Editor;

  • Research Integrity Editor;

  • Editorial Board;

  • editorial office; and

  • other personnel supporting journal operations.

2.4 Editorial Board

The Editorial Board provides academic expertise and strategic support for the journal.

Its responsibilities may include:

  • advising on editorial direction;

  • supporting peer-review activities;

  • recommending qualified reviewers;

  • promoting scholarly standards;

  • contributing to journal development;

  • advising on ethical and disciplinary matters; and

  • supporting the journal's academic visibility.

The Editorial Board does not replace the authority of the Editor-in-Chief in individual editorial decisions.

2.5 Editorial Staff

Editorial staff support the operational functioning of the journal.

Their responsibilities may include:

  • submission administration;

  • communication with authors and reviewers;

  • manuscript tracking;

  • publication scheduling;

  • metadata management;

  • website maintenance;

  • production coordination; and

  • record keeping.

Administrative responsibilities must not be used to override independent editorial judgment.

3. Policy

3.1 Ownership and Institutional Relationship

MAJIS is a scientific journal managed by Universitas Andalas, Indonesia.

Institutional support may provide the journal with:

  • administrative infrastructure;

  • technical infrastructure;

  • office facilities;

  • personnel support;

  • financial or operational resources;

  • digital services; and

  • other resources necessary for sustainable publication.

Such institutional support must not determine the scholarly outcome of individual manuscripts.

3.2 Separation of Ownership and Editorial Decision-Making

The owner or institutional authority may establish the journal's overall governance and provide appropriate resources.

However, ownership does not confer authority to:

  • require publication of a particular manuscript;

  • require rejection of a particular manuscript;

  • alter peer-review outcomes for non-scholarly reasons;

  • suppress legitimate scholarly findings;

  • manipulate editorial decisions;

  • require preferential treatment of particular authors;

  • interfere with the selection of reviewers; or

  • otherwise override established editorial procedures.

Editorial decisions remain the responsibility of the appropriate editorial authority.

3.3 Authority of the Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) has primary responsibility for the editorial direction and final editorial decisions of MAJIS.

The EiC is responsible for:

  • maintaining editorial independence;

  • ensuring consistent application of journal policies;

  • overseeing peer review;

  • making or confirming final editorial decisions;

  • appointing or assigning editors where appropriate;

  • managing serious ethical cases;

  • protecting the integrity of the scholarly record; and

  • representing the journal in matters concerning editorial policy.

The EiC should exercise these responsibilities independently of non-editorial pressure.

3.4 Associate Editors

Associate Editors support the EiC by managing manuscripts within their areas of expertise.

Their responsibilities may include:

  • assessing manuscripts;

  • selecting appropriate reviewers;

  • monitoring peer review;

  • evaluating reviewer reports;

  • communicating revision requests;

  • recommending editorial decisions; and

  • identifying ethical or methodological concerns.

Associate Editors must apply the journal's policies consistently and must recuse themselves when a relevant conflict of interest exists.

3.5 Managing Editor

The Managing Editor oversees the administrative and operational processes required to maintain an efficient editorial workflow.

Responsibilities may include:

  • coordinating submissions;

  • monitoring editorial deadlines;

  • facilitating communication;

  • coordinating production;

  • maintaining publication schedules;

  • supporting OJS administration;

  • maintaining records; and

  • coordinating routine editorial-office activities.

The Managing Editor does not override academic judgments made by the EiC or designated editors.

3.6 Research Integrity Editor

The Research Integrity Editor (RIE) supports the journal in handling publication-ethics and research-integrity matters.

The RIE may:

  • assess allegations of misconduct;

  • coordinate preliminary investigations;

  • review relevant evidence;

  • advise the EiC;

  • apply relevant COPE procedures;

  • coordinate communication with institutions where necessary; and

  • support decisions concerning corrections, Expressions of Concern, or retractions.

The RIE must maintain confidentiality and independence in handling integrity cases.

3.7 Editorial Board Composition

MAJIS maintains an Editorial Board composed of scholars with relevant expertise in literary studies and related fields.

The journal seeks to maintain:

  • appropriate subject expertise;

  • disciplinary breadth;

  • geographic diversity;

  • institutional diversity;

  • appropriate academic experience; and

  • representation consistent with the journal's scope.

The current Editorial Board publicly identifies members and their institutional affiliations.

3.8 Terms of Editorial Appointment

MAJIS establishes a standard Editorial Board term of three years, renewable once.

Editorial appointments may be reviewed or terminated for legitimate cause, including:

  • sustained non-performance;

  • serious breach of publication ethics;

  • failure to manage conflicts of interest;

  • repeated violation of journal policies;

  • misuse of confidential information;

  • conduct that compromises editorial independence; or

  • other serious grounds relevant to the role.

Any removal should be handled fairly and documented appropriately.

3.9 Editorial Appointments

Editors and Editorial Board members should be selected based primarily on:

  • relevant scholarly expertise;

  • publication and research experience;

  • familiarity with the journal's subject area;

  • commitment to research and publication integrity;

  • editorial or peer-review experience where relevant; and

  • willingness to comply with journal policies.

Appointments should not be made solely on the basis of institutional status, personal relationships, or other considerations unrelated to the journal's academic needs.

3.10 Editorial Conflicts of Interest

Editors, Editorial Board members, and editorial staff must disclose relevant conflicts of interest.

An editor must not manage a manuscript where the editor has a significant conflict, including where appropriate:

  • being an author or co-author;

  • close personal or professional relationships with an author;

  • recent collaboration;

  • supervisory relationships;

  • direct institutional interests;

  • financial interests;

  • substantial academic competition; or

  • other circumstances that could reasonably compromise impartiality.

The manuscript should be assigned to an appropriately independent editor.

MAJIS's separate Conflicts of Interest Policy governs detailed disclosure and recusal procedures.

3.11 Editorial Independence in Manuscripts Submitted by Editors

Editors, Editorial Board members, and journal staff may submit manuscripts to MAJIS where permitted by journal policy.

Such manuscripts must not receive preferential treatment.

The submitting editor must not participate in:

  • reviewer selection;

  • editorial assessment;

  • decision-making; or

  • confidential discussion concerning the manuscript beyond what is appropriate for the author role.

An uninvolved editor should manage the submission through an independent editorial process.

3.12 Editorial Independence from Authors

Authors must not attempt to influence editorial decisions through:

  • personal relationships;

  • institutional authority;

  • political influence;

  • financial incentives;

  • repeated direct contact;

  • inappropriate communication with reviewers; or

  • other forms of pressure.

All authors are subject to the same editorial standards.

3.13 Editorial Independence from Reviewers

Reviewers provide expert advice but do not make final publication decisions.

Editorial decisions must not simply reproduce a reviewer's recommendation without independent editorial assessment.

Where reviewer recommendations conflict, the editor should evaluate the underlying reasoning and may obtain additional reviews where necessary.

3.14 Editorial Independence from Funders

Research funding must not determine whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected.

Authors must disclose relevant funding and the role of funders in the research and publication process.

A funder must not be permitted to determine editorial decisions.

3.15 Editorial Independence from Sponsors

If the journal receives sponsorship or institutional support, sponsors must not influence:

  • manuscript selection;

  • reviewer selection;

  • editorial decisions;

  • publication timing;

  • article content;

  • corrections;

  • retractions; or

  • other editorial judgments.

Sponsored or financially supported content must remain clearly distinguishable from independent editorial content where applicable.

3.16 Financial Independence

MAJIS should maintain a transparent financial and operational model.

Financial support may come from institutional or other legitimate sources, provided that funding arrangements do not compromise editorial independence.

The journal should distinguish:

  • editorial decisions;

  • administrative decisions;

  • financial management; and

  • sponsorship or funding arrangements.

COPE identifies transparent business models and separation of revenue sources from editorial decisions as important elements of ethical journal management.

3.17 Author Fees

Any author fees, publication charges, or waivers applicable to MAJIS must be publicly disclosed.

Payment or non-payment of a legitimate publication charge must not influence scholarly evaluation.

Editorial decisions should be made without knowledge of an author's ability to pay where practical and appropriate.

MAJIS should ensure that any financial information collected during submission is separated from editorial evaluation to the extent feasible.

3.18 Advertising

Any advertising accepted by MAJIS must be clearly distinguishable from editorial content.

Advertisers must not influence:

  • editorial decisions;

  • reviewer selection;

  • publication content;

  • article acceptance;

  • article rejection; or

  • corrections or retractions.

If MAJIS does not accept advertising, the journal should state this clearly on its website.

3.19 Direct Marketing

Any direct marketing conducted by MAJIS should be:

  • accurate;

  • relevant;

  • transparent;

  • appropriately targeted;

  • non-deceptive;

  • professionally worded; and

  • consistent with applicable privacy and communication requirements.

Marketing activities must not misrepresent:

  • journal status;

  • indexing;

  • editorial board membership;

  • publication timelines;

  • acceptance rates;

  • impact or ranking;

  • peer-review practices; or

  • other journal characteristics.

COPE identifies ethical direct marketing as part of responsible journal management.

3.20 Special Issues and Guest Editors

Special issues or thematic collections may be established to support particular scholarly themes.

Guest editors may manage special issues under clearly defined authority and supervision.

Guest editors must:

  • follow MAJIS editorial policies;

  • disclose conflicts of interest;

  • apply the journal's peer-review requirements;

  • avoid preferential treatment;

  • maintain confidentiality;

  • ensure appropriate reviewer selection; and

  • comply with research-integrity procedures.

The EiC retains ultimate responsibility for ensuring that special issues meet MAJIS's editorial and ethical standards.

3.21 Editorial Decision-Making

Editorial decisions should consider, as applicable:

  • relevance to the journal's scope;

  • originality;

  • scholarly significance;

  • methodological or analytical soundness;

  • clarity;

  • appropriate use of sources;

  • ethical compliance;

  • reviewer evaluations;

  • response to revisions; and

  • overall suitability for publication.

Decisions must not be based on:

  • author nationality;

  • gender;

  • ethnicity;

  • religion;

  • political affiliation;

  • institutional prestige;

  • personal relationships;

  • financial status;

  • commercial interests; or

  • other irrelevant characteristics.

3.22 Peer Review as a Safeguard for Independence

MAJIS uses a double-anonymous peer-review model and normally seeks at least two independent expert reviewers where available.

The peer-review system is an important safeguard against arbitrary editorial decisions.

However, peer review does not transfer editorial responsibility from the journal's editors to reviewers.

3.23 Confidentiality

Editors, reviewers, and staff must protect confidential information obtained through the editorial process.

Confidential information must not be used for personal advantage or disclosed to unauthorised parties.

The journal's confidentiality requirements apply to:

  • submitted manuscripts;

  • reviewer identities;

  • reviewer reports;

  • editorial correspondence;

  • unpublished research;

  • allegations of misconduct; and

  • other confidential materials.

3.24 Use of Editorial Technology

MAJIS may use appropriate digital systems and software to support:

  • manuscript submission;

  • peer-review management;

  • plagiarism screening;

  • metadata management;

  • DOI registration;

  • publication;

  • archiving; and

  • communication.

Technology must support rather than replace accountable editorial judgment.

Automated tools must not be used as the sole basis for final editorial decisions.

3.25 Generative AI and Editorial Independence

Editors and editorial staff must maintain human responsibility for editorial decisions.

Generative AI tools must not:

  • make final publication decisions independently;

  • determine acceptance or rejection without human review;

  • be used to replace expert editorial judgment; or

  • receive confidential manuscript or reviewer information where such disclosure is not authorised.

MAJIS's AI Usage Policy governs the permitted use of AI by authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff.

3.26 Editorial Training

MAJIS is committed to providing appropriate guidance and training for:

  • editors;

  • Editorial Board members;

  • editorial staff;

  • reviewers where appropriate; and

  • other personnel involved in scholarly publishing.

Training should address, as relevant:

  • COPE Core Practices;

  • publication ethics;

  • conflicts of interest;

  • peer review;

  • research integrity;

  • plagiarism;

  • authorship;

  • confidentiality;

  • copyright;

  • data and reproducibility;

  • corrections and retractions;

  • editorial systems; and

  • emerging publication technologies.

MAJIS's Publication Ethics policy currently commits the journal to annual staff training on COPE Core Practices.

3.27 Editorial Performance and Accountability

The journal may periodically review:

  • submission volume;

  • peer-review performance;

  • editorial turnaround;

  • publication schedules;

  • reviewer participation;

  • ethical cases;

  • complaints and appeals;

  • corrections and retractions; and

  • other relevant operational indicators.

Metrics should be interpreted responsibly and must not be used to create inappropriate incentives for editors to manipulate acceptance, rejection, citation, or publication patterns.

3.28 Transparency of Journal Information

The MAJIS website should provide clear and current information about:

  • journal identity;

  • ownership and management;

  • aims and scope;

  • editorial structure;

  • Editorial Board members and affiliations;

  • peer-review model;

  • publication frequency;

  • copyright and licensing;

  • publication ethics;

  • author fees, where applicable;

  • complaints and appeals;

  • corrections and retractions;

  • archiving;

  • repository/self-archiving;

  • contact information; and

  • other relevant publication policies.

COPE specifically identifies transparency concerning the publisher or owner, governing body, editorial board, contact information, publication frequency, peer-review model, and aims and scope as important elements of journal management.

4. Technicalities to Achieve and Materialise the Policies

4.1 Editorial Governance Structure

MAJIS should maintain a documented governance structure identifying at minimum:

Journal Owner / Institutional Authority
→ provides institutional governance and resources

Editor-in-Chief
→ holds primary editorial authority

Associate Editors
→ manage manuscripts and peer review

Managing Editor
→ manages editorial operations

Research Integrity Editor
→ manages research-integrity and publication-ethics matters

Editorial Board
→ provides scholarly expertise and strategic advice

This structure should be reflected consistently across the journal website and internal editorial workflow.

4.2 Delegation of Editorial Authority

Where the EiC has a conflict of interest, is unavailable, or should not personally handle a manuscript, authority should be delegated to an appropriately independent editor.

Delegation should be documented in the editorial management system where appropriate.

4.3 Editorial Decision Records

MAJIS should maintain appropriate records of:

  • manuscript submissions;

  • reviewer invitations;

  • reviewer reports;

  • editorial decisions;

  • revision requests;

  • author responses;

  • conflicts of interest;

  • ethics investigations;

  • complaints;

  • appeals;

  • corrections; and

  • other significant editorial actions.

Records should be retained in accordance with the journal's applicable record-retention policy.

4.4 Editorial Office Workflow

The editorial office should use documented workflows covering:

  1. submission;

  2. initial editorial assessment;

  3. plagiarism and integrity screening;

  4. editor assignment;

  5. reviewer selection;

  6. peer review;

  7. editorial decision;

  8. revision;

  9. acceptance;

  10. copyediting or production;

  11. publication;

  12. post-publication monitoring.

The workflow should be implemented through an appropriate journal-management platform.

4.5 Website Management

The website should be reviewed regularly to ensure that:

  • policies are current;

  • editorial board information is accurate;

  • affiliations are up to date;

  • contact information is functional;

  • publication frequency is correctly stated;

  • licensing information is consistent;

  • peer-review descriptions match actual practice; and

  • obsolete or contradictory information is removed.

4.6 Editorial Board Review

The Editorial Board should be reviewed periodically to assess:

  • active participation;

  • disciplinary coverage;

  • geographic representation;

  • institutional diversity;

  • conflicts of interest;

  • suitability of membership; and

  • continuing alignment with MAJIS's scope.

Inactive members should not remain listed indefinitely without an appropriate reason.

4.7 Appointment and Renewal

Appointments and renewals should be documented.

Before renewal, the journal may consider:

  • contribution to editorial activities;

  • peer-review participation;

  • adherence to journal policies;

  • responsiveness;

  • ethical conduct;

  • subject expertise; and

  • strategic needs of the journal.

4.8 Conflict-of-Interest Recusal

When an editor has a conflict:

  1. the conflict should be identified;

  2. the editor should disclose it;

  3. the editor should be removed from the manuscript workflow;

  4. an independent editor should be assigned;

  5. the independent editor should manage peer review and decision-making; and

  6. the recusal should be recorded.

4.9 Manuscripts Submitted by Editorial Personnel

For manuscripts submitted by the EiC, Associate Editors, Editorial Board members, or staff:

  • the submitting individual must not control the editorial process;

  • an independent editor should be appointed;

  • reviewers should be independent;

  • the normal peer-review requirements should apply; and

  • the final decision should be documented.

4.10 Financial Safeguards

Financial or administrative personnel should not have authority to:

  • accept manuscripts;

  • reject manuscripts;

  • select reviewers;

  • alter peer-review reports;

  • overturn editorial decisions; or

  • require publication of specific content.

Financial management and editorial management should remain appropriately separated.

4.11 Sponsor and Funder Agreements

Where financial support is provided by a sponsor or external funder, any agreement should make clear that:

  • the journal retains editorial control;

  • the sponsor cannot select articles;

  • the sponsor cannot select reviewers;

  • the sponsor cannot require publication;

  • the sponsor cannot suppress publication;

  • the sponsor cannot alter editorial decisions; and

  • sponsorship does not constitute editorial endorsement.

4.12 Advertising Separation

If advertising is introduced, advertisements should be visually and functionally separated from editorial content.

Advertising decisions should not be delegated to editors in a way that creates a conflict with editorial decision-making.

4.13 Marketing Review

Before publication, major marketing communications should be checked for accuracy concerning:

  • indexing;

  • journal metrics;

  • editorial board membership;

  • publication frequency;

  • peer review;

  • fees;

  • acceptance;

  • publication timelines;

  • open access;

  • licensing; and

  • institutional affiliation.

4.14 Ethical Complaints and Appeals

Concerns about editorial management or editorial independence should be handled through the journal's Complaints and Appeals Policy.

Complaints should not be handled solely by the individual whose conduct is being challenged.

Where necessary, an uninvolved senior editor should review the complaint.

4.15 Research-Integrity Cases

Cases involving alleged misconduct should be managed according to the journal's Allegations of Misconduct Policy.

The EiC and Research Integrity Editor should ensure that:

  • evidence is preserved;

  • relevant parties have an opportunity to respond;

  • confidentiality is maintained;

  • conflicts are managed; and

  • COPE procedures are followed where appropriate.

4.16 Periodic Policy Review

The journal's management policies should be reviewed periodically to ensure continued alignment with:

  • actual editorial practice;

  • COPE Core Practices;

  • Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing;

  • developments in scholarly communication;

  • changes in technology;

  • changes in institutional arrangements; and

  • applicable legal or regulatory requirements.

5. Responsibilities

5.1 Journal Owner / Institutional Authority

The journal owner or institutional authority is responsible for:

  • providing appropriate institutional support;

  • maintaining the journal's organisational framework;

  • supporting sustainable operations;

  • respecting editorial independence;

  • providing appropriate resources; and

  • avoiding interference in individual editorial decisions.

5.2 Editor-in-Chief

The EiC is responsible for:

  • editorial independence;

  • final editorial authority;

  • quality of published content;

  • enforcement of journal policies;

  • editorial appointments;

  • ethical oversight;

  • conflicts of interest;

  • complaints and appeals; and

  • integrity of the scholarly record.

5.3 Associate Editors

Associate Editors are responsible for:

  • fair manuscript handling;

  • appropriate reviewer selection;

  • peer-review oversight;

  • independent editorial recommendations;

  • conflict-of-interest management; and

  • compliance with MAJIS policies.

5.4 Managing Editor

The Managing Editor is responsible for:

  • operational coordination;

  • submission management;

  • communication;

  • scheduling;

  • production coordination;

  • record management; and

  • administrative efficiency.

5.5 Research Integrity Editor

The RIE is responsible for:

  • research-integrity case management;

  • preliminary assessment of allegations;

  • evidence preservation;

  • coordination of investigations;

  • application of relevant COPE procedures; and

  • advice concerning corrections, Expressions of Concern, and retractions.

5.6 Editorial Board

Editorial Board members are responsible for:

  • providing scholarly expertise;

  • supporting peer review;

  • advising on journal development;

  • promoting ethical publishing;

  • identifying emerging disciplinary issues; and

  • respecting confidentiality and editorial independence.

5.7 Editorial Staff

Editorial staff must:

  • follow established workflows;

  • protect confidential information;

  • maintain accurate records;

  • communicate professionally;

  • avoid conflicts of interest; and

  • support, rather than interfere with, independent editorial decisions.

6. Editorial Independence and Ethical Decision-Making

MAJIS recognises editorial independence as a fundamental condition of trustworthy scholarly publishing.

Editorial independence does not mean that editors operate without accountability. Editors remain accountable to:

  • the journal's published policies;

  • scholarly standards;

  • publication ethics;

  • applicable institutional governance;

  • legitimate complaints and appeals procedures; and

  • the integrity of the scholarly record.

Accordingly, editorial independence requires both freedom from inappropriate influence and accountability for responsible editorial judgment.

The journal owner may establish legitimate institutional requirements concerning:

  • financial administration;

  • employment;

  • infrastructure;

  • legal compliance;

  • institutional reporting;

  • information security; and

  • organisational governance.

Such requirements must be implemented without compromising independent editorial assessment of scholarly content.

7. Relationship with Other MAJIS Policies

This policy should be read together with:

  • Allegations of Misconduct;

  • Authorship and Contributorship;

  • Complaints and Appeals;

  • Conflicts of Interest;

  • Data and Reproducibility;

  • Ethical Oversight;

  • Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Licensing;

  • Peer Review Process;

  • Post-Publication Discussion and Corrections;

  • Archiving Policy;

  • Repository (Self-Archiving) Policy;

  • Open Access Policy;

  • Author Fees and Waivers Policy; and

  • AI Usage Policy.

These policies should be interpreted as parts of one integrated publication-governance framework.

8. COPE Resources

This policy has been developed with reference to COPE Core Practice 8: Journal Management.

COPE describes journal management as requiring a well-described and implemented infrastructure covering:

  • the business model;

  • policies and processes;

  • software and technical infrastructure;

  • editorial independence;

  • editorial board management;

  • editorial staff management; and

  • training.

Relevant COPE resources include:

  • COPE Core Practices – Journal Management

  • COPE Ethics Toolkit for a Successful Editorial Office

  • A Short Guide to Ethical Editing for New Editors

  • Guidelines for Managing Relationships Between Society-Owned Journals, Their Society, and Publishers

  • COPE guidance on editorial conflicts of interest

  • COPE guidance on complaints and appeals

  • COPE guidance on peer review

  • COPE guidance on author fees and waivers

  • COPE Retraction Guidelines

  • Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing

COPE's guidance on relationships between journals, societies, and publishers specifically emphasises that editorial decisions should be based on submission quality and appropriate peer review rather than political, financial, or personal influence.

The COPE Ethics Toolkit for a Successful Editorial Office also emphasises transparent ownership, editorial governance, editorial-board selection and training, transparent business models, appropriate software, archiving, and ethical direct marketing.

Official COPE resources are available through the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

9. Final Statement

MAJIS is committed to maintaining a transparent, professionally managed, and editorially independent scholarly journal.

The journal recognises that institutional ownership and support are compatible with editorial independence when clear boundaries are maintained between institutional governance, administrative management, financial support, and editorial decision-making.

The Editor-in-Chief and designated editors retain responsibility for scholarly and editorial decisions. Editorial Board members and editorial staff contribute to the journal's academic and operational functions within clearly defined responsibilities.

No author, reviewer, sponsor, funder, institutional authority, commercial interest, or other external party may improperly influence editorial decisions.

MAJIS will maintain transparent editorial procedures, appropriate conflict-of-interest safeguards, confidential peer review, documented editorial workflows, training for editorial personnel, and mechanisms for complaints, appeals, and research-integrity investigations.

The journal will periodically review its management practices and policies to ensure that they remain consistent with its actual operations and with relevant standards of responsible scholarly publishing.

This policy has been developed with reference to COPE Core Practice 8: Journal Management and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. It does not constitute or imply COPE approval, certification, or endorsement.