Information for Editors

Editors at Bytran Publishing Services (BPS) are entrusted with shaping the scientific direction, ethical expectations, and long-term reputation of our journals. Their role extends far beyond supervision of peer review; editors act as custodians of scholarly integrity and as leaders who help ensure that published work advances knowledge responsibly and transparently.

 

1. Editorial Mission

The central mission of BPS editors is to cultivate a publishing environment grounded in scientific rigour, ethical clarity, and global relevance. Editors are expected to encourage credible, reproducible, and impactful research while supporting authors, guiding reviewers, and strengthening the journal’s position in its field. BPS values editors who demonstrate fairness, insight, independence, and dedication to responsible research communication.

 

2. Editorial Roles and Structure

Each BPS journal operates with a collaborative editorial team, but the emphasis is placed on editorial functions rather than hierarchy. The core editorial roles include:

• The Editor-in-Chief, who provides overarching scientific leadership, holds ultimate responsibility for overseeing the entire peer review process, and ensures the integrity, quality, and fairness of editorial evaluation from initial submission through to the final publication decision.
• Associate Editors, who manage manuscripts within specific domains, coordinate reviews, and ensure efficient handling of submissions.
• Editorial Board Members, who support journal development, recommend reviewers, contribute to special academic initiatives, and promote the journal to the wider research community.
• Advisors or senior scholars who offer strategic insight and help shape long-term editorial direction.

This structure ensures a broad representation of disciplines, regions, and professional perspectives.

 

3. Expectations and Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for maintaining a high standard of editorial conduct. Their responsibilities include guiding manuscripts through fair evaluation, offering authors clear and constructive direction, and ensuring that reviewer assessments align with the journal’s quality standards. Editors are expected to protect the confidentiality of manuscripts, maintain objectivity in their judgment, and treat authors and reviewers with courtesy and respect.

Editors are also responsible for identifying and addressing concerns such as plagiarism, data inconsistencies, potential image manipulation, or incomplete disclosures. When ethical questions arise, editors should consult the publisher’s ethics office to determine appropriate action.

 

4. Editorial Decision-Making

BPS adopts a scientific-soundness review approach, prioritising methodological integrity and clear reporting. Editors are expected to evaluate whether the submitted study presents valid, well-supported findings, demonstrates clinical or scientific relevance, and contributes meaningfully to its field. Decisions should be based on the merits of the research rather than author identity, institutional affiliation, or perceived impact.

After reviewing reviewer reports and conducting their own assessment, editors issue an editorial decision with transparent, actionable justification. Timeliness is essential; editors are encouraged to communicate decisions promptly to respect authors’ academic timelines.

 

5. Ethical Standards and Editorial Conduct

Editors are expected to model the highest ethical standards. Manuscripts, reviewer identities, unpublished data, and editorial correspondence must be treated as confidential. Editors may not use privileged information for personal or professional gain.

If concerns about ethical misconduct, such as unethical human research, unapproved animal experimentation, conflicts of interest, or fabricated data that emerge, editors should notify the editorial office immediately. BPS follows established COPE guidance  for investigation and resolution.

 

6. Conflict of Interest

Editors must not handle any submission where they have a personal, financial, academic, or collaborative relationship with the authors, institutions, or funders involved. When a conflict exists, the manuscript will be reassigned to another editor to ensure neutrality and fairness.

 

7. Editorial Collaboration and Ongoing Development

Editors are invited to participate in regular discussions, workshops, or briefings organised by BPS to strengthen consistency across journals. These meetings provide a platform for sharing challenges, harmonising practices, refining policies, and identifying new opportunities for journal growth. Editor feedback plays a key role in shaping Bytran’s evolving editorial strategies.

 

8. Editorial Independence

BPS recognises editorial independence as essential to maintaining trust in scholarly publishing. Editors retain full authority over manuscript decisions without interference from authors, reviewers, institutions, or commercial interests. At the same time, editors are accountable for ensuring that decisions remain consistent with journal policies, ethical standards, and scientific norms.

 

9. Editorial Independence Assurance

Editorial decisions at BPS are made without influence from commercial considerations, advertising, sponsorship, institutional affiliations, or financial arrangements such as Article Processing Charges. Editors are expected to base their decisions solely on the academic merit, scientific validity, and ethical integrity of each submission. The publisher does not interfere with or override editorial judgment, and all members of the editorial team are protected from any form of pressure that may compromise the fairness of the review or decision making process. This principle ensures trust, transparency, and independence across all journals under BPS.

 

10. Appointment and Professional Expectations

Editors are appointed on the basis of scholarly reputation, editorial experience, and professional judgement. Appointments are typically made for a term of three years and may be renewed following a performance review. Throughout their appointment, editors are expected to remain active within their academic communities, represent the journal professionally, and contribute to its visibility through outreach and scholarly engagement.

 

11. Recognition and Support for Editors

BPS values the significant contributions editors make to the advancement of scientific knowledge. Editors receive formal recognition on journal platforms, certificates of service, opportunities to lead editorial initiatives, and access to professional development resources. Additional support is available from the publisher’s editorial office for policy interpretation, ethical inquiries, or workflow assistance.

 

12. Use of Artificial Intelligence in Editorial Work

Editors must not upload manuscripts or reviewer reports into artificial intelligence tools that save input or use uploaded text for model training. Manuscripts under review are confidential and must not be processed by systems that store, share, or reuse information. Artificial intelligence may be used only for minor language improvements in editorial communications and only when the manuscript text is not included. All editorial decisions must be based on human judgment, scholarly expertise, and adherence to ethical publishing standards.

 

13. Editorial Office Contact

Editors who require guidance, policy clarification, or assistance with manuscript handling may contact:

Bytran Publishing Services Sdn. Bhd.

No. 55-S-12(A)-F&G, Menara Northam, No. 55, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 10050 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.

Email: editorial_office@bytran-pub.com

Website: https://journal.bytran-pub.com/