Editorial Policies

• Peer Review Policy — how manuscripts are evaluated for scientific quality and originality
• Peer Review Process — the step-by-step manuscript workflow from submission to publication
• Editorial Process — editorial roles, responsibilities, and decision-making structure
• Editorial Board — who leads the journal's scientific direction
• Publication Ethics — the journal's core ethical standards, aligned with COPE and ICMJE
• Plagiarism Policy — how originality is verified and enforced
• Conflict of Interest Policy — disclosure requirements for authors, reviewers, and editors
• Ethical Approvals & Human/Animal Rights — requirements for research involving human or animal subjects
• Research Misconduct & Sanctions — how allegations of misconduct are investigated and addressed
• Corrections & Retractions — how the published record is corrected when necessary
• Complaints & Appeals — how to raise a concern or contest an editorial decision
• Special Issues Policy — how guest-edited collections are proposed and governed
• GenAI Policy — expectations around the use and disclosure of AI tools in manuscript preparation

Governing Principle

All editorial decisions at AOJ are made independently, based solely on the scientific merit of a submission, and free from commercial or personal influence, consistent with the standards set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).