Overview

ICR Publications (ICRP)↗, is an independent academic publishing organisation committed to supporting high-quality scholarly communication across the social sciences, humanities, economics, management, education, intercultural communication, and related interdisciplinary fields. ICRP works with academic editors, reviewers, authors, and research institutions to promote rigorous peer review, transparent editorial decision-making, ethical publishing practices, and open access dissemination.

ICRP’s journals aim to provide a trusted platform for original research, critical scholarship, theoretical development, applied studies, and policy-relevant contributions. The publisher supports academic communities by maintaining editorial independence, encouraging international collaboration, and ensuring that published research meets appropriate standards of originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and scholarly relevance.

ICRP journals are managed through structured editorial workflows involving Editors-in-Chief, Section Editors, Associate Editors, Editorial Board Members, Guest Editors, reviewers, and editorial office staff. Together, these contributors play an essential role in maintaining the academic integrity and long-term development of each journal.

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Open Access

ICRP supports open access publishing as a way to increase the visibility, accessibility, and impact of scholarly research. Open access allows readers to access published articles without subscription barriers, enabling researchers, students, practitioners, policymakers, and the wider public to benefit from current academic knowledge.

Where applicable, ICRP journals publish articles under Creative Commons open access licences ↗. This allows published work to be shared and reused in accordance with the licence terms, while ensuring that authors receive appropriate credit for their work.

Open access publishing may be supported through article processing charges, institutional support, publishing partnerships, sponsorship arrangements, or other approved funding models depending on the journal. Any applicable charges, waiver policies, or publication fees should be clearly stated on the relevant journal website.

For authors, open access can improve the reach and readership of their work. For editors and journals, it supports wider scholarly engagement, citation potential, and international visibility.

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Journals Published by ICRP

ICRP publishes and supports academic journals ↗ across selected disciplines and interdisciplinary areas. Each journal maintains its own aims and scope, editorial board, peer-review policy, submission guidelines, and publication ethics framework.

ICRP journals are expected to:

• Publish original, relevant, and academically rigorous research.
• Maintain transparent and fair peer-review procedures.
• Follow recognised publication ethics standards.
• Ensure editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit.
• Promote diversity, international participation, and responsible academic debate.
• Support the development of emerging and established research communities.

New journals, special issues, and thematic collections may be developed where there is a clear scholarly need, a defined academic scope, and sufficient editorial expertise.

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ICRP Editorial Office

We support journals throughout the editorial and publication process. This support may include manuscript screening, communication with authors and reviewers, editorial workflow coordination, production preparation, metadata checking, publication scheduling, indexing support, and post-publication updates.

The editorial office works closely with Editors-in-Chief, Section Editors, Associate Editors, Guest Editors, Editorial Board Members, reviewers, authors, and production staff. While academic editors are responsible for scholarly assessment and editorial decisions, the editorial office helps ensure that each manuscript moves through the required administrative and technical stages efficiently and professionally.

Editorial office support may include:

• Initial manuscript checks.
• Scope and completeness screening.
• Reviewer invitation support.
• Monitoring review deadlines.
• Assisting with revision workflows.
• Preparing accepted manuscripts for production.
• Supporting metadata, DOI, Crossref ↗, indexing, and archive-related processes.
• Communicating with authors, reviewers, and editors when required.

All editorial communications must remain professional, respectful, confidential, and aligned with ICRP’s publication ethics policies.

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Editorial Process, Peer Review, and Production

Manuscripts submitted to ICRP journals are subject to editorial screening and peer review according to the policy of the relevant journal. Depending on the journal, peer review may be single-blind, double-blind, or another recognised model clearly stated in the journal’s peer-review policy.

After submission, the manuscript is usually checked by the editorial office for completeness, formatting, authorship information, ethical statements, plagiarism concerns, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Manuscripts that do not meet the basic requirements may be returned to authors for correction or rejected at the desk-review stage.

Where a manuscript passes the initial screening, it is assigned to an appropriate academic editor. The editor evaluates the manuscript’s relevance, originality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, and potential contribution before deciding whether it should be sent for external peer review.

Normally, at least two independent reviewer reports should be obtained before a final decision is made. Additional reviews may be requested where reviewer recommendations differ substantially or where specialist expertise is required.

Reviewers should normally have relevant academic expertise, recent publications or professional experience in the field, and no conflict of interest with the authors or manuscript. Reviewers are expected to provide constructive, evidence-based, respectful, and timely reports.

Editorial decisions may include:

• Accept.
• Minor revision.
• Major revision.
• Resubmit for review.
• Reject.

The final decision should be based on the scholarly quality of the manuscript, reviewer recommendations, editorial assessment, ethical considerations, and the journal’s aims and scope. ICRP generally encourages clear and timely decisions and discourages unnecessary repeated revision rounds unless further revision is essential for academic quality or ethical compliance.

After acceptance, the manuscript enters production. This may include copyediting, language editing where applicable, reference checking, metadata preparation, DOI registration, XML or JATS preparation, PDF production, proofreading, and final online publication.

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Confidentiality and Use of Artificial Intelligence

Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Unpublished manuscripts, reviewer reports, author responses, editorial communications, figures, tables, supplementary files, and research data must not be shared outside the editorial process.

Academic editors must not upload unpublished manuscripts, reviewer reports, confidential correspondence, figures, tables, datasets, or any part of a submission to public or third-party generative artificial intelligence tools. Doing so may violate confidentiality, data protection expectations, author rights, and peer-review integrity.

AI tools must not be used to make editorial decisions. Editorial decisions must remain the responsibility of qualified human editors who assess the manuscript based on academic merit, ethical compliance, reviewer input, and journal policy.

Where AI-assisted tools are used for limited administrative or language-support purposes by authorised staff, such use must not compromise confidentiality, editorial independence, or the integrity of the peer-review process.

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Editorial Board Responsibilities

Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief provides academic leadership for the journal and is responsible for maintaining its scholarly quality, editorial direction, ethical standards, and long-term development. The Editor-in-Chief acts as the principal academic representative of the journal and works closely with the Editorial Office and Editorial Board.

The responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief include:

• Defining and maintaining the journal’s academic scope.
• Supporting the strategic development of the journal.
• Upholding peer-review and publication ethics standards.
• Making final decisions on manuscripts where required.
• Advising on complex editorial, ethical, or appeal cases.
• Inviting qualified scholars to join the Editorial Board.
• Encouraging high-quality submissions.
• Supporting special issues, thematic collections, and journal initiatives.
• Promoting the journal within relevant academic communities.
• Chairing or contributing to editorial board meetings.
• Ensuring that editorial decisions are fair, independent, transparent, and based on scholarly merit.

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Section Editor

Section Editors provide academic leadership for a specific subject area or section within a journal. They help ensure that submissions within their section are relevant, rigorous, and aligned with the journal’s aims and scope.

The responsibilities of Section Editors include:

• Advising on the scope and development of their section.
• Conducting or supporting desk reviews for relevant submissions.
• Assigning suitable reviewers or recommending reviewer candidates.
• Making editorial recommendations or decisions where authorised.
• Supporting Editorial Board Members within the section.
• Identifying emerging research themes.
• Proposing special issues or thematic collections.
• Helping maintain the academic quality and reputation of the section.
• Supporting ethical and transparent peer-review practices.

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Associate Editor

Associate Editors support the Editor-in-Chief and Section Editors in managing manuscripts, developing the journal, and maintaining editorial standards. They may handle submissions within their area of expertise and make recommendations or decisions according to journal policy.

The responsibilities of Associate Editors include:

• Assessing manuscripts for relevance, originality, and quality.
• Managing peer review for assigned submissions.
• Selecting appropriate reviewers.
• Evaluating reviewer reports and author revisions.
• Recommending editorial decisions.
• Supporting journal development and outreach.
• Advising on special issues and thematic areas.
• Promoting the journal among relevant academic networks.
• Upholding confidentiality, fairness, and publication ethics.

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Advisory Board Members

Advisory Board Members provide strategic guidance to support the journal’s academic development, reputation, and policy direction. They may assist the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Office in addressing complex scholarly or ethical matters.

The responsibilities of Advisory Board Members include:

• Advising on journal strategy and development.
• Supporting policy improvements.
• Recommending emerging research areas.
• Advising on appeals, disputes, or ethical concerns where appropriate.
• Promoting the journal in academic and professional networks.
• Recommending qualified editors, reviewers, or contributors.
• Participating in board discussions or meetings when invited.

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Statistical or Methodology Editors

Statistical or Methodology Editors support journals by assessing the appropriateness, transparency, and reliability of research methods, statistical analysis, data interpretation, and reporting standards.

The responsibilities of Statistical or Methodology Editors include:

• Reviewing manuscripts with complex statistical or methodological content.
• Assessing whether the research design is appropriate.
• Checking whether data analysis is clearly explained and justified.
• Advising on transparency, reproducibility, and reporting quality.
• Identifying methodological weaknesses or unsupported claims.
• Supporting ethical and responsible research reporting.
• Advising the Editorial Board on methodological standards where needed.

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Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board Members are recognised scholars who support the academic quality, visibility, and development of the journal. They may assist with peer review, editorial assessment, journal promotion, special issues, and policy development.

The responsibilities of Editorial Board Members include:

• Reviewing manuscripts within their area of expertise.
• Recommending suitable reviewers.
• Advising on manuscript suitability and academic quality.
• Supporting special issues or thematic collections.
• Promoting the journal among academic peers.
• Encouraging high-quality submissions.
• Providing feedback on journal policies and development.
• Participating in editorial board meetings where invited.
• Upholding the journal’s ethical and peer-review standards.

Editorial Board Members should avoid conflicts of interest and must maintain confidentiality throughout the editorial process.

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Supporting Editor Responsibilities

Guest Editors

Guest Editors are appointed to manage special issues, thematic collections, or invited article collections within the scope of a journal. They work under the supervision of the Editor-in-Chief, Section Editor, or Editorial Office.

The responsibilities of Guest Editors include:

• Preparing the title, aims, scope, summary, and keywords of the special issue.
• Ensuring that the proposed topic is academically relevant and within the journal’s scope.
• Inviting suitable contributors.
• Assisting with manuscript screening.
• Recommending reviewers or handling peer review where authorised.
• Making editorial recommendations according to journal policy.
• Promoting the special issue through academic and professional networks.
• Ensuring that all submissions undergo proper peer review.
• Declaring and avoiding conflicts of interest.

Guest Editors must not make decisions on manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest. In such cases, the manuscript should be handled by an independent editor.

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Collection Editors

Collection Editors may manage ongoing article collections focused on a particular theme, discipline, region, or methodological area. Their role is to support the development of a coherent scholarly collection over time.

The responsibilities of Collection Editors include:

• Defining the academic focus of the collection.
• Encouraging relevant submissions.
• Supporting peer review and editorial assessment where authorised.
• Promoting the collection to relevant research communities.
• Ensuring that accepted articles meet the journal’s quality and ethical standards.
• Working with the Editorial Office to maintain the visibility and coherence of the collection.

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Early Career Editorial Board Members

Early Career Editorial Board Members are emerging scholars who contribute fresh perspectives, disciplinary diversity, and academic energy to the journal. They may support peer review, promotion, special initiatives, and editorial development under the guidance of senior editors.

The responsibilities of Early Career Editorial Board Members include:

• Reviewing manuscripts within their expertise.
• Promoting the journal at conferences, seminars, and academic networks.
• Supporting journal visibility through responsible academic engagement.
• Suggesting emerging research topics.
• Assisting with special issues or scholarly initiatives.
• Providing feedback on journal development.
• Encouraging high-quality submissions from early career and international researchers.

Early Career Editorial Board Members should receive appropriate guidance and should not be expected to handle complex ethical or editorial decision-making without senior editorial support.

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Ethical Standards for Editors

All ICRP editors must follow the principles of integrity, impartiality, confidentiality, accountability, and academic independence.

Editors must:

• Treat all manuscripts fairly and without discrimination.
• Base decisions on academic merit and journal scope.
• Protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
• Avoid conflicts of interest.
• Ensure that peer review is fair and constructive.
• Respond appropriately to ethical concerns.
• Correct or retract published work where necessary according to journal policy.
• Respect authors, reviewers, readers, and editorial colleagues.
• Avoid using editorial roles for personal, institutional, political, or commercial advantage.

Editors should be familiar with the journal’s policies on authorship, plagiarism, AI use, data availability, conflicts of interest, research ethics, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.

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Conflicts of Interest

Editors must declare any potential conflict of interest that may affect their ability to handle a manuscript fairly. Conflicts may include recent collaboration with the authors, institutional affiliation, personal relationships, financial interests, academic competition, or any other circumstance that could reasonably be perceived as affecting impartiality.

Where a conflict exists, the editor must not handle the manuscript. The submission should be reassigned to an independent editor.

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Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions where they believe there has been a procedural error, misunderstanding, or unfair assessment. Appeals must be handled carefully, transparently, and independently where possible.

The appeal process may involve:

• Reviewing the original decision.
• Checking reviewer comments and editorial correspondence.
• Consulting the Editor-in-Chief or an independent Editorial Board Member.
• Seeking additional expert advice where necessary.
• Providing a clear response to the author.

Complaints relating to ethics, reviewer conduct, editorial conduct, or publication processes should be investigated according to the journal’s policies and relevant publication ethics standards ↗.

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Promotion and Journal Development

Editors are encouraged to support the responsible development and visibility of ICRP journals. This may include:

• Recommending high-quality submissions.
• Promoting published articles through academic networks.
• Encouraging special issues in emerging areas.
• Inviting respected scholars to contribute.
• Supporting indexing and quality improvement initiatives.
• Participating in editorial discussions.
• Providing feedback on journal policies and workflows.
• Encouraging ethical, inclusive, and international scholarship.

Promotion must be professional and must not compromise editorial independence or peer-review integrity.

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New Journal Proposals and Publishing Partnerships

ICRP welcomes serious academic proposals for new journals, special issues, collections, publishing collaborations, and journal development initiatives. Proposals should demonstrate a clear scholarly need, a defined academic scope, a qualified editorial leadership team, and a sustainable publication plan.

Proposals may include:

• New journal launches.
• Transfer or development of existing journals.
• Special issues or thematic collections.
• Institutional publishing partnerships.
• Regional or interdisciplinary research initiatives.
• Open access publishing collaborations.

All proposals are assessed based on academic value, editorial feasibility, ethical standards, and alignment with ICRP’s publishing mission.

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Comments and Questions

For general editorial, publishing, or journal-related inquiries, editors and contributors should contact the relevant ICRP journal Editorial Office ↗. For journal-specific questions, authors and editors should consult the journal website, including its aims and scope, author guidelines, peer-review policy, publication ethics statement, and contact information.

ICRP values the contribution of editors, reviewers, authors, and academic partners in maintaining high standards of scholarly publishing and supporting the responsible dissemination of research.

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