The Journal of Communication, Language and Culture (JCLC) defines its editorial roles and responsibilities to uphold quality, integrity, and transparency in scholarly publishing. We follow the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (v4, 2022) and apply the 10 Core Practices of COPE throughout our editorial workflows. JCLC maintains editorial independence, ensures rigorous double-blind peer review, and fosters a respectful, safe, and inclusive environment for all contributors regardless of gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, nationality, or career stage. We especially encourage participation from underrepresented communities in the fields of communication, language, and culture.

All contributors are expected to demonstrate professional conduct. Harassment, discrimination, or intimidation are not tolerated. Confidentiality is protected throughout peer review and complaint handling, and allegations of misconduct are addressed fairly, without retaliation, and in line with COPE guidance. Reasonable accommodations for disabilities and caregiving responsibilities are provided confidentially, and accessibility requests have no impact on editorial outcomes. Concerns should be reported to the editorial office, where they will be acknowledged, investigated, and resolved appropriately.

1. Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief provides strategic direction and holds final authority over acceptance and rejection decisions. This role ensures that editorial independence is preserved, peer review remains rigorous and timely, and ethical concerns are managed in accordance with COPE flowcharts. The Editor-in-Chief also signs off on corrections and retractions, leads policy development, appoints handling editors where needed, and safeguards the integrity and reputation of the journal.

2. Managing Editor

The Managing Editor oversee the day-to-day operations of the journal. They are responsible for screening submissions for scope, policy compliance, and ethical standards; assigning manuscripts for review; and monitoring disclosures such as similarity checks, data availability, and AI use. They manage communication and timelines with authors and reviewers, support accessibility requests, and escalate ethical or conflict-of-interest concerns to the Editor-in-Chief. They may serve as handling editors for submissions, selecting qualified reviewers, synthesizing reviewer feedback, and recommending editorial decisions. The Managing Editor ensure that peer review is fair, constructive, and free of conflicts of interest. They also contribute to the journal’s development by advising on scope, policy, and special initiatives, and by supporting inclusivity and rigor in all editorial activities. The Managing Editor also report on journal performance and help ensure that service standards are consistently met.

3. Guest or Thematic Editor

The Guest or Thematic Editor’s role is to curate a thematic collection within a JCLC issue by developing a specific theme that is within the scope of JCLC, inviting submissions and overseeing the submission and peer-review process for manuscripts focused on that theme, ultimately creating a coherent compilation of papers that deepens understanding of the theme and fills knowledge gaps. The Thematic Editor is responsible for the editorial process for the thematic issue under the guidance and oversight of the Managing Editor or Editor-in-Chief. All journal policies regarding ethics, peer review, malpractice and conflicts are to be adhered by the Thematic Editor with all decisions to be confirmed by the Managing Editor or Editor—in-Chief responsible for the thematic issue with the aim of ensuring that all accepted manuscripts are held to the same standards as regular issue.

4. Editorial Board

The Editorial Board is the core team that guides JCLC content development. The Editorial Board provides advice on the journal policy and scope, identifying topics and special issues, promoting the journal. Editorial board members also serve as handling editors for submissions, selecting qualified reviewers, synthesizing reviewer feedback, and recommending editorial decisions.

5. International Editorial Board

The International Editorial Board is composed of and made up of global experts in the field of communication, language and culture and associated disciplines aligned to JCLC to provide advice on journal policy and scope, quality and future development strategy of the journal.

6. Co-Editors

The Co-Editors work alongside the Managing Editor to support the editorial and production processes of the journal. They edit manuscripts for grammar, readability, and journal style while respecting author voice and technical accuracy. They flag ambiguous or ethically sensitive wording and ensure that corrections or clarifications are addressed with the corresponding author. They are responsible for verifying figures, tables, equations, references, and licenses, and for embedding DOIs, funding metadata, and accessibility features such as alt text and tagged PDFs.

Co-Editors also prepare and review proofs, checking for typos, formatting issues, broken links, and consistency across the manuscript. They coordinate with authors to confirm proof corrections and verify that the version of record reflects the accepted content. By performing a final quality check prior to publication, they help ensure that articles are accurate, accessible, and consistent with journal standards.

7. Reviewers

Reviewers provide expert, unbiased, and constructive evaluations of submissions. They are expected to follow COPE’s Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, maintain confidentiality, declare conflicts of interest, and deliver timely, respectful, and evidence-based feedback. Reviewers must avoid coercive citation practices and may not use AI tools to generate reviews or upload confidential material into external systems. Their input is central to maintaining the rigor and fairness of JCLC publications.

8. Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and transparency of their work. Submissions must be original, not under consideration elsewhere, and compliant with accepted authorship criteria. Authors are required to disclose conflicts of interest, sources of funding, ethics approval where applicable, and any use of AI tools (which cannot be credited as authors). They must also provide Data Availability Statements when relevant and cooperate fully with corrections, retractions, or other updates. Misconduct such as plagiarism, fabrication, or duplicate submission may result in rejection, retraction, and notification of institutions.

Editorial decision-making at JCLC is guided by fairness and accountability. Only editors without conflicts of interest may handle a manuscript, and recusals are documented in cases of recent collaboration, shared affiliations, or personal relationships with authors. The Editor-in-Chief confirms final decisions, and independent handling may be appointed when appropriate. JCLC values timeliness, transparency, and recognition of contributions, with reviewer service optionally acknowledged through ORCID or similar platforms without compromising confidentiality.

Finally, JCLC welcomes questions, suggestions, and concerns from authors, reviewers, and readers. Reports of ethical issues are acknowledged, investigated, and acted upon using COPE guidance, with outcomes communicated appropriately and case records maintained confidentially. This Roles and Responsibilities page is part of JCLC’s transparency framework and complements our policies on Authorship, Malpractice, Peer Review and  Publication Ethics. Our goal is to keep processes clear, welcoming, and actionable so that all participants can contribute to a rigorous and inclusive scholarly record.

The roles and responsibilities will be periodically reviewed and revised as necessary to reflect developments in journal management and publishing practices.

Last Reviewed: 1 September 2025