Editor Code of Conduct

Purpose

Editors have a responsibility to safeguard the quality, fairness, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record.

This Code of Conduct establishes the professional and ethical standards expected of all editors serving the International Public Management Review (IPMR).

Editorial Independence

Editors shall make decisions independently and solely on scholarly grounds.

Editorial decisions shall be based on:

  • originality
  • methodological quality
  • scholarly significance
  • relevance to the journal’s scope.

Editors shall not be influenced by:

  • commercial interests
  • political considerations
  • personal relationships
  • institutional pressures.

Fairness and Impartiality

Editors shall evaluate manuscripts without discrimination based on:

  • nationality
  • gender
  • race or ethnicity
  • religion
  • political beliefs
  • institutional affiliation.

All submissions shall receive fair and impartial consideration.

Confidentiality

Editors shall protect the confidentiality of:

  • submitted manuscripts
  • peer-review reports
  • reviewer identities
  • author information.

Confidential information shall not be disclosed except where necessary for legitimate editorial purposes.

Conflicts of Interest

Editors shall disclose conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when appropriate.

Editors shall not participate in decisions concerning manuscripts where conflicts may reasonably affect impartiality.

Alternative editorial oversight shall be arranged when necessary.

Integrity of Peer Review

Editors shall:

  • select qualified reviewers
  • ensure a fair review process
  • prevent reviewer bias
  • monitor review quality
  • address concerns regarding review integrity.

Editors shall investigate allegations of peer-review manipulation.

Publication Ethics

Editors shall promote adherence to ethical standards and investigate allegations concerning:

  • plagiarism
  • fabrication
  • falsification
  • duplicate publication
  • authorship disputes
  • citation manipulation
  • unethical research practices.

Investigations shall be conducted fairly and confidentially.

Corrections and Retractions

Editors are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

Where appropriate, editors may issue:

  • corrections
  • expressions of concern
  • retractions.

Editorial actions shall be based on evidence and proportionality.

Transparency

Editors shall support transparency regarding:

  • editorial policies
  • peer-review procedures
  • publication ethics standards
  • conflicts of interest.

The journal shall make relevant policies publicly available.

Professional Conduct

Editors shall:

  • act respectfully and professionally
  • communicate clearly with authors and reviewers
  • avoid abuse of editorial authority
  • support a culture of academic integrity.

Compliance

Failure to comply with this Code of Conduct may result in removal from editorial responsibilities and other appropriate actions.