Editorial Responsibilities
Editors play a central role in maintaining the quality, integrity, and credibility of the scholarly record. They are responsible for managing the peer review process, ensuring that editorial decisions are fair, objective, timely, and based solely on the scholarly merit of submitted manuscripts. FMDB Editors perform their duties in accordance with the COPE Core Practices, the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and internationally recognized standards of publication ethics. Editorial decisions are made independently of commercial interests, Article Processing Charges (APCs), sponsorship, advertising, or any external influence.
Initial Editorial Assessment
Upon submission, the assigned Editor conducts an initial assessment to determine whether the manuscript:
Manuscripts that do not satisfy these criteria may be rejected without external peer review (desk rejection).
Editorial Independence and Conflicts of Interest
Editors must perform their responsibilities impartially and maintain complete editorial independence throughout the publication process. Editors should decline to handle a manuscript if any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest exists, including but not limited to:
Where a conflict exists, the manuscript will be reassigned to another qualified editor.
Selection of Peer Reviewers
Editors are responsible for selecting independent experts with appropriate subject expertise to evaluate submitted manuscripts.
Editors should ensure that reviewers:
Editors may invite additional reviewers whenever further specialist expertise is required.
Management of the Peer Review Process
FMDB operates a double-blind peer review system in which the identities of authors and reviewers remain confidential throughout the review process.
Editors oversee the review process by:
Reviewer comments should evaluate, where appropriate:
Editorial Decisions
Editors consider reviewer reports together with their own independent assessment when making editorial decisions.
Possible editorial decisions include:
The final publication decision rests with the Editor or Editor-in-Chief and is based solely on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, relevance to the journal's scope, and the recommendations of independent peer reviewers.
Confidentiality
Editors must treat all submitted manuscripts and related correspondence as confidential documents.
Editors must not:
Ethical Oversight
Editors are responsible for identifying potential ethical concerns, including:
Where concerns arise, Editors will follow the relevant COPE flowcharts and guidance and may request additional information from the authors before making a decision.
Post-Publication Responsibilities
Editors remain responsible for preserving the integrity of the scholarly record after publication.
Where necessary, FMDB will publish:
All post-publication actions are handled in accordance with FMDB's publication ethics policies and relevant COPE guidance.
Editorial Conduct
Editors are expected to:
FMDB expects every Editor to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing while ensuring that every manuscript receives an impartial, rigorous, and timely evaluation.