Actionability
Use specific language so authors can implement changes efficiently.
Editors Operational Guidance
Editors Guidelines
Editors Guidelines
Journal of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Apply structured editorial standards that strengthen decision quality, fairness, and publication trust in JOC.
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Editorial Practice
Guidelines for JOC Editors
Editors are expected to deliver fair, timely, and evidence-based decisions aligned with policy standards.
Editorial handling should focus on methodological validity, clinical relevance, and reporting transparency.
Clear separation of major scientific concerns from minor refinements improves revision quality and decision efficiency.
Operational Standards
What Editors Should Prioritize
Consistent editorial conduct is central to publication quality.
- Confirm scope fit and integrity readiness before external review routing.
- Assign reviewers based on subject and method competence while screening conflicts.
- Provide decision letters with specific, actionable revision priorities.
- Escalate ethics concerns with documented evidence and policy references.
- Track unresolved reviewer disagreement and adjudicate transparently.
Communication Quality
How Editors Should Communicate Decisions
Professional, precise communication improves workflow reliability.
Balance
Integrate reviewer comments with independent editorial judgment.
Documentation
Record decision rationale for governance traceability.
Fairness
Apply standards consistently across submissions and author groups.
Editors should prioritize decision-critical issues and avoid diffuse revision requests.
Specific recommendation language improves author response quality.
Documented rationale supports governance transparency and quality learning.
Targeted clarification is often more efficient than broad revision mandates.
Integrity concerns should be escalated with precise supporting evidence.
Editors should prioritize decision-critical issues and avoid diffuse revision requests.
Specific recommendation language improves author response quality.
Documented rationale supports governance transparency and quality learning.
Targeted clarification is often more efficient than broad revision mandates.
Integrity concerns should be escalated with precise supporting evidence.
Editors should prioritize decision-critical issues and avoid diffuse revision requests.
Specific recommendation language improves author response quality.
Documented rationale supports governance transparency and quality learning.
Targeted clarification is often more efficient than broad revision mandates.
Integrity concerns should be escalated with precise supporting evidence.
Editors should prioritize decision-critical issues and avoid diffuse revision requests.
Specific recommendation language improves author response quality.
Documented rationale supports governance transparency and quality learning.
Targeted clarification is often more efficient than broad revision mandates.
Integrity concerns should be escalated with precise supporting evidence.
Editors should prioritize decision-critical issues and avoid diffuse revision requests.
Specific recommendation language improves author response quality.
Support JOC Editorial Excellence
Use these guidelines to maintain consistent, policy-aligned manuscript handling.
Editorial office: [email protected]
