Role of Editorial Board

Editorial Board

The Editorial Board of the Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (JHRS) consists of established scholars and professionals from relevant fields within health sciences, rehabilitation, public health, special education, and related interdisciplinary domains. Members are appointed based on their academic expertise, publication record, and professional reputation.

The Editorial Board supports the journal’s mission to publish high-quality, ethical, and relevant scholarly work and contributes to maintaining the scientific integrity and academic standards of the journal.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The primary responsibilities of the Editorial Board include:

  • Advising the Editor-in-Chief on the journal’s academic scope, editorial policies, and strategic development
  • Proposing emerging research themes, special issues, and topical priorities relevant to the journal’s aims and scope
  • Supporting the peer-review process by acting as reviewers when appropriate or recommending qualified independent reviewers
  • Providing expert opinion in cases of conflicting peer-review reports or complex editorial decisions
  • Promoting the journal within the academic and professional community and encouraging high-quality submissions
  • Contributing editorials, commentaries, or invited papers when requested, in accordance with conflict-of-interest policies

Editorial Board members do not make final editorial decisions on manuscripts unless formally assigned as handling editors and must declare any conflicts of interest related to submissions.

Appointment of Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board members are selected based on:

  • Demonstrated expertise in relevant scientific fields
  • Recognized academic or clinical contributions
  • Experience in scholarly publishing and peer review

Appointments are reviewed periodically to ensure active engagement and alignment with the journal’s development.

Editorial Team and Editorial Independence

JHRS operates with a defined editorial structure to ensure transparency, accountability, and editorial independence.

Editorial Roles

Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief has overall responsibility for the journal’s editorial content, quality standards, and ethical compliance. This role includes:

  • Final editorial decisions on manuscripts
  • Oversight of the peer-review process
  • Implementation of editorial and publication ethics policies

In cases where the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest (e.g., authorship, institutional affiliation, or publisher role), editorial responsibility is delegated to an independent editor.

Associate Editors / Handling Editors

Associate Editors or designated Handling Editors manage submissions within their areas of expertise. Their responsibilities include:

  • Selecting independent peer reviewers
  • Evaluating reviewer reports
  • Making editorial recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Assistant

The Editorial Assistant provides administrative and technical support, including:

  • Managing manuscript submissions and correspondence
  • Supporting authors, reviewers, and editors during the review process
  • Ensuring adherence to journal formatting and procedural requirements

The Editorial Assistant does not make editorial or peer-review decisions.

Manuscript and Technical Editors (if applicable)

These roles focus on language editing, formatting, metadata accuracy, and online publication quality.

Collaboration and Workflow

The editorial team works collaboratively to ensure:

  • Timely and fair peer review
  • Consistent application of editorial policies
  • Transparency in editorial decision-making

Responsibilities may overlap in smaller editorial teams; however, ethical safeguards and conflict-of-interest policies are always applied.

Editorial Board Meetings and Communication

The Editorial Board may be consulted:

  • Through scheduled online meetings
  • Via electronic communication
  • Individually, as needed, for expert advice

These interactions support policy development, quality improvement, and strategic planning. Participation in meetings is encouraged but not mandatory.

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

All Editorial Board members and editorial staff are expected to comply with:

  • The journal’s Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Principles of editorial independence
  • International best practices in scholarly publishing

JHRS aligns its editorial governance with recognized international standards and continuously reviews its policies to ensure transparency, accountability, and integrity.