Last Updated: December 12, 2024
SECTION 1: GENERAL PRINCIPLES
1. Purpose and Scope
□ This process applies to:
- All accepted manuscripts
- Research articles
- Reviews
- Case reports
- Editorials
2. Core Principles
□ Must ensure:
- Transparency in communication
- Ethical compliance
- Timely publication
- Quality assurance
- Author satisfaction
SECTION 2: ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION
1. Editorial Decision
□ Requirements:
- Formal acceptance letter
- Detailed reviewer comments
- Final decision rationale
- Next steps outlined
2. Author Responsibilities
□ Authors must:
- Confirm acceptance
- Address final editorial queries
- Submit copyright transfer agreement
- Provide final figures and tables
SECTION 3: PRODUCTION PROCESS
1. Manuscript Preparation
□ Editorial office responsibilities:
- Final formatting
- Language editing
- Reference verification
- Figure/table quality check
2. Proof Generation
□ Requirements:
- Generate galley proofs
- Ensure author review
- Address author corrections
- Finalize layout
SECTION 4: PUBLICATION PROCESS
1. Online Publication
□ Requirements:
- Assign DOI
- Publish online ahead of print
- Provide open access (if applicable)
- Notify authors of publication
2. Print Publication
□ Requirements:
- Include in next available issue
- Ensure consistency with online version
- Notify authors of print schedule
SECTION 5: POST-PUBLICATION
1. Corrections and Retractions
□ Guidelines for:
- Erratum publication
- Retraction process
- Author notification
- Community engagement
2. Metrics and Feedback
□ Requirements:
- Provide usage metrics
- Collect author feedback
- Address post-publication queries
- Monitor citations
SECTION 6: SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. Embargo Policy
□ Requirements for:
- Pre-publication embargo
- Media release coordination
- Author compliance
2. Ethical Issues
□ Guidelines for:
- Plagiarism detection
- Data integrity verification
- Authorship disputes
- Conflict of interest resolution
APPENDIX A: CHECKLIST FOR ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTS
1. Pre-acceptance
□ Required items:
- Reviewer comments addressed
- Final manuscript submitted
- Ethics compliance confirmed
2. Post-acceptance
□ Required items:
- Copyright transfer agreement
- Final figures and tables
- Author corrections
- Proof approval
Note: This process aligns with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) standards for ethical publishing.