Editor Process & Responsibilities

The editorial team of the Journal of Complementary Therapies in Midwifery and Nursing (JCTMN) is committed to ensuring the integrity, transparency, and academic rigor of the publishing process. All editors operate under strict ethical guidelines and strive to maintain high standards of scholarly communication in line with international best practices.

1. Editorial Workflow

  • Initial Screening: Upon submission, manuscripts are screened by the editorial office to ensure they meet the journal’s formatting and scope criteria. Manuscripts that do not align with the journal’s focus or fail to meet basic quality standards are desk rejected.

  • Assignment to Editors: Eligible manuscripts are assigned to a Section Editor or Associate Editor based on subject matter expertise.

  • Peer Review Coordination: Editors oversee the double-blind peer review process, ensuring that at least two qualified reviewers are invited and that reviews are returned in a timely manner.

  • Editorial Decision: Based on the reviewers' feedback and their own assessment, editors make a decision (accept, minor/major revision, or reject) and communicate it clearly to the authors, along with constructive feedback.

  • Final Acceptance: Final acceptance is made by the Editor-in-Chief, who verifies that all revisions have been addressed and that the article meets the journal’s publication standards.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

  • Fairness and Objectivity: Editors must evaluate manuscripts based on scholarly merit, without discrimination based on authors’ nationality, race, gender, institutional affiliation, or political views.

  • Confidentiality: Editors must ensure that all submitted materials are handled confidentially and not disclosed to unauthorized individuals.

  • Conflict of Interest: Editors must disclose any conflict of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict exists.

  • Ethical Oversight: Editors are responsible for identifying and acting on ethical issues, such as plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, or unethical research practices. Where necessary, they will follow COPE guidelines for corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

  • Reviewer Selection: Editors must select qualified, independent, and impartial reviewers, and avoid inviting those with conflicts of interest.

  • Timeliness: Editors are expected to handle manuscripts efficiently, respecting timelines to ensure a prompt and fair review process.

  • Communication: Editors must provide clear and constructive feedback to authors and maintain open communication with reviewers.

3. Editorial Independence

JCTMN maintains editorial independence from its publisher and sponsors. Editorial decisions are made without influence from commercial, political, or institutional pressures.

4. Commitment to Quality and Transparency

The editorial team upholds the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing as recommended by COPE, WAME, ICMJE, and DOAJ. All editorial processes are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect evolving best practices in academic publishing.