Associate Editors are responsible for the initial assessment of a submission. They act as a filter, culling out unpromising papers and matching those with potential to a Handling Editor with suitable expertise. They will:
Respect the confidentiality of the process and be objective and constructive in providing feedback
Declare any conflicts of interest (professional, personal or financial) and recuse yourself; the TRR follows the COPE guidelines on publishing ethics
New Submission Checklist
If you feel unqualified to evaluate a particular subject area, please unassign yourself and provide an explanation as to why the paper is not appropriate; if possible, please suggest another AE or indicate the subject area that the new AE should be familiar with.
Read the Abstract and reject the paper or invite a Handling Editor within 5 days; if the paper is unintelligible or otherwise meets one of our Criteria for Desk Rejections , please Desk Reject and write a brief explanation for the author.
The HE has 10 days to accept or decline to handle the paper; the Editorial Staff will send you a reminder if there is no response.
You may, but you are not required to, handle the review process yourself if a paper is particularly suited to your expertise: HE quick guide .
Each Monday, you will receive an automated Editor Reminder Summary. Please check the status of your papers to ensure the paper is under review.
Committee-Reviewed Paper Checklist
Papers that have been reviewed by a TRB committee have a telephone icon.
Read the Abstract and Reviews and reject the paper or invite a Handling Editor within 5 days.
If the paper merely confirms well-known results or otherwise meets our Criteria for Desk Rejections , please Desk Reject and write a brief explanation for the author.
If there are comprehensive committee reviews and the author has revised the paper accordingly, you may Accept with Minor Revisions at this stage.
If the committee reviews are incomplete or lack clear guidance for the author, please assign the paper to a Handling Editor for further evaluation; you may, but you are not required to, review the paper yourself.
Each Monday, you will receive an automated Editor Reminder Summary. Please check the status of your papers to ensure the paper is under review.
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