Publication Ethics Statement

Ethical Guidelines for the Publication of the Journal of Insurance Issues

The publication of an article in the Journal of Insurance Issues is a process of permanent knowledge improvement. The Journal is owned by the Western Risk and Insurance Association and is co-sponsored with the support of the Southern Risk and Insurance Association.

The content of the Journal is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing, including: the author, the journal editor(s), the editorial board, the reviewers, and the sponsoring association. As the manager and publisher of the Journal, the editor(s) serves as the representative of the Journal with regard to the ethical behavior and standards. This statement of purpose and process summarizes the Journal’s commitment to publication ethics and mitigation of publication malpractice.

Relations with Sponsoring Associations

The Journal of Insurance Issues is owned by the Western Risk and Insurance Association and is co-sponsored with the support of the Southern Risk and Insurance Association. As such, the Journal editor(s) have an obligation to:

establish due process mechanisms to handle disagreements between editor(s) and the Journal-sponsoring associations
communicate regularly (at least annually) with the sponsoring associations’ board of directors

Note: this content has been broadly adapted from the Committee on Publication Ethics’ (COPE) Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors

Duties of the Editors

As the managers of the Journal, the duties of the editor(s) are broad and varied, including, but not limited to, the following responsibilities:

work with editors-in-chief to identify and engage appropriate expert peer reviewers that align with submitted manuscripts
editors-in-chief will manage editorial and peer-review processes to ensure timely publication
encourage and be aware of research into peer review, journal management and periodically reassess journal processes
endeavor to maintain a geographic and international diversity within the collection of associate board membership
support initiatives intended to reduce academic misconduct
support initiatives to educate researchers about publication ethics
assess the effects of Journal policies on author and reviewer behavior and revise policies, as required, to encourage responsible behavior and discourage misconduct
ensure that any press releases issued by the journal reflect the message of the reported article and put it into context
adopt suitable policies for handling submissions from themselves, employees or members of the editorial board to ensure unbiased review
manage relationships with key Journal stakeholders, including: its readership, associate editors, reviewers, authors, and sponsoring associations
adopt systems for detecting plagiarism (e.g., software, searching for similar titles) in submitted items
support authors whose copyright have been breached or who have been the victims of plagiarism
be prepared to defend authors’ rights and pursue offenders irrespective of whether the Journal holds the copyright

Relations with Readership

As representatives of the Journal, the editor(s) assume the responsibility for ensuring the veracity and quality of the content published by the Journal. In fulfilling those responsibilities, the editor(s) will:

ensure that all published reports of research have been reviewed by suitably qualified reviewers
adopt processes that encourage accuracy, completeness and clarity of research reporting
adopt authorship or contributorship systems that promote good practice and discourage misconduct
inform readers as to what steps are taken to ensure that submissions from members of the Journal’s staff or editorial board receive an objective and unbiased evaluation

Relations with Associate Editors

Associate editors are invited to serve on the JOURNAL editorial committee and have the primary responsibility of assisting the editors-in-chief is securing peer reviewers with the appropriate expertise for reviewing given submissions. Their responsibilities Include:

identify suitably qualified associate editors (editorial board members) who can actively contribute to the development and good management of the Journal
seek to acknowledge the contribution of associate editors to the Journal
provide clear guidance to associate editors regarding their expected functions and duties, including:
act as ambassadors for the Journal
support and promote the Journal
seek out the best authors and best work and actively encourage submissions
identify appropriate peer reviewers for assigned manuscripts
Participate in regular (at least once a year) strategic managerial meetings to gauge their opinions about the running of the Journal, inform them of any changes to Journal policies, and identify future opportunities and challenges

Relations with Reviewers

Qualified individuals are invited by associate editors to serve as reviewers of submitted work in a blind peer-review process. As representatives of the Journal editor(s), associate editors assume many responsibilities in their interaction with reviewers, including:

provide clear advice to reviewers
require reviewers to disclose any potential competing interests before agreeing to review a submission
encourage reviewers to comment on ethical questions and possible research misconduct raised by submissions
encourage reviewers to ensure the originality of submissions and be alert to redundant publication and plagiarism
seek to acknowledge the contribution of reviewers to the Journal
monitor the performance of peer reviewers and take steps to ensure high quality and timely review
ensure that the reviewer database reflects the academic community for their Journal
use a wide range of sources (not just personal contacts) to identify potential new reviewers (e.g., author suggestions, bibliographic databases)