1. Editorial independence
Editorial decisions at Aperture Papers are made solely on the basis of a manuscript's scholarly merit, originality, methodological soundness, and relevance to the journal's scope. Decisions are not influenced by the author's nationality, institution, gender, seniority, or ability to pay any fee.
Editors-in-Chief and handling editors have full authority over the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts within their remit. The publisher does not override editorial decisions.
2. Scope of the publisher
Aperture Papers is an open-access scholarly publisher. Its first journal is Letters in Basic and Translational Biochemistry (LBTB). Each journal hosted by the publisher operates under its own aims, scope, and editorial board, but shares this common governance framework.
3. Editorial roles
- Editor-in-Chief: sets editorial direction, appoints editors, and is the final decision-maker on contested cases.
- Handling Editor: manages individual manuscripts, selects reviewers, and issues decisions.
- Editorial Board: advises on scope, policy, and the integrity of the review process.
- Editorial Office: coordinates submissions, reviewer assignments, and author communication.
4. Decision authority
The four standard editorial decisions are: Accept, Minor revision, Major revision, and Reject. Decisions are recorded with the reviewer reports and the handling editor's reasoning, and are communicated to the corresponding author in writing.
5. Standards we follow
The editorial process is aligned with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and informed by the principles of the ICMJE recommendations, the DOAJ criteria, and the OASPA principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing. We do not claim membership in these bodies unless and until formally granted; we use them as our standard of practice.
6. Handling of editor-authored submissions
Submissions from editors, board members, or staff are handled by an independent editor with no shared affiliation or recent collaboration, and the conflict is recorded on the manuscript file. The submitting editor is excluded from any decision concerning their own work.
7. Confidentiality
All manuscripts and associated correspondence are confidential. Editors, reviewers, and editorial office staff must not disclose any information about a submission to anyone other than the corresponding author and authorised journal personnel.