1. Purpose and values

Description. This page clarifies who does what at the Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering (JIWE) so authors, reviewers, readers, and indexers can see how we uphold quality and integrity. We align our practices with the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (v4, 2022) and operationalize the 10 Core Practices of COPE across our workflows.
Detailed policy. We maintain editorial independence, ensure fair and rigorous double-blind peer review, and foster a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all contributors regardless of gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, nationality, or career stage. We encourage broad participation from historically underrepresented communities.
Technicalities. We train our team on the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice (COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME), apply COPE flowcharts and guidance to handle concerns, and publish role descriptions, decision authority, and service standards below.

 

2. Conduct and accessibility

Description. We expect professional conduct from everyone interacting with the journal.
Detailed policy. Harassment, discrimination, or intimidation of any person is not tolerated. We protect confidentiality in peer review and complaints, and we handle allegations fairly and without retaliation. We make reasonable accommodations for disabilities and caregiving responsibilities and support inclusive practices (e.g., flexible deadlines, accessible file formats).
Technicalities. Report concerns to the editorial office; we will acknowledge, investigate, and act using COPE guidance. Accessibility requests are confidential and do not influence editorial decisions.

 

3. Governance overview

Description. JIWE’s governance separates editorial decisions from commercial or institutional considerations.
Detailed policy. The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) has final editorial authority. Managing and Associate/Section Editors run day-to-day decisions; Board Members advise and review; Ethics and Data Editors support integrity and reproducibility; the Production team ensures accurate publication; the Publisher provides infrastructure without interfering in editorial decisions.
Technicalities. We review this framework annually and update the page when roles or responsibilities evolve.

 

4. Purpose and values Editor-in-Chief (EiC)

Description. Provides strategic direction and final editorial decisions.
Detailed policy. The EiC upholds editorial independence; ensures fair, timely, double-blind peer review; oversees ethics case management; signs off on corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions following COPE guidance; and leads continuous improvement of journal policies.
Technicalities. Authority: final acceptance/rejection, policy interpretation, appointment of handling editors and guest editors, conflict-of-interest (COI) management for editorial staff.

 

5. Managing Editor / Journal Manager

Description. Coordinates operations and ensures service standards.
Detailed policy. Screens submissions for scope, policy compliance, and completeness; manages communications and timelines; monitors ethics checklists (similarity, data availability, AI-use disclosure); supports inclusive practices and accessibility requests.
Technicalities. Authority: procedural decisions, escalation of ethics concerns to EiC, assignment logistics, performance reporting (turnaround, acceptance rates, corrections).

 

6. Purpose and values Associate/Section Editors (Handling Editors)

Description. Manage peer review from invitation to decision recommendation.
Detailed policy. Select qualified, independent reviewers; assess reports; synthesize feedback; recommend decisions; ensure authors receive clear, actionable guidance; guard against reviewer or author COIs and peer-review manipulation following COPE guidance.
Technicalities. Authority: invite/replace reviewers, request additional reviews, recommend accept/minor/major/reject to EiC, request data/code/ethics clarifications from authors.

 

7. Purpose and values Guest/Thematic Editor

Description. Lead thematic collections under JIWE policies.
Detailed policy. Follow all journal ethics and double-blind review rules; avoid COIs; ensure topic-appropriate, diverse reviewer pools; coordinate with the Managing Editor on schedules and standards; recuse when conflicts arise.
Technicalities. Authority: manage review within the special issue; decisions confirmed by EiC; all manuscripts are held to the same standards as regular issues.

 

8. Editorial Board Members

Description. Provide subject expertise, review manuscripts, and advise on scope and strategy.
Detailed policy. Serve as ambassadors for the journal; help recruit diverse reviewers; review manuscripts in their expertise; suggest special topics; uphold integrity standards.
Technicalities. Term: typically two to three years, renewable. Performance considerations include responsiveness, review quality, and adherence to COPE values.

 

9. Ethics Editor / Research Integrity Lead

Description. Oversees ethical compliance and malpractice investigations.
Detailed policy. Advises editors on allegations of misconduct (plagiarism, data/image manipulation, authorship disputes, peer-review manipulation, undeclared COIs, paper-mill activity, undisclosed AI use). Recommends remedies (correction, expression of concern, retraction) guided by COPE flowcharts and retraction guidance.
Technicalities. Authority: case triage and recommendation; final actions approved by EiC.

 

10. Data and Reproducibility Editor

Description. Promotes transparency of data, code, and materials.
Detailed policy. Checks Data/Code Availability Statements; encourages use of trusted repositories with persistent identifiers; may request replication materials or raw data for verification when concerns arise.
Technicalities. Authority: advise handling editors; request clarifications from authors; recommend additional review focused on reproducibility.

 

11. Reviewers

Description. Provide expert, constructive, and unbiased evaluations.
Detailed policy. Follow the Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers from COPE; maintain confidentiality; disclose COIs; deliver evidence-based comments that improve clarity, validity, and usefulness; avoid coercive or self-serving citation practices; do not upload confidential material to public AI tools or generate reviews with AI.
Technicalities. Typical review window is communicated on invitation; extensions are possible with timely notice. Reviewers may opt to record their service on ORCID or recognition services if they wish, without revealing confidential content.

 

12. Authors

Description. They are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and transparency of their work.
Detailed policy. Ensure submissions are original and not under consideration elsewhere; follow authorship criteria and provide CRediT contributorship; declare COIs and funding; include ethics approvals and consent when applicable; provide Data/Code Availability Statements; disclose any AI assistance and never list AI tools as authors; respond to peer-review comments point-by-point; correct the record when necessary.
Technicalities. Authorship changes require written consent from all authors and editorial approval; undisclosed duplicate submission, plagiarism, fabricated data, or peer-review manipulation may lead to rejection, retraction, and institutional notification in line with COPE guidance.

 

13. Copyeditor / Language Editor

Description. Improves clarity, style, and consistency without altering scientific meaning.
Detailed policy. Edits for grammar, readability, and journal style; flags ambiguous statements or potential ethical issues in wording; respects author voice and technical accuracy.
Technicalities. Queries are resolved with corresponding authors; scientific content changes require author approval.

 

14. Production / Layout Editor

Description. Ensures accurate typesetting, metadata, and publication.
Detailed policy. Prepares proofs; checks figures, tables, equations, references, and licenses; embeds DOIs and funding metadata; ensures accessibility features (alt text, readable PDFs).
Technicalities. Coordinates with authors for proof corrections; verifies that the version of record reflects accepted content.

 

15. Proofreader

Description. Conducts a final quality check prior to publication.
Detailed policy. Reviews layout proofs for typos, formatting issues, broken links/identifiers, and consistency; verifies corrections were applied.
Technicalities. Focuses on form rather than content; substantive issues are referred back to the handling editor.

 

16. Publisher

Description. Provides infrastructure and stewardship while preserving editorial independence.
Detailed policy. Supports digital preservation, website functionality, indexing, and policy implementation; does not influence editorial decisions on individual manuscripts; promotes the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice and COPE standards.
Technicalities. Works with the EiC to ensure sustainability, compliance, and continuous improvement.

 

17. Decision-making authority and conflicts of interest

Description. Clear authority and COI safeguards protect fairness.
Detailed policy. Only editors without COIs handle a manuscript; editors recuse when they have recent collaborations, shared affiliations, or personal relationships with authors. The EiC confirms final decisions.
Technicalities. We document recusal and handling-editor assignments; we may appoint an independent editor for sensitive cases.

 

18. Service standards and recognition

Description. We value timeliness, transparency, and acknowledgement of contributions.
Detailed policy. We monitor turnaround times for screening, review, and decisions; we communicate proactively about delays; we welcome reviewers and authors from a wide range of institutions, regions, and career stages; we recognize reviewers’ service when requested, without compromising confidentiality.
Technicalities. Annual internal audits inform improvements to forms, guidance, and timelines; we publish key statistics on request.

 

19. Training, onboarding, and rotation

Description. We invest in people to sustain quality and inclusion.
Detailed policy. New editors and board members receive onboarding on journal policies, COPE guidance, inclusive reviewing, and accessibility practices. We periodically rotate roles to broaden participation and reduce conflicts.
Technicalities. Training materials and templates (e.g., reviewer forms, response matrices) are updated annually and shared across the team.

 

20. Raising questions or concerns

Description. Everyone has a clear route to ask questions, propose improvements, or report issues.
Detailed policy. Contact the editorial office for general inquiries, accessibility requests, or policy suggestions. Report ethical concerns with supporting information; we acknowledge, investigate, and act using COPE flowcharts, and we communicate outcomes as appropriate.
Technicalities. We maintain confidential, auditable records of cases and review policy wording annually.

This Roles and Responsibilities page is part of JIWE’s transparency framework and complements our Publication Ethics, AI Usage, Peer Review, and Complaints & Appeals policies. It aims to be clear, welcoming, and actionable so that everyone can contribute to a rigorous and inclusive scholarly record.