Editorial Independence

JOCOSA is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions are made independently and are based on scholarly merit, relevance, originality, methodological quality, and ethical standards.

Independent Editorial Decisions

Editors must be free to make publication decisions without inappropriate influence from authors, reviewers, institutions, sponsors, commercial interests, or other external parties.

Non-Discrimination

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by an author's nationality, gender, ethnicity, religion, institutional affiliation, political views, or other characteristics unrelated to the scholarly quality of the manuscript.

Protection from Undue Influence

Editors should identify and manage situations that may compromise their independence. When a conflict of interest exists, the manuscript should be handled by another qualified editor whenever appropriate.