1. Responsibilities of Editors
1.1 Publication Decisions and Editorial Duties
Editors play a crucial role in determining which manuscripts are to be published in the journal. Beyond this, they hold overarching responsibilities for all editorial content and publication-related tasks. These decisions should be guided by the editorial policies of the journal or publisher, while also adhering to broader ethical considerations, including issues related to defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. Editorial decisions may be made in consultation with other editors or peer reviewers. Editors are responsible for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the academic record and must not compromise scholarly standards or ethical principles to satisfy commercial interests. Where necessary, they should issue corrections, clarifications, retractions, or apologies.
1.2 Fair Evaluation
Editors must evaluate manuscripts based on their intellectual content, without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality, or political philosophy.
1.3 Confidentiality
Editors and all editorial staff are required to maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. Information regarding a manuscript should not be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisors, and the publisher, as appropriate.
1.4 Disclosure, Conflicts of Interest, and Other Concerns
If a manuscript already published in Chinese Journal of Nursing requires retraction due to issues related to expression or corrections, editors must follow the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Without the explicit written consent of the author, unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in the editor's own research. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal gain. Editorial decisions must not be influenced by advertising, reprint potential, or other commercial considerations.
Editors should ensure that the peer review process is fair and impartial. If an editor has a conflict of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, institutions, or companies connected to a manuscript, they should recuse themselves from handling the manuscript and delegate the review process to another editor, associate editor, or editorial board member. Editors must require all authors to disclose relevant financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. If a conflict of interest is discovered after publication that was not disclosed beforehand, a correction statement must be issued. Additional measures, such as retraction or further investigation, may be warranted where appropriate.
2. Responsibilities of Reviewers
2.1 Assisting Editorial Decisions
Peer review aids editors in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communication with authors, can also assist authors in improving their manuscripts.
2.2 Timeliness
Any invited reviewer who feels unqualified to review a manuscript or knows that timely completion of the review will be impossible should immediately notify the editor so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.
2.3 Confidentiality
All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others without the express authorization of the editor.
2.4 Objectivity Standards
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly, with supporting arguments.
2.5 Source Acknowledgment
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that has been previously reported elsewhere should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also alert the editor to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper they are aware of.
2.6 Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the manuscript.