Editorial Workflow and Independence

From submission to publication

1. Submission: the corresponding author submits the manuscript, author information and required declarations through OJS.
2. Administrative screening: the editorial office checks completeness, anonymization, scope and essential ethical documentation.
3. Editorial assessment: an editor assesses suitability for external review and identifies conflicts of interest.
4. Peer review: independent reviewers evaluate the work under the journal's double-anonymized model.
5. Revision and decision: the editor considers the manuscript, reports and author responses before communicating a reasoned decision.
6. Production: accepted work undergoes copyediting, layout and author proof checking. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy of the final text.
7. Publication and follow-up: articles are released with accurate bibliographic details and remain subject to post-publication scrutiny.

Independence

Editorial decisions must be based on relevance, validity, ethical conduct and contribution to knowledge. Publisher relationships, payment, commercial interests and an author's institutional or geographical background must not determine acceptance. Decisions on submissions by editors or their close collaborators must be assigned to an independent editor.

Material changes after acceptance require editorial assessment and may require further review. Publication dates must reflect actual publication; retrospective changes must not create a misleading publication history.