Guidelines to make process as collegial and constructive as possible

Editor-in-Chief guidelines

• The EiC should send reviewers’ comments to authors in their entirety unless they contain offensive or libellous remarks.
• The EiC should seek to acknowledge the contribution of reviewers to the journal.
• The EiC has a duty to act if they suspect misconduct or if an allegation of misconduct is brought to them. This duty extends to both published and unpublished papers.
• The EiC should not simply reject papers that raise concerns about possible misconduct. The EiC should first seek a response from those suspected of misconduct. If they are not satisfied with the response, they should ask the relevant employers, or institution, or some appropriate body (perhaps a regulatory body or national research integrity organisation) to investigate.
• The EiC should make all reasonable efforts to ensure that a proper investigation into alleged misconduct is conducted; if this does not happen, editors should make all reasonable attempts to persist in obtaining a resolution to the problem.
• The EiC should encourage and be willing to consider cogent criticisms of work published in their journal.
• Authors of criticised material should be given the opportunity to respond and studies reporting negative results should not be excluded.
• The EiC should respond promptly to complaints and should ensure there is a way for dissatisfied complainants to take complaints further.