Publishing & peer review
Policies for addressing conflicts where editors serve simultaneously as peer reviewers on manuscripts.
A clear framework is essential to ensure editorial integrity when editors also function as reviewers, safeguarding impartial decision making, maintaining author trust, and preserving the credibility of scholarly publishing across diverse disciplines.
August 07, 2025 - 3 min Read
Editors sometimes find themselves in the delicate position of both supervising a manuscript and assessing it as peer reviewers. When this dual role occurs, the risk of perceived bias or actual conflicts increases, threatening the fairness of the review process and the journal’s reputation. A robust policy should address disclosure requirements, delineate which manuscripts trigger a review by a non-editor, and specify steps for recusal and return of manuscript management to an independent editor. Transparent practices help authors, reviewers, and readers understand how conclusions are reached and what safeguards exist to prevent undue influence. It is equally important to codify timelines, responsibilities, and accountability measures to support consistent implementation.
Effective policies begin with a formal disclosure clause that requires editors to declare any direct or indirect interest in a manuscript they might review. This includes prior collaboration, personal relationships, financial interests, or competitive stakes. Once disclosed, the editor should recuse themselves and delegate oversight to an independent editor or an external reviewer pool. Journals should publish a clear protocol describing how recusal is triggered, how alternative reviewers are selected, and how updates are communicated to authors. Additionally, the policy should outline exceptions for extremely time-sensitive revisions where delay would harm scientific progress, balancing urgency with the need for impartial evaluation and transparent decision making. Standards must be revisited periodically.
Disclosure and recusal preserve fairness throughout the process.
The first principle is independence in decision making. Even when editors hold reviewing assignments, the final verdict should reflect judgments made by a reviewer pool free from the editor’s influence. Journals can implement mandatory rotation of editorial duties, limit the number of manuscripts an editor can handle concurrently, and require that the editor’s assessment does not count toward the manuscript’s eligibility if they have any direct stake. Training sessions can reinforce how to recognize subtle biases, while audit mechanisms monitor adherence to the policy. Regular reporting on disclosure rates, recusal instances, and outcome consistency can demonstrate ongoing commitment to ethical standards and help identify gaps for improvement.
A second vital component concerns the handling of reviewer roles across related submissions. If an editor contributes as a reviewer on one manuscript, parallel evaluations of similar works should be assigned to independent editors to prevent preferential treatment. Robust metadata practices enable editors and staff to track conflicts and ensure that the same individual does not review work where they have a supervisory role. Journals should require that any editor who participates as a reviewer in a manuscript for which they have editorial authority is clearly marked in internal systems and that the eventual decision is based primarily on external assessments and policy-driven criteria, not personal influence.
Transparency and accountability reinforce impartial governance.
In addition to recusal procedures, journals should establish a formal process for appealing decisions influenced by potential editor-reviewer conflicts. Authors must be provided with a straightforward route to request reassessment when they believe a conflict affected outcomes. Appeals should be reviewed by an independent panel that has no ties to the editor in question. The panel can examine the chronology of events, the balance of reviewer comments, and whether the editor’s involvement as a reviewer might have biased the interpretation of data or conclusions. Documented rationales for any overturning decisions strengthen legitimacy and deter harmful practices while preserving the integrity of scholarly communication.
Another essential element is transparency about editorial influence. Public-facing policies should outline when and how editors participate in peer review, what criteria guide their evaluations, and how conflicts are resolved. Publishers can publish annual summaries of conflict management activities, including statistics on recusal rates and the proportion of manuscripts assigned to non-editor reviewers. While protecting sensitive information, such disclosures reassure authors and readers that governance systems function independently from inside pressures. Such openness reinforces accountability and signals a commitment to rigorous, unbiased evaluation across disciplines.
Systems and data drive effective conflict management.
Beyond procedures, the culture surrounding peer review must evolve to support ethical behavior. Editors should model restraint by abstaining from editorial commentary on manuscripts they review and by avoiding any influence over reviewer selection when conflicts arise. Journals can provide ongoing education about bias recognition, conflicts of interest, and the ethical implications of dual roles. A culture that rewards adherence to policy, rather than hidden maneuvering, strengthens confidence in the publication ecosystem. Practical training modules, scenario-based exercises, and mandatory acknowledgment of conflict policies at enrollment help embed these norms across editorial teams and reviewer communities alike.
Technology can play a pivotal role in operationalizing these policies. Integrated manuscript management systems should automatically flag potential conflicts based on declared relationships, past collaborations, and co-authorship networks. Automated notifications to editorial staff about a conflict can prompt timely recusal and reallocation of tasks. Data analytics can reveal trends, such as recurring conflict patterns among specific editors or fields, guiding policy updates. Importantly, systems must maintain data privacy and provide secure access controls to prevent leakage of sensitive information while enabling auditability and continual improvement of governance practices.
Policy breadth and ongoing refinement sustain integrity.
When conflicts are inevitable, differentiated pathways help preserve fairness without slowing scientific progress. One practical approach is to create a pool of independent editors or external reviewers who are routinely available for high-stakes manuscripts. The process should specify how these individuals are vetted, how often they participate, and how their evaluations are weighed against those of editor-reviewers. A well designed pathway minimizes gatekeeping while maximizing objectivity. It also gives authors confidence that their work is reviewed on its merits rather than on the basis of personal connections. Clear guidelines for timing ensure that recusal does not lead to undue delays or stalling of important research.
Clear criteria for evaluation are essential to avoid subjective bias. Editorial decisions should hinge on evidence-based assessments, methodological rigor, and the reproducibility of results. When a manuscript is reviewed under a suspected conflict, decision makers should rely more heavily on independent evaluations and standardized scoring rubrics. This minimizes the impact of any single reviewer’s perspective and supports a democratic process of inquiry. Journals may publish exemplar rubrics that detail expectations for study design, data transparency, statistical integrity, and ethical considerations to ensure consistency across disciplines.
A comprehensive policy also addresses the career implications for editors who participate in peer review while overseeing submissions. Institutions and funders increasingly scrutinize editorial conduct, so editors must understand professional consequences for misconduct or repeated policy breaches. Clear disciplinary pathways, remediation options, and time-bound reviews of performance help maintain standards. Moreover, publishers should encourage research into best practices for editorial- reviewer liabilities, fostering a healthy dialogue across the scholarly community. By engaging editors in periodic policy reviews and inviting external input, journals stay current with evolving norms and capabilities in peer review governance.
Finally, the principles laid out here should be adaptable to different disciplines and publication models. Not all fields face identical conflicts, and varying journal sizes require scalable solutions. Policies must be flexible enough to accommodate open access, hybrid publishing, and subscription models while remaining rigorous in their core intent: preventing undue influence, guaranteeing fair assessment, and preserving trust. Regular dissemination of policy changes, opportunities for stakeholder feedback, and consistent enforcement across all editors culminate in a resilient system that upholds integrity at every stage of scholarly communication.
