1 Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions in AJOMENA are made with full academic and procedural independence, ensuring that all manuscripts are evaluated solely on their scholarly merit and contribution to the field of marine and offshore engineering.

All submitted manuscripts are assessed strictly according to the following core criteria:

• Scientific originality and novelty of contribution
• Methodological rigour and technical validity
• Clarity, coherence, and academic quality of presentation
• Relevance to marine engineering, offshore engineering, or naval architecture
• Contribution to theoretical advancement or practical engineering applications

1.1 Independence from Financial Influence

The editorial decision-making process is completely independent of all financial considerations. In particular:

• Article Processing Charges (APCs) have no influence whatsoever on acceptance or rejection decisions
• Payment status is not communicated to reviewers or editors involved in manuscript evaluation
• Editorial decisions are made prior to any financial transaction, ensuring unbiased scholarly judgment
• No commercial interest, sponsorship arrangement, or funding entity can influence editorial outcomes

1.2 Independence from Institutional Influence

AJOMENA maintains a strict separation between editorial operations and institutional ownership. Specifically:

• The owning institution (Nigerian Institute of Marine Engineers and Naval Architects) has no role in individual manuscript acceptance decisions
• Editorial decisions are protected from institutional, political, or organisational pressure
• Editors operate autonomously within a defined governance framework approved by the Editorial Board

1.3 Conflict of Interest Safeguards

To preserve integrity and neutrality:

• Editors and reviewers must declare all potential conflicts of interest before handling manuscripts
• Any editor with a conflict is automatically recused from the decision process
• Manuscripts are reassigned to independent editors when conflicts arise
• Reviewer anonymity is maintained throughout the evaluation process to ensure unbiased assessment

1.4 Peer Review Integrity Protection

Editorial independence is reinforced by a double-blind peer review system, ensuring that:

• Authors do not know reviewer identities
• Reviewers do not know author identities
• Editorial decisions are based exclusively on reviewer reports and editorial assessment
• External influence is eliminated at all stages of evaluation

1.5 Governance and Accountability Framework

AJOMENA ensures editorial independence through structured governance, including:

• An Editorial Board composed of independent subject experts
• Clearly defined editorial workflow and decision hierarchy
• Documentation of all editorial decisions for audit and transparency purposes
• Annual reporting of editorial performance indicators (acceptance rate, review time, rejection rate)

1.6 Integrity Assurance Statement

AJOMENA guarantees that editorial decisions are scientifically driven, ethically governed, and procedurally independent, thereby ensuring the integrity of the scholarly record and alignment with international publishing standards, including COPE and the Web of Science evaluation principles.

2 Editorial Transparency

AJOMENA is committed to full editorial transparency by publishing an annual editorial report that details key journal performance indicators and editorial operations.

The annual report includes:

• Submission Statistics: Total manuscripts received within the reporting period
• Acceptance and Rejection Rates: Proportion of accepted, revised, and rejected submissions
• Geographic Distribution of Authors: Regional and international representation of contributing authors
• Editorial Board Composition: Structure, expertise, and institutional affiliation of board members
• Review Timelines: Average time from submission to first decision and final publication

These reports ensure accountability, performance monitoring, and trust in the journal’s editorial process.

3 International Diversity Policy (AJOMENA)

AJOMENA promotes global inclusivity, fairness, and academic diversity across all stages of the publication process.

3.1 Editorial Board Diversity

• The editorial board must include internationally diverse members representing multiple regions and research backgrounds
• Continuous efforts are made to ensure balanced global representation in editorial decision-making

3.2 Global Authorship Inclusion

• Submissions are encouraged from researchers worldwide, regardless of geographic location or institutional affiliation
• The journal actively supports contributions from underrepresented regions and emerging research communities

3.3 Non-Discriminatory Review Process

• Manuscripts are evaluated solely on scientific quality, originality, and methodological rigour
• No geographic, institutional, or personal bias is permitted during peer review
• Reviewer selection is based on expertise, not location

3.4 Diversity Monitoring and Reporting

• AJOMENA publishes an annual diversity report outlining author distribution, reviewer demographics, and editorial board representation
• The journal continuously evaluates its inclusivity practices to ensure equitable participation

4 Editorial Quality Assurance Standards

AJOMENA continuously monitors peer review quality through:

• Reviewer performance evaluation (timeliness and quality of reports)
• Editorial consistency checks across decisions
• Periodic review of peer review policies
• Maintenance of a diverse and international reviewer database