ACE Journal of Neurosciences (ACEJN) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of editorial quality, transparency, and research integrity. The journal's editorial policies are developed in accordance with internationally recognized best practices and the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the editorial standards expected by leading indexing databases.
Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions are made independently and are based solely on the scientific quality, originality, ethical compliance, methodological rigor, and relevance of the submitted manuscript. Commercial interests, sponsorship, advertising, institutional affiliations, or financial considerations do not influence editorial decisions.
Initial Manuscript Assessment
Every submitted manuscript undergoes an initial editorial screening to determine whether it:
- Falls within the journal's scope.
- Complies with the journal's author guidelines.
- Meets ethical and scientific standards.
- Demonstrates sufficient quality for peer review.
Manuscripts that fail to meet these requirements may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected before peer review.
Managing the Peer Review Process
The Editorial Office is responsible for managing the peer-review process from submission to the final editorial decision. Editors assign qualified reviewers with appropriate subject expertise, monitor review timelines, evaluate reviewer reports, and ensure that the review process remains fair, confidential, objective, and free from conflicts of interest.
Editorial Decision-Making
Editorial decisions are based on:
- Reviewer recommendations.
- Scientific merit.
- Originality and novelty.
- Methodological quality.
- Ethical compliance.
- Relevance to the journal's scope.
The final decision to accept, request revisions, or reject a manuscript rests solely with the Editor-in-Chief or the assigned Academic Editor.
Proofreading and Production
Accepted manuscripts undergo professional editorial processing before publication, including:
- Language editing where necessary.
- Grammar and formatting review.
- Reference verification.
- DOI and citation checking.
- Typesetting and layout preparation.
- Final author proof approval before publication.
Issue Compilation and Publication
The Editorial Office is responsible for organizing accepted manuscripts into scheduled issues or continuous publication, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and timely publication. Articles are published only after all editorial, technical, and ethical requirements have been successfully completed.
Author Assistance
The Editorial Office provides guidance to authors throughout the publication process, including:
- Manuscript preparation.
- Submission requirements.
- Formatting assistance.
- Revision procedures.
- Publication policies.
- Article Processing Charges (APCs).
- Publication scheduling.
Research Integrity and Publication Ethics
ACEJN is committed to safeguarding research integrity. Editors investigate allegations of:
- Plagiarism.
- Duplicate publication.
- Data fabrication or falsification.
- Image manipulation.
- Citation manipulation.
- Authorship disputes.
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
- Ethical violations involving human or animal research.
Where appropriate, the journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or notify relevant institutions in accordance with COPE guidance.
Conflicts of Interest
Editors, reviewers, and authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the editorial or publication process. Individuals with significant conflicts of interest will not participate in the editorial evaluation of the affected manuscript.
Confidentiality
All submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and publication records are treated as confidential and are accessible only to authorized editorial personnel involved in the publication process.
Corrections and Retractions
If significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal will publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary, following internationally accepted publication ethics guidelines.
Continuous Improvement
The Editorial Board regularly reviews and updates editorial policies to reflect evolving international publishing standards, ethical recommendations, and best editorial practices.
