Journal of International and Digital Communication (JIDC)

Overview | Aims & Scope | Volumes & Issues | For authors | InDi website

Editorial policy 

1. Purpose

This policy the editorial roles of InDi Journal, their competencies and limits, and the governance principles for guest-edited special issues. It draws on established publishing practice, in particular Elsevier's guidelines for guest editors, as well as the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which are widely regarded as industry reference standards for editorial integrity.  

2. Overview of Roles

• Editors-in-Chief (EiC) 
  Responsibility: Overall direction, quality standards, and policy of the journal across all issues; final approval of every publication, including guest-edited issues.
  Decision authority: Final decision on acceptance/rejection; right of veto; approval of guest editors.
• Editorial Board Member
  Responsibility: Advisory function; reputation and subject-matter expertise; occasionally serves as reviewer.
  Decision authority: No operational decision-making authority over individual articles or issues.
• Guest Editor / Volume Editor
  Responsibility: Curates and coordinates a single, time-limited special issue; organizes peer review; recommends acceptance/rejection.
  Decision authority: Recommendation only – final decision rests with the EiC. No seat on the permanent Editorial Board.

3. Current Appointments

• Editors-in-Chief: Prof. Dr. Milena Valeva (Birkenfeld, Germany), Prof. Dr. Kathrin Nitschmann (Birkenfeld, Germany)
• Editorial Board Member: Prof. Dr. Julius Heinicke (Hildesheim, Germany)

4. Governance Principles for Guest-Edited Issues

The following principles follow Elsevier's standard guidelines for guest editors, which serve as a reference for most established journal practice:

• Approval requirement: Every guest-edited issue must be formally approved by the EiC in advance (topic proposal, scope, timeline).
• Peer review standard: At least two independent, qualified reviewers per submission; the same process as for regular issues (e.g., double-blind).
• Guest editor's own contributions: A guest editor may submit their own article, but it must be reviewed by an independent party (the EiC or another editor) – the guest editor may not decide on their own submission.
• Submission for approval: The guest editor submits all acceptance recommendations, including reviewer reports, to the EiC for final approval – not just the finished issue.
• EiC right of veto: The EiC retains the right to reject individual articles or the entire issue, or to require additional independent review.
• Labeling: The issue is clearly identified as 'Special Issue, Guest Editor: [Name]'; the journal's numbering and volume sequence remain unaffected.
• Time-limited scope: The guest editor role ends with the completion of the respective issue and does not create any claim to future issues or membership on the Editorial Board.
• Conflict-of-interest screening: Conflicts of interest must be disclosed and mitigated through an independent review process. A guest editor's own students submitting as authors does not, on its own, constitute a conflict of interest.

5 Funding and Infrastructure

DOI registration, layout infrastructure, and the publishing platform remain central resources of the journal under the responsibility of the EiC. For guest-edited issues, it should be clarified in writing beforehand whether any additional costs (e.g., from a higher article count) will be covered by the journal budget, by the department/institute, or proportionally by the guest editor.

Contact the journal

• Prof. Dr. Milena Valeva
  +49 6782 17-1777
  m.valeva(at)umwelt-campus.de