Ethics and COPE policy
Alignment
We align our practice with the COPE Core Practices and the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. This is a commitment. It is not a claim of membership.
Conflicts of interest
Reviewers declare before they read. Editors and board members step out of any submission they have a conflict with. Authors declare funding and relationships.
Independence
Community votes set topics and calls only. Sponsors and members never see or influence a decision on a submission.
Complaints and misconduct
Send complaints to the managing editor. Each one is logged. Allegations of misconduct follow the COPE flowcharts.
Appeals
You may appeal within 30 days. A panel with no earlier involvement decides, in public, with reasons.
Corrections, concerns and retractions
The editorial board decides each one in public. A correction is a new version with a notice. An expression of concern is allowed. A retraction keeps the text readable with a marker.
Your data
Review records are personal data. You may ask for an export or for erasure. After erasure the review text stays for the audit record with your identity detached.
