Editorial Process

Editorial independence is at the core of our editorial process. We seek to be fair, transparent, and encourage intellectual excellence against clearly articulated disciplinary standards:

• Submitted articles are evaluated according to their intellectual merit, without regard to the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation of the author(s)
• Editorial decisions on manuscripts submitted to our journals are based on independent, anonymized peer-review reports
• We provide clear and transparent processes for the appeal of editorial decisions

If you have questions, or concerns, or wish to appeal or file a complaint contact us via support@eucsr.org

Peer Review

We are committed to upholding the highest standards of peer review. At the European Centre for Scholarly Research, we also commit to researching the future of peer review as a defining characteristic of scholarly communication. Our approach to peer review is founded on rigorous and double-anonymized peer review. 

Our Commitment:

• At the European Centre for Scholarly Research, we build software infrastructures to facilitate rigorous, fair, and effective peer review for all our publications
• We encourage our editors and peer reviewers to familiarize themselves with and act by relevant best practice guidelines on peer review established by the Publication Committee
• We expect those who oversee the peer review process and support our editors and peer reviewers, to act on any suspected cases of manipulated or fraudulent peer review
• We protect the confidentiality of participants in the peer review process

Our Model:

• All European Centre for Scholarly Research journals use the double-anonymized peer review method. Peer reviewers are requested to provide constructive criticism and feedback regarding critical elements of scholarly writing and a publishing recommendation in their peer review report. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two reviewers before a publication decision is made. 
• A process of peer review is conducted by members of the ECSR Advisory Board, Editorial Board, Author Reviewers, and Volunteer Peer Reviews.

If you wish to know more about our Peer Review Policy feel free to contact us via support@eucsr.org

​Authorship, Co-Authorship, and Author Responsibilities

Authorship and Co-Authorship

Authorship should be limited to those who have contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. A co-author list should include all those who contributed significantly. 

Author Responsibilities

The following general rules apply to the corresponding author:

• Manuscript correction and proofreading
• Handling the revisions and re-submission of revised manuscripts up to the acceptance of the manuscripts
• Provision of raw data upon which the paper is based, for editorial review and public access to such data whenever possible. If the data is not published with the paper, authors should be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable amount of time after publication
• Authors should ensure that they have written an entirely original work, and if they have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited and quoted. Articles found to have plagiarized material will be withdrawn from consideration for publication
• Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior, and it is unacceptable. Manuscripts must only be peer-reviewed by one journal at a time
• Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be made. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work
• Authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of the manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.
• When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his or her own published work, the author must promptly notify the publisher and cooperate with Common Ground’s editorial team to correct or retract the article.

If you wish to know more about Authorship or Author Responsibilities contact us via support@eucsr.org

Fraudulent Research and Research Misconduct

If fraudulent research, research misconduct, or plagiarism is found after an article is published, the publisher will contact the author for a response to the allegations. In cases of proven or there is a nonresponse/inadequate response, the offending article will be retracted and a statement from the publisher will be inserted in its place in the relevant journal issue.

Ethical Business Practices

All published content is overseen by the Chief Social Scientist, in collaboration with our Chairs, Advisory Board, and Editorial Board members, Author, and Volunteer Peer Reviewers—based on their expertise. 

Copyright and Licensing

Our policy for copyright is clearly stated in our author guidelines, during the submission and contract stages. We offer a number of Creative Commons licenses for our hybrid open access journals. All licensing terms, and names of the copyright holders, are indicated on all published articles, in both HTML and PDF formats.

Author Fees

We offer several Hybrid Open Access options for authors.

Data Privacy

We are committed to data privacy and the protection of the personal information of authors. We may disclose personal data to third-party service providers engaged to assist in the conduct of the publication process. Information provided when submitting an article may be shared with those parties, and the treatment of such information is further subject to those parties’ privacy policies. 

Direct Marketing, Communication & Advertising

By submitting your email address during the Article Submission, you agree that ECSR may send you related information. We do not sell data to third parties.

Editorial Team Contact Information

You can reach our Editorial Team by emailing support@eucsr.org