Key Points

Herbert Publications aim for a timely publication process and Editors are expected to respond promptly. The whole process is confidential and recommended to maintain the same during the whole Editorial process. As the Editorial process is very essential for the evaluation of a quality article and Journal's content, the Editors should consider below mentioned points:

• Editors should hold the responsibility for the published material in the Journal and strive constantly to improve the quality of the content in the Journal
• Editors should put an effort to maintain relations with readers and authors providing required information and guidance during the Editorial review process
• Editors should guide reviewers with updated information on review system, new policies and expected contributions
• Editors should publish criticisms of the previously published work or negative results in the Journal and encourage debate by giving an opportunity to the author of criticized publication to respond.
• In the Editorial review, Editors should look for a clear presentation of the manuscript, its scientific validity and significant contributions to the community
• Editors should guarantee the integrity in the published work, assure that the research has approval from the appropriate ethical body and they meet internationally approved ethical guidelines
• If necessary, Editors should ask for informed consent and approval forms from ethical committees for further assessments regarding ethical concerns
• Editors should ensure the protection of individual data and maintain confidentiality. While considering case reports and patient photographs, it is always recommended to obtain informed consent in written format
• In case of suspected misconduct in a published or unpublished work, the Editors should persuade the author for a reasonable response. If the response is not satisfactory, the Editors may seek investigation from the affiliated organization. They should make all possible efforts to resolve the problem
• In relation with the publisher, Editors should be ready to publish corrections and retractions in correspondence to any significant infringement in the published work
• Editors should consider any conflict of interest statement from the author and a declaration regarding the authorships, affiliations and acknowledgements

Editorial Policy

Editorial policies are subjected to protect and strengthen the journals integrity and quality while aiming at reader's interest. In accordance with WAME definitions, Herbert Publications provide complete Editorial freedom to the Editorial Board members with the authority to determine journal's content and it does not interfere with any sort of evaluation process of manuscripts.

Herbert Publications aim to meet research ethics, copyright protection, to maintain transparency and respect the privacy of participating individuals such as Editors, reviewers and authors. The principal goal of an Editor should be to strive for the content quality, ensure proficient peer review process and publish on a timely basis.

Editors should make sure that all the articles are produced with respect to the scope of the journal based on relevancy, integrity, scientific strength, potential interest, completeness, clarity and ethics. Also assure that decisions on manuscripts are not affected by the author's origin, nationality, ethnicity, race, religion or political beliefs. No government policies or agencies will influence the decision. Decisions taken are strictly based on the articles validity and importance to the scientific community.

Editorial Process

Generally, it is aimed to complete the whole Editorial process within 6 weeks from the manuscript submission and publish online. Once an author completes manuscript submission the manuscript will be assigned to an eminent Editor in the field who undertake an unbiased preliminary assessment of the suitability for the scope of the journal. As an extension of the process, the assessed manuscripts are forwarded to at least two expert reviewers in the field. This is intended to advance the correctness, clarity, and wholeness of manuscripts and help editors to decide whether the manuscript has to be published or not. Editors are given 3 weeks time to complete Editorial review in which the reviewers should be given 2 weeks to send their fair and constructive reviews to the Editor.

The editors will take reports from at least two reviewers into consideration while making a decision to accept or reject a manuscript. Editors are suggested to give the updated guidelines to the reviewers when required. Concurrently, the final decision should be taken by the Editor-in-Chief to publish the accepted manuscript.

Peer Review Process - 'Single Blinded'

Editors should ensure a proficient peer review process under eminent reviewers. All journals from Herbert Publications operate single blinded peer review system with rapid and thorough process through electronic submissions and communications. In this process the authors names and affiliations will be revealed to the reviewers, while authors are kept blinded from reviewer details. Editors should be mindful to maintain confidentiality throughout the Editorial process.

Editors or other staff members should not implicate any editing to the reviews provided by reviewers. The comments should be forwarded to the authors as such unless the language is inappropriate and not suitable for professional communication. Editors should monitor the reviews to comprise clear suggestions and honest corrections that reflect amiability rather than unfair language or offensive criticism.

Article Types

Herbert Publications is dedicated to publishing and provide access to quality information and valuable contributions through its journals in their respective field. It follows a specific format for each article type to the credit of weight in the information and to maintain a diverse appearance for the reader's convenience. Therefore Editors will be asked to evaluate different types of manuscripts and judge their relevancy to the scope of the journal. To find what type of articles published, please visit 'Authors' section on the corresponding Journal home page.

Complaints

Editors should note that the author will have the right to appeal against the decisions of the Editorial Board. In case of a negative decision from the editor, authors can challenge the decision with reasonable arguments. According to COPE guidelines, Editors should be able to justify with prompt response and ensure to take the complaint further. At the concerned Editor's discretion, manuscripts will be forwarded to additional reviewers and final decisions will be made in support with their implications. Editor-in-Chief will be notified with every action from Editorial Board members and they can solicit guidance when required.

Manuscripts Transfer

In the course of attaining high standards and proficient peer review process, Herbert Publications offers its best services to authors saving their valuable time and efforts. We also aim to reduce the repetition of review process for a manuscript when it does not fall under the scope of the journal. To speed up the publication process and minimize hinders from reviewers, our Manuscript Transfer Policy facilitates authors with a mutual transfer of the manuscript between Herbert Publications Journals. With respect to the Editorial independence, when an editor of a journal decides that the submitted manuscript is not suitable to the scope of this journal, the manuscript can be transferred to a more suitable journal as suggested by the editor with the author's consent. The reviews will be passed on to the handling editor of the new journal and reviewers' names will be revealed to the handling editor for Editorial purpose unless reviewers do not wish to share their report with other Herbert Publications Journals.