Journal Management

Journal of Midwifery (JOM) is published by the Undergraduate Program of Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, in cooperation with Asosiasi Pendidikan Kebidanan Indonesia (AIPKIND). Editorial decisions are independent of institutional, association, and commercial interests. This policy sets out our governance, roles and responsibilities, editorial independence, conflicts management, transparency, and continuity arrangements.

1. Introduction

  • JOM follows the COPE Core Practices and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

  • Governance safeguards ensure that publication decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, relevance to the aims and scope, and compliance with ethical standards.

  • This policy applies to all editors, guest editors, editorial staff, and contractors working for the journal.

2. Description

  • Ownership & management: JOM is owned and managed by the Undergraduate Program of Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, with formal cooperation by AIPKIND.

  • Editorial independence: The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) has full authority over editorial content and decision-making; governance bodies and partners do not direct or overturn editorial decisions.

  • Transparency: Editorial roles, contact points, and policies are publicly available on the journal website.

  • Quality assurance: Editorial workflows include scope checks, integrity screening, and double-blind peer review (see Peer-Review policy).

  • Records & confidentiality: Manuscripts, reviewer identities, and deliberations are confidential and handled under secure access controls.

  • Continuity & preservation: Business continuity, archiving, and platform resilience are maintained (see Archiving policy).

3. Policy

3.1 Governance structure and roles

  • Editor-in-Chief (EiC): sets editorial strategy; ensures policy compliance; makes final decisions on acceptance/rejection; appoints/delegates handling editors; oversees corrections/retractions.

  • Managing Editor (ManEd)/Editorial Office: coordinates submissions, integrity screening, reviewer invitations, timelines, and communications; maintains records; ensures conflict-of-interest checks.

  • Associate/Section Editors: manage peer review; recommend decisions to the EiC; ensure policy adherence within their domain.

  • Editorial Board members: advise on scope, solicit high-quality submissions, review manuscripts, and promote best practices.

  • Guest Editors (special issues): appointed by EiC via written terms; apply JOM policies; are subject to conflict-of-interest and recusal rules.

3.2 Editorial independence and integrity

  • Decisions are based on scholarly merit, relevance to JOM’s scope, ethical compliance, and quality of evidence—not on authors’ institutional affiliation, nationality, gender, or commercial considerations.

  • Revenue, sponsorship, institutional cooperation (including AIPKIND), and any advertising do not influence editorial decisions.

  • All editors must annually acknowledge this policy and complete conflict-of-interest declarations (see Conflicts of Interest policy).

3.3 Conflicts of interest and recusal

  • Editors and reviewers must declare financial and non-financial interests and recuse themselves in case of conflicts (e.g., same department, recent collaboration, personal relationships, financial stakes).

  • Submissions by editors/board members are handled by an independent editor; conflicted editors have no access to deliberations.

3.4 Peer review quality and ethics

  • JOM uses double-blind peer review unless stated otherwise on an article.

  • At least two independent reviewers are typically sought; reviewers are selected for expertise, independence, and timely performance.

  • Reviewer conduct and confidentiality are governed by the Peer-Review policy; manipulation of review or citation practices is prohibited.

3.5 Research integrity and publication ethics

  • Allegations of misconduct are investigated per the Misconduct policy; corrective measures (correction, expression of concern, retraction) follow COPE guidance.

  • Ethical Oversight, Data & Reproducibility, AI usage, and Rights policies are integral to editorial decisions.

3.6 Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

  • JOM strives for diverse representation among editors, reviewers, and authors across geography, gender, career stage, and institutional types, aligned with the journal’s SDG commitments.

  • Editors should consider inclusive citation practices and accessibility of research (language clarity, plain-language summaries where feasible).

3.7 Transparency of policies and fees

  • All key policies (ethics, peer review, data, rights, repository) are publicly posted and updated with version dates.

  • Any fees or waivers, if applicable, are disclosed on the journal site; editorial decisions are independent of any fees.

3.8 Data protection and privacy

  • Editorial systems implement role-based access; personal data are processed only for editorial purposes; retention limits apply (see Section 4.6).

  • Sharing of manuscripts or reviews outside the editorial workflow is prohibited without permission.

3.9 Special issues and supplements

  • Proposals require a written scope, guest editor credentials, conflict-of-interest statements, and a plan to avoid reviewer/editorial bias.

  • All submissions to special issues undergo the same integrity checks and peer review as regular submissions.

  • Sponsor-funded supplements (if any) require explicit transparency statements; sponsors have no role in editorial decisions.

3.10 Corrections, retractions, and versioning

  • The scholarly record is maintained through transparent notices; decisions are indexed and linked to articles.

  • Retractions specify who is retracting and why; articles remain accessible with watermarks and bidirectional links.

4. Technicalities to Achieve and Materialise the Policies

4.1 Appointment, terms, and evaluation of editors

  • Editors are appointed by the EiC in consultation with the publisher (Undergraduate Program of Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas) and, where relevant, AIPKIND.

  • Terms of service: typically 2–3 years, renewable based on performance, adherence to policies, responsiveness, and DEI goals.

  • Performance review: annual review of handling times, reviewer quality, ethics compliance, and author feedback.

4.2 Training and onboarding

  • New editors complete onboarding covering: scope checks; integrity screening (similarity/image checks); ethical oversight; data policies; conflicts; decision writing; and handling complaints/appeals.

  • Annual refreshers include COPE case discussions and updates to policy.

4.3 Handling workflow (standard path)

  1. Initial checks: scope, formatting, plagiarism, image integrity, and ethics approvals/consent.

  2. Assignment: to an Associate/Section Editor based on expertise and absence of conflicts.

  3. Reviewer selection: recruit at least two independent reviewers; monitor timeliness and quality.

  4. Decision: editor recommendation; EiC/ManEd oversight on consistency.

  5. Revisions: verify point-by-point responses; re-review when needed.

  6. Acceptance & production: verify licenses, DAS, conflicts, funding, ethics statements, and proofs.

  7. Post-publication: monitor for corrections, concerns, and data/rights updates.

4.4 Guest editor management (special issues)

  • Written Guest Editor Agreement specifying aims, scope, conflicts, independence, reviewer selection standards, and timelines.

  • Additional oversight by an internal handling editor to prevent bias and ensure policy compliance.

4.5 Partner and sponsor relationships

  • Cooperation with AIPKIND supports outreach and educational aims; it does not extend to editorial decision-making.

  • Any sponsored content arrangements require written agreements preserving editorial independence and transparency to readers.

4.6 Record-keeping, retention, and security

  • Editorial correspondence, reviews, decisions, and ethics documentation are retained for a minimum of 5 years after final decision or publication.

  • Access is restricted to authorized staff; data are backed up in line with the Archiving policy.

4.7 Business continuity and archiving

  • Continuity plans address editor turnover, platform outages, and disaster recovery.

  • Content preservation is provided via long-term archiving services (see Archiving policy); metadata and DOIs are maintained.

4.8 Complaints and appeals handling

  • Complaints and appeals are handled by an independent editor not involved in the original decision, with defined timelines and records (see Complaints & Appeals policy).

4.9 Metrics and responsible research assessment

  • JOM discourages gaming of metrics and promotes responsible indicators (e.g., article-level contributions, openness, and societal impact in midwifery practice).

Related and supporting policies

Contact

Editorial office (governance, appointments, and policy queries): jom@med.unand.ac.id

Back to Publication Ethics main page: https://jom.fk.unand.ac.id/index.php/jom/ethics