Guidelines for Editors
Role & Responsibilities and Selection Process of the Editorial Board:
Editorial Board
The editor-in-chief appoints the editorial board with input from the chairman of the advisory board to ensure high professionalism and expertise in diverse geographic zones. Periodically, every 2 to 3 years, the editorial board experiences a thorough evaluation. During this process, members may either renew their service for another term or retire. Additionally, new members may have the opportunity to join the board. This process ensures that the board remains up-to-date, has a fresh perspective, and comprises individuals committed to our organization’s goals and objectives. Occasionally, specific alterations occur between different editions, such as when a member decides to step down from their position.
The Editorial Board comprises various distinguished positions, including Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor, Assistant Editor, and Member of the Editorial Board. These positions are responsible for ensuring the publication’s quality and integrity.
Selection Process of the Editorial Board:
The editorial board must include members from diverse geographic locations to enhance the journal. The establishment of a thriving journal necessitates a reliable and unwavering editorial committee. All potential candidates shall obtain a comprehensive overview of the assigned accountability. In addition, the editorial board shall offer voluntary, unpaid responsibilities/accountabilities.
The ARAI Journal of Mobility Technology (AJMT) provides an opportunity to be part of the editorial board by submitting the reviewer form, which allows interested individuals to express their interest and qualifications for serving on the board. It also provides the journal with a means of selecting candidates who can contribute to the publication’s mission and goals. The reviewer form should be completed and submitted promptly and professionally, with careful attention paid to the information provided and the requirements for eligibility. By submitting a reviewer form, individuals can demonstrate their commitment to the field and willingness to contribute to advancing knowledge and research in their area of expertise.
Editors: The size of the board may change annually, depending on various factors. The editors are selected based on expertise, applicability, outstanding research metrics, geographical diversity, and significant organisation or institution recognition.
Member of Editorial Board: It is possible to appoint editorial board members from a pool of peer reviewers, editors, past authors, or contenders recommended by the board.
Editorial Board Responsibilities:
As an editor, upholding the highest ethical standards by avoiding subjective, economic, or associations that could interfere with your commitments is essential, which applies whether you are an Associate Editor, Assistant Editor, or Editor-in-Chief. Doing so ensures that your work is always fair, unbiased, and of the highest quality for the audience. Adhering to this principle establishes trust and credibility and ensures that the work produced is unbiased, impartial, and high-quality. As the responsible editor for the journal’s editorial content, you must establish and maintain the scope of the content, establish policies for authorship and article submission, and ensure that the evaluation process is fair and efficient for all articles, regardless of whether they are accepted or rejected. It requires high professionalism and expertise to maintain the quality of the journal’s content. You must use formal language throughout your work, avoid contractions, and ensure that your writing is clear, concise, and error-free to maintain the professionalism required for a business or academic setting.
In the course of editorial board duties, it is essential to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the articles, make well-informed determinations and stand with them when necessary, ensures the quality of research, address errors and misconduct, defend editorial autonomy, and guarantee the journal’s future success.
The Editor-in-Chief maintains a consistent and ongoing evaluation of the refereeing procedure executed by the Associate Editor and Assistant Editor to ensure that it meets the highest quality standards. Moreover, a yearly appraisal of the Associate Editor team’s proficiency is conducted to confirm alignment with current submissions and research directions. These evaluations ensure that the editorial team maintains high expertise and professionalism in their work.
The Associate Editor, nominated by the Editor-in-Chief, oversees the journal’s day-to-day activities and can accept or reject the articles. The Assistant Editor oversees the peer-review process, ensures that all submissions meet the journal’s standards, and collaborates closely with the Editorial Board to confirm the timely publication of approved articles.
The Assistant Editor manages the processing of articles under the journal’s scope and publishing ethics, which includes overseeing the peer-review process, developing journal strategy, facilitating communication between reviewers and editors, and providing feedback on revised submissions. The Associate Editor also ensures that all submissions meet the journal’s quality, accuracy, and relevance standards. The assistant editors are highly proficient specialists who determine their valuable research contributions in their respective fields.
The Editorial Board Members comprise a team of proficient researchers, selected by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the journal’s advisory committee, who possess specialized knowledge in the relevant field and serve for 2-3 years. In scholarly publishing, the professionals who evaluate and assess the quality and accuracy of submitted articles are understood as the Editorial Board members or referees. Editorial Board members have a range of responsibilities, including:
- Editors should read and understand the publication policies and adhere to them throughout all editorial processes to ensure the highest level of academic integrity in publications.
- Editors should ensure that the research work submitted for publication meets the journal's requirements.
- All original research submissions that pass the initial quality check and editorial assessment should be subjected to a rigorous, objective, and confidential review by the editors. Among other appropriate methods, the initial quality check should include an originality check using plagiarism detection software. Research work that fails the initial screening must not be considered for publication. However, the editor must notify the author of the rejection and provide a reason for the rejection.
- Editors should treat authors with the utmost respect. All publication processes should be transparent, and any questions from authors about the publication process should be answered promptly.
- All editorial decisions regarding a research work submitted for publication should be communicated to the respective author, and the authors should be allowed to appeal the same.
- All research work submitted for publication should go through a double-blind peer review process, and the review report should be sent to the publisher for archival purposes. Any work that does not require peer review should be accompanied by an editorial note explaining why it was chosen for publication.
- Editors should ensure that reviewers submit their reviews in the format specified by the publisher and that the review is completed within a month of the article's receipt. If the review report is not received and forwarded to the author within one month, the editor should notify the author of the delay.
- Editors must keep publishers up-to-date on all editorial decisions and submit all supporting documentation. Any discrepancy, misrepresentation, or inadequacy in copyright permissions obtained by a research work submitted for publication, as identified by the editor, should be brought to the publisher's attention.
- Any article found to be false data or to have a negative impact on society should not be considered for publication. If it is discovered after publication, the editors should either publish an erratum or corrective note or retract the article, depending on the gravity of the problem.
- Perform a comprehensive peer-review of the articles, adhering to the journal’s guidelines and scope. Your expertise and professionalism are essential in ensuring that the published articles meet the expectations of the academic and business communities.
- Organize the publication of thematic issues and provide editorials for the problems associated with their Guest Editorship. These responsibilities require a high level of professionalism and expertise.
- Board members must ensure that the issues they are responsible for are well-organized and effectively communicate their intended theme. Additionally, they must provide high-quality editorials that accurately reflect the issue’s content and engage readers.
- Facilitate expanding the pool of authors and potential peer reviewers by suggesting suitable candidates and relevant conferences. Also, manage and resolve any conflicts arising during the reviewer selection process.
- Boost the journal among researchers and scholars to increase its reach and impact.
The Member of the Editorial Board cohort represents a group of enthusiastic and highly motivated researcher engineers who possess a wealth of knowledge and expertise and are well-qualified to contribute to the success and growth of the journal. Their unique perspectives and innovative ideas make them valuable assets to our team, and we look forward to working closely with them to achieve our shared goals. Members who pledge their support and commitment to the journal are eligible for a 2–3-year nomination. The Editor-in-Chief can extend the nomination of these members through mutual agreement. As members of the Editorial Board, you are responsible for meticulously reviewing all submitted articles, following the journal’s established scope and policies. Additionally, as members of the Editorial Board, you are tasked with actively seeking out reviews and submissions of articles and may introduce new articles to the journal for consideration.
COPE Guidelines References
- COPE Guidelines: Editorial Board participation
- COPE Flowcharts: General approach to publication ethics for the editorial office
- COPE Guidelines: Guidelines for the Board of Directors of Learned Society Journals
- COPE Guidelines: A short guide to ethical editing for new editors
- Editor Resources: Ethics for journal editors
- BEIESP: Responsibilities and Selection Process of the Editorial Board