The Archives of Case Reports (ACR) is dedicated to maintaining high editorial standards to ensure the publication of high-quality, peer-reviewed case reports across various medical disciplines. Editors play a crucial role in upholding the integrity, transparency, and scientific credibility of the journal.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors of the ACR are responsible for ensuring the quality, ethics, and transparency of the case reports published in the journal. Their key responsibilities include:

• Overseeing the peer review process to ensure fair, unbiased, and timely evaluations of submitted case reports.
• Maintaining confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and safeguarding the integrity of the review process.
• Ensuring adherence to ethical standards in publishing, including preventing research misconduct.
• Making independent editorial decisions based on scientific merit, relevance, and adherence to journal guidelines.

Peer Review Process

Editors are responsible for managing a rigorous peer review process to ensure scientific accuracy and ethical compliance. They must:

• Select qualified and independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant medical fields.
• Ensure that peer reviews are conducted objectively and without conflicts of interest.
• Make final editorial decisions based on reviewer feedback, manuscript quality, and ethical considerations.
• Provide authors with constructive feedback to enhance the clarity and impact of their case reports.

Conflicts of Interest

Editors must disclose and manage conflicts of interest to maintain editorial integrity. They should:

• Not be involved in decisions regarding manuscripts where they have personal or professional conflicts of interest.
• Refrain from using unpublished data or ideas from submitted manuscripts for their own research.
• Ensure that both reviewers and authors disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

Publication Ethics and Misconduct

The ACR adheres to ethical publishing guidelines to prevent scientific misconduct. Editors are expected to:

• Investigate cases of plagiarism, data falsification, duplicate publication, and unethical research practices.
• Take appropriate actions, such as rejecting manuscripts, issuing corrections, or retracting articles when misconduct is identified.
• Ensure that the journal follows ethical publishing guidelines set by organizations such as COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).

Ethical Considerations in Case Reports

For case reports involving human subjects, editors must ensure that:

• Authors provide written informed consent from patients or their legal guardians.
• Patient confidentiality is maintained, with no identifiable information disclosed unless explicitly permitted.
• Ethical approval is obtained when required by institutional or national guidelines.
• All case reports adhere to international ethical standards for human research and medical case studies.

Failure to meet these ethical standards may result in manuscript rejection.

Manuscript Decision and Communication

Editors are responsible for fair and timely decisions regarding manuscript acceptance or rejection. They must:

• Make decisions based on the manuscript’s scientific validity, originality, and relevance to case report literature.
• Clearly communicate acceptance, revision, or rejection decisions to authors along with constructive feedback.
• Ensure that all editorial decisions are free from bias and in the best interest of the journal and scientific community.

Transparency and Accountability

Editors should uphold transparency in editorial processes and be accountable for the content published in the journal. They must:

• Ensure that journal policies, submission guidelines, and ethical standards are publicly available and consistently applied.
• Address ethical concerns or complaints related to published articles or editorial decisions.
• Promote diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunities in medical publishing.

Corrections and Retractions

In cases of post-publication errors or ethical concerns, editors must:

• Facilitate the publication of corrections, errata, or clarifications when necessary.
• Retract articles when serious issues such as data fabrication, ethical violations, or breaches of confidentiality are identified.
• Ensure that retractions and corrections are issued transparently with appropriate justifications.

Editorial Independence

The editorial board of ACR is committed to maintaining editorial independence by ensuring that:

• Editorial decisions are made free from external influence, including financial, political, or institutional pressures.
• Editorial policies and ethical standards are applied consistently to maintain scientific integrity.
• Authors and reviewers are treated with fairness, professionalism, and respect.

Submission Declaration

By serving as an editor for the ACR, individuals agree to:

• Adhere to the highest ethical publishing standards and best editorial practices.
• Ensure a fair, unbiased, and transparent peer review process.
• Maintain confidentiality and uphold the integrity of scientific publishing in case reports.

For any ethical concerns or clarifications regarding editorial responsibilities, editors are encouraged to contact the journal’s editorial office.