Editorial Policies

1. Editorial Board

Composition and Roles:

• Diverse and Experienced Board: The editorial board includes experts from various subfields within neuro-oncology, such as neurosurgery, oncology, neurology, and radiology. Efforts are made to ensure diversity in geographic location, gender, and research expertise to provide a comprehensive perspective on submitted manuscripts.
• Roles and Responsibilities:
  • Editor-in-Chief: Oversees the editorial process, makes final publication decisions, and ensures adherence to journal standards.
  • Associate Editors: Manage assigned manuscripts, oversee peer review processes, and provide recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief.
  • Section Editors: Focus on specific areas of neuro-oncology to ensure specialized expertise in relevant manuscripts.
  • Editorial Board Members: Provide guidance on journal policies, contribute to peer review processes, and promote the journal within the academic community.

2. Peer Review Process

Double-Blind Review:

• Anonymity: Both authors' and reviewers' identities are concealed to prevent bias, ensuring impartial evaluation solely based on manuscript quality.

Reviewer Selection:

• Expert Matching: Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in neuro-oncology related to the manuscript's topic. Editors ensure no conflicts of interest exist, such as recent collaborations with authors.

Review Criteria:

• Key Evaluation Points: Reviewers assess manuscripts for originality, significance in neuro-oncology, methodological rigor, ethical considerations, clarity, and relevance to the journal's focus.

Timeline:

• Efficiency: Initial screening occurs within one week to confirm scope and adherence to submission guidelines.
• Review Process: Reviewers are given two weeks to accept assignments and four weeks to complete reviews. Authors receive decisions within six weeks of submission to ensure a timely review process.

3. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship Criteria:

• Substantial Contributions: Authors must have made significant contributions to research design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript drafting to qualify for authorship.
• Final Approval and Accountability: All authors must approve the final manuscript version and agree to be accountable for its content, ensuring transparency and responsibility.

Acknowledgment:

• Non-Author Contributions: Individuals contributing to the work (e.g., technical support, funding acquisition) but not meeting authorship criteria are acknowledged separately, with their consent.

4. Publication Ethics

Adherence to COPE Guidelines:

• Misconduct Handling: COPE guidelines are followed to address allegations of misconduct such as plagiarism, data fabrication, and ethical breaches, ensuring thorough and impartial investigations.
• Correction and Retraction Policies: Prompt corrections or retractions are issued for identified errors post-publication, with statements of concern published during ongoing investigations.

Duplicate Submission:

• Originality Assurance: Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration elsewhere or previously published.

Data Sharing:

• Open Data Practices: Authors are encouraged to share data in public repositories to enhance transparency and reproducibility of research findings.

5. Manuscript Handling

Initial Screening:

• Scope and Compliance Check: Submissions undergo initial screening for scope alignment and compliance with submission guidelines, with non-compliant manuscripts returned to authors for revisions.

Plagiarism Check:

• Originality Verification: Plagiarism detection tools ensure manuscript originality and absence of plagiarized content.

Decision Making:

• Editorial Discretion: Final manuscript decisions rest with the Editor-in-Chief based on expert recommendations, ensuring informed and fair outcomes.

6. Conflicts of Interest

Disclosure:

• Transparency: Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest influencing their work, promoting transparency and trust.

Management:

• Conflict Management: When conflicts of interest are identified, manuscripts may be reassigned to other editors or reviewers to ensure an unbiased review process.

7. Appeals and Complaints

Appeals Process:

• Fair Review: Authors can appeal editorial decisions with detailed justifications, reviewed by an independent board member not involved in initial decisions to ensure fairness.

Handling Complaints:

• Ethical Resolution: Complaints about the editorial process or ethical concerns will be addressed following COPE’s guidelines. This includes transparent procedures for investigating and resolving issues to maintain high ethical standards.

8. Open Access Policy

CC BY 4.0 License:

• Creative Commons License: All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, allowing free access and use with appropriate credit to the authors. This promotes the dissemination and utilization of research findings.

Article Processing Charges (APC):

• Transparency and Accessibility: Information about APCs will be clearly provided on the journal’s website. Waivers and discounts will be available for authors from low-income countries to ensure equitable access to publication opportunities. For more details, please visit APC page.

9. Editorial Independence

Publisher Relationship:

• Independence Assurance: Editorial decisions will be made independently of the publisher (Ninety Nine Publication) to avoid any influence on content, ensuring the integrity and academic freedom of the journal.

Advertising and Sponsorship:

• Clear Separation: A clear distinction will be maintained between editorial content and advertisements or sponsored content. Sponsors will have no influence over editorial decisions, preserving the integrity of published research.

10. Archiving and Preservation

Digital Preservation:

• Long-Term Access: The journal will use digital archiving services such as CLOCKSS or Portico to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of its content. This guarantees that research articles remain available even if the journal ceases publication.

11. Transparency and Best Practices

Journal Metrics:

• Performance Indicators: Regularly updated metrics, including submission-to-decision times, acceptance rates, and citation statistics, will be published on the journal’s website to provide transparency about the journal’s performance.

Ethical Standards:

• Adherence to Standards: The journal will follow the standards set by COPE to maintain high-quality scholarly publishing practices. This includes adhering to ethical guidelines, promoting transparency, and ensuring the reliability of published research.