Ethics for Editors

Editors at the Annals of Civil and Environmental Engineering (ACEE) uphold the highest ethical standards in manuscript handling, decision-making, and journal leadership.

Editorial Independence

• Editorial decisions are made independently of the publisher to safeguard intellectual and ethical autonomy. 
• Submissions by editors or board members are handled impartially by alternate editors to avoid bias. 

Conflict of Interest

• All editors must disclose any personal, professional, or financial interests that may affect their judgment. 
• In the presence of conflicts, responsibility is transferred to an uninvolved editorial member. 

Peer Review Oversight

• Advanced double‑blind peer review is implemented; at least two independent experts are engaged for full-length research articles. 
• When author-recommended reviewers are used, editors verify appropriateness and confirm no conflicts exist. 
• Reviewer evaluations are expected to be constructive, evidence-based, and methodologically rigorous.

Confidentiality & Privacy

• Manuscript content and reviewer identities are kept strictly confidential during all review stages. 
• Editors must never reuse unpublished material from manuscripts in their own research.

Handling Misconduct

Editors investigate suspected ethical breaches—including plagiarism, data fabrication, or authorship disputes—in accordance with COPE flowcharts and internal policy guidelines. 

Appeals & Complaints

• Authors may request reconsideration by presenting new evidence or reasoning. Appeals are assessed impartially. 
• Complaints involving editors are escalated to senior leadership or external ethics panels as appropriate. 

Ethical Training & Oversight

Editors engage in ongoing ethics education and uphold COPE Core Practices, ensuring ACEE remains compliant with evolving scholarly publishing standards.