The editorial structure of the journal is designed to ensure a transparent, accountable, impartial, and academically rigorous publishing process in accordance with internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and scholarly quality. The journal adopts a clearly defined editorial governance model in which operational responsibilities, advisory contributions, and final decision-making authority are explicitly distinguished. This structure supports consistency, confidentiality, editorial independence, and the fair evaluation of all submissions.

The Editor-in-Chief holds the ultimate authority and responsibility for all editorial decisions. Final decisions regarding rejection, revision, acceptance, or publication are made exclusively by the Editor-in-Chief, based on the journal’s scope, scholarly merit, originality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, reviewer reports, and editorial recommendations. No other editorial board member independently issues a final editorial decision on behalf of the journal.

Associate Editors are integral members of the editorial board and play a central role in the rigorous management of the editorial and peer review process. Their responsibilities include conducting preliminary evaluations, assessing the relevance of submissions to the journal’s scope, identifying and inviting qualified reviewers, monitoring the peer review process, evaluating reviewer reports, overseeing revision rounds, and submitting reasoned editorial opinions to the Editor-in-Chief. Associate Editors do not make final editorial decisions; rather, they provide evidence-based assessments and recommendations to support the Editor-in-Chief’s final decision-making process.

Senior Consulting Editors are also integral members of the editorial board and serve as a senior-level scholarly advisory group. They are consulted by the Editor-in-Chief when additional academic expertise, methodological scrutiny, interdisciplinary judgment, or higher-level evaluation is required. Their involvement may be requested particularly in complex submissions, cases involving conflicting reviewer reports, manuscripts requiring advanced subject expertise, ethical or methodological uncertainty, or matters that exceed the routine expertise boundaries of Associate Editors. When consulted, Senior Consulting Editors may examine manuscripts, evaluate reviewer reports, assess methodological or theoretical issues, and provide structured scholarly opinions. However, their role remains advisory, and they do not make final editorial decisions.

This editorial hierarchy ensures that the journal benefits from both operational efficiency and senior academic oversight while preserving a clear, centralized, and accountable decision-making structure. All editorial processes are conducted in accordance with the principles of editorial independence, confidentiality, impartiality, transparency, conflict-of-interest management, and ethical publishing practice. By clearly defining the responsibilities and authority limits of the Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and Senior Consulting Editors, the journal strengthens the integrity, reliability, and accountability of its editorial governance in line with international publishing and indexing expectations.