Editorial policies

Editorial Independence

The following Statement of Principle speaks to a core value of intellectual freedom and independent editorial decisions. The statement is informed by the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Core Practices and the RELX policy on editorial standards. Of course, journal editors and publishers will always work together on the business of managing a journal, sharing duties and responsibilities - this is explored further in Elsevier's publishing ethics policies. 
 

Principle of Editorial Independence

• We believe strongly in ensuring that we keep the editorial decision-making processes of our publications completely separate from our commercial interests.
   
• Safeguarding this editorial independence requires that all editorial decisions, or concerns or complaints about editorial decisions, are dealt with strictly within the editorial structures of a publication.
   
• These structures typically include editors, editors-in-chief, editorial boards or review boards and ombudsmen, or analogous structures for the editorial governance of any given publication. KeAi operates a rigorous peer review process. Generally, the final acceptance/rejection decision will be made by the editor-in-chief, or another academic editor approved by the editor-in-chief. If manuscripts are submitted by a journal editor, they will be assigned to and processed by other journal editors to avoid conflicts of interest. 
   
• It further requires that no one on the commercial or executive side of the business can get involved in, interfere with, or even comment on editorial decisions under any circumstances.
   
• To deviate from the rigorous application of this principle in any individual situation would ultimately serve to undermine the integrity of the principle of editorial independence.