Editorial Roles and Responsibilities

   

Editorial Governance and Independence

This page defines the editorial governance structure, roles, responsibilities, and decision‑making authority of World Nutrition, the official peer‑reviewed journal of the World Public Health Nutrition Association (WPHNA). The editorial framework is designed to ensure editorial independence, transparency, accountability, ethical integrity, and scholarly rigor, in full alignment with the requirements and best‑practice standards of Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), PubMed Central (PMC), COPE, and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

All editorial decisions are made independently and are based solely on the academic merit, originality, methodological quality, and relevance of submitted manuscripts. Editorial decisions are not influenced by the publisher, sponsors, advertisers, or any external organisations.

Editor‑in‑Chief

The Editor‑in‑Chief bears ultimate responsibility for the academic quality, editorial integrity, and strategic direction of World Nutrition.

Key Responsibilities

  • Defines, implements, and periodically reviews the journal’s editorial policies, scope, and strategic objectives
  • Exercises final authority over the acceptance, rejection, correction, retraction, or expression of concern for all manuscripts
  • Ensures that all published content complies with internationally accepted standards of publication ethics
  • Safeguards editorial independence from the publisher, funders, sponsors, and affiliated organisations
  • Oversees the peer‑review process and resolves editorial disputes, appeals, and complaints in accordance with COPE guidelines
  • Ensures compliance with ethical standards for human and animal research, including clinical trial reporting requirements where applicable
  • Represents the journal in scholarly, professional, and indexing‑related engagements

Deputy Editor

The Deputy Editor supports the Editor‑in‑Chief in the daily management of editorial operations and contributes to strategic and policy development.

Key Responsibilities

  • Supervises manuscript workflows and editorial timelines
  • Supports quality assurance of peer review and editorial decision‑making
  • Acts on behalf of the Editor‑in‑Chief when formally delegated
  • Assists in handling appeals, ethical issues, and editorial policy implementation

Associate Editors

Associate Editors manage the peer‑review process for manuscripts within their respective subject‑matter expertise.

Key Responsibilities

  • Conduct initial scholarly and methodological assessments of assigned submissions
  • Select and invite qualified, independent, and unbiased peer reviewers
  • Evaluate reviewer reports and provide evidence‑based recommendations to the Editor‑in‑Chief
  • Ensure compliance with ethical standards, reporting guidelines, and research integrity requirements
  • Advise on subject‑specific editorial policies and journal development

Associate Editors do not make final acceptance or rejection decisions.

Assistant Editors

Assistant Editors provide operational, administrative, and technical support to the editorial office.

Key Responsibilities

  • Coordinate communication between authors, reviewers, and editors
  • Monitor manuscript progress and adherence to editorial timelines
  • Conduct technical and documentation checks prior to peer review and publication
  • Support the implementation of editorial policies and procedures

Assistant Editors do not participate in peer‑review evaluations or editorial decision‑making.

Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board Members are internationally recognised scholars who provide subject‑matter expertise and strategic advice to support the journal’s mission.

Key Responsibilities

  • Provide expert peer review within their areas of competence
  • Advise on journal scope, editorial policy, and strategic development
  • Promote the journal within the global scholarly community
  • Uphold confidentiality, ethical standards, and best publishing practices

Editorial Board Members do not hold authority over final editorial decisions.

The Editorial Board comprises scholars from diverse geographic regions to ensure international representation and global relevance.

Digital Editorial Communications Team

The Digital Editorial Communications Team supports post‑publication dissemination, discoverability, and scholarly visibility of journal content.

Key Responsibilities

  • Coordinate digital dissemination of published articles
  • Manage official journal communication and outreach channels
  • Enhance indexing visibility, discoverability, and engagement

This team does not participate in peer review, editorial evaluation, or editorial decision‑making.

Editorial Ethics, Conflicts of Interest, and Accountability

All members of the editorial team:

  • Serve in a voluntary professional capacity
  • Declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest
  • Adhere strictly to the COPE Core Practices and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing
  • Ensure confidentiality, fairness, and integrity throughout the editorial and peer‑review process

Editorial complaints, appeals, and allegations of misconduct are handled transparently in accordance with COPE procedures, with final oversight by the Editor‑in‑Chief.

This page should be read in conjunction with the Editorial Team page, Publication Ethics, and Peer Review Process pages, which together constitute the journal’s complete editorial governance framework.