1. Review Policy

The journal adopts a double-blind peer review system, additional rounds of reviews may be conducted as necessary for disputed manuscripts. The review process is as follows:

l   Initial Review: The Editor-in-Chief conducts the initial review. Manuscripts that do not meet the criteria will be rejected. Manuscripts that pass this stage will be sent to responsible editors for another round of initial review. If there are major issues such as high similarity rates, the manuscript will be rejected. Manuscripts that pass the initial review will be sent for external peer review.

l   External Peer Review: Manuscripts that pass the initial review will be sent to at least 2 experts for peer review. Based on the reviewers' comments, the manuscript will either be rejected or returned to the author for revision. After the author submits the revised manuscript, the responsible editors will review it and send it back to the reviewers for re-evaluation.

l   Final Review: The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision on whether to accept the manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the entire content of the journal.

2. Special Issue Manuscript Review

Manuscripts submitted for special issues undergo the same review and editorial process as regular submissions, with the final decision made by the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the entire content of the journal, including special issues. When publishing special issues, the editorial department invites authoritative experts in the field to serve as guest editors-in-chief. The responsibilities of guest editors-in-chief include proposing topics, soliciting manuscripts, organizing peer reviews, and resolving any issues that arise during the publication of the special issue. The work of guest editors-in-chief is supervised by the Editor-in-Chief to ensure the fairness of the review process.

3. Submissions from EBMs/Editors/Guest Editors-in-Chief

Submissions from Editorial Board Members (EBMs), editors, guest editors-in-chief must adhere to all the journal's review procedures. Reviews of these manuscripts will be conducted independently of the relevant EBMs, editors, guest editors-in-chief, and their research teams. They must also avoid participating in the review of manuscripts from authors with whom they have a competitive or collaborative relationship, or any other types of conflict of interest.

4. Academic Misconduct Detection and Handling

To minimize academic misconduct, the editorial department uses the "Academic Misconduct Literature Detection System (AMLC)" provided by CNKI during the initial review stage. The similarity rate should generally not exceed 20%. The journal strictly prohibits duplicate or multiple submissions, repeated publications, and plagiarism. If any academic misconduct is found, the manuscript will be rejected, the author's institution will be notified, and submissions from related authors will not be accepted for one year.

5. Appeals and Feedback

If authors have objections to the review comments or results, they may submit a written appeal to the editorial department via the journal's email address. The appeal must include detailed explanations and responses to each review comment. The editorial department will review the appeal promptly and provide feedback to the author. In principle, only one appeal is permitted per manuscript.

Additionally, readers and authors may send feedback or comments on journal articles to the journal's email address. The editorial department will process the feedback as soon as possible and provide appropriate responses. The journal encourages mutual supervision and active feedback from readers and authors to create a positive academic atmosphere.

6. Correction and Retraction

The journal usually does not publish corrections or retractions to published articles. However, should it be necessary, the journal will issue corrections or retractions under the following circumstances:

- Correction: If a published article is found to contain unintentional scientific errors that do not significantly affect the results and conclusions of the article, the editorial department will publish a correction notice in the journal as soon as possible. This notice will detail the changes made to the original article and indicate the source of the article. The journal shall release a corrected version of the article, clarifying all the modifications made to the original article and indicating the date of update. The earlier version will also be archived and accessible to readers. However, when citing the article, reference must only be made to the latest edition.

- Retraction: If a published article is found to contain significant scientific errors that render the conclusions and results untrustworthy, it will be retracted by the journal. In addition, if an article is suspected of academic misconduct, such as plagiarism or data fabrication, the editorial department will investigate and issue a statement to readers detailing the risks associated with the article. The results of the investigation will be made public after it is completed. If academic misconduct is proven, the editorial department will retract the article and publish a notice of retraction.