Governance & Ethical Oversight
Governance & Ethical Oversight
At Global Journals®, rigorous governance and clear ethical oversight are fundamental to our credibility, reputation, and mission. We maintain a structured governance framework, multiple oversight layers, and transparent policies to uphold integrity across editorial, operational, and strategic domains.
Governance Structure
Our governance model is designed to balance independence, accountability, and expert insight. Key components include
Governing Board / Advisory Council
- A board or council comprising scholars, industry professionals, legal and ethics experts, and external advisors. It sets the strategic direction, approves policies, and ensures alignment with our mission.
Editorial Boards & Discipline Panels
- For each journal, a dedicated editorial board oversees editorial standards, peer review integrity, and alignment with disciplinary norms. Discipline panels may be consulted on ethics or methodological issues.
Editorial Boards & Discipline Panels
- An independent committee responsible for overseeing ethical policy implementation, handling complaints, reviewing allegations, and recommending corrective actions.
Operational Leadership / Management Team
- Roles such as CEO, Chief Publishing Officer, or Ethics Officer execute day-to-day responsibilities, coordinate oversight, and report to the governing board or committee.
Advisory Bodies & External Experts
- We may convene ad hoc advisory panels, legal, statistical, AI, research ethics, to advise on challenging cases or new domains (e.g. AI, reproducibility).
Oversight Mechanisms & Controls
To make ethical governance actionable, we employ the following oversight tools and processes
Editorial Independence & Integrity
- We protect the editorial process from undue influence by commercial, institutional, or external parties. Decision-making on submissions is based solely on scholarly merit, ethical compliance, and consistency with journal scope. Editors with potential conflicts recuse themselves or delegate decisions to independent editors.
Handling Ethical Complaints & Misconduct
Intake & Triage
Complaints or concerns are reviewed for sufficiency of evidence and seriousness. Frivolous or unsupported claims may be dismissed with explanation.
Investigation
Authors, editors, reviewers, or institutions may be contacted. The Ethics & Integrity Committee gathers documentation, may appoint external experts, and ensures confidentiality.
Decision & Sanctions
Possible actions include corrections, expressions of concern, retraction, banning from future submission, or notifying institutions/funders. Decisions are recorded and publicly noted where relevant.
Follow-up & Monitoring
Cases are monitored to prevent recurrence; lessons learned may feed into policy improvements or training.
If permission cannot be secured, the material must be excluded or replaced with an alternative (e.g. public domain or original creation).
Metrics, Accountability & Continuous Improvement
To ensure oversight remains effective, we track:
- Number and type of ethical complaints
- Resolution times and outcomes
- Patterns or recurrent issues (e.g. many AI misuse complaints)
- Policy revisions prompted by oversight
- Feedback from authors, reviewers, and institutions
- External benchmarking and alignment with COPE and publishing best practices
We review governance effectiveness and adjust structures, membership, or policies to remain responsive to evolving challenges.
