Scope and Relevance
Manuscripts must align with journal focus and provide meaningful field value.
Editorial Governance
Editorial Policies
Editorial Policies
Journal of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Review the governance standards that support fair decisions, integrity safeguards, and reliable osteoarthritis publication records.
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Policy Basis
Editorial Policies for Fair and Reliable Publishing
JOC applies consistent policy standards to protect scientific quality, ethics compliance, and decision transparency.
Policy enforcement spans the full workflow from submission screening through post-publication record stewardship.
Authors and reviewers are expected to engage within these standards to support reliable dissemination of osteoarthritis evidence.
Governance clarity helps maintain fairness across manuscript types and contributor backgrounds.
Core Policy Domains
How Policy Is Applied in Editorial Decisions
Decisions are based on documented standards, not informal preferences.
Research Integrity
Screening includes similarity review and consistency checks for reported data.
Ethics and Consent
Human and animal studies require valid oversight and consent declarations.
Conflict Transparency
Relevant relationships must be disclosed for fair editorial assessment.
Peer Review Conduct
Review quality, confidentiality, and evidence-based critique are required.
Corrections and Retractions
Post-publication updates follow formal and transparent procedures.
Decision Communication
How Outcomes Are Reported to Authors
Clear and proportionate communication is a key element of policy-compliant editorial practice.
- Decision letters include concise rationale and prioritized revision expectations.
- Major scientific concerns are separated from minor presentation-level edits.
- Appeals are reviewed through evidence-based and documented procedures.
- Revision rounds focus on unresolved validity and policy compliance concerns.
- Acceptance requires completion of ethics, disclosure, and production checks.
- Post-acceptance changes are handled with record integrity in mind.
Consistent decision communication supports better author responses and more efficient reviewer reassessment.
Documented rationale also improves internal quality calibration over time.
Post-Publication
Maintaining Record Integrity After Release
Publication governance continues after release through correction and status controls.
When material errors are identified, JOC evaluates corrective action proportional to evidence impact, from clarification notes to formal correction pathways.
Transparent version status helps readers interpret and cite the current record responsibly.
Authors are expected to cooperate with substantiated post-publication inquiries and documentation requests.
Policy objective: preserve confidence in published evidence while ensuring fair and transparent process handling.
Policy consistency protects fairness across manuscript categories and author groups.
Early integrity checks preserve reviewer time and publication reliability.
Transparent correction pathways maintain trust in the published record.
Appeal handling should remain evidence-based and procedurally clear.
Conflict disclosures must be actively managed as governance inputs.
Policy consistency protects fairness across manuscript categories and author groups.
Early integrity checks preserve reviewer time and publication reliability.
Transparent correction pathways maintain trust in the published record.
Appeal handling should remain evidence-based and procedurally clear.
Conflict disclosures must be actively managed as governance inputs.
Policy consistency protects fairness across manuscript categories and author groups.
Early integrity checks preserve reviewer time and publication reliability.
Transparent correction pathways maintain trust in the published record.
Appeal handling should remain evidence-based and procedurally clear.
Conflict disclosures must be actively managed as governance inputs.
Policy consistency protects fairness across manuscript categories and author groups.
Early integrity checks preserve reviewer time and publication reliability.
Transparent correction pathways maintain trust in the published record.
Appeal handling should remain evidence-based and procedurally clear.
Conflict disclosures must be actively managed as governance inputs.
Policy consistency protects fairness across manuscript categories and author groups.
Early integrity checks preserve reviewer time and publication reliability.
Transparent correction pathways maintain trust in the published record.
Appeal handling should remain evidence-based and procedurally clear.
Conflict disclosures must be actively managed as governance inputs.
Policy consistency protects fairness across manuscript categories and author groups.
Early integrity checks preserve reviewer time and publication reliability.
Transparent correction pathways maintain trust in the published record.
Appeal handling should remain evidence-based and procedurally clear.
Conflict disclosures must be actively managed as governance inputs.
Policy consistency protects fairness across manuscript categories and author groups.
Early integrity checks preserve reviewer time and publication reliability.
Transparent correction pathways maintain trust in the published record.
Appeal handling should remain evidence-based and procedurally clear.
Conflict disclosures must be actively managed as governance inputs.
Submit Within Clear Policy Standards
Provide complete ethics, disclosure, and reporting information for efficient editorial evaluation.
Editorial office: [email protected]
