EDITORIAL ENDOGENY & SELF-PUBLICATION POLICY

The Link journal of Speech, Language and Audiology (JSLA) is committed to maintaining editorial objectivity, diversity of authorship, and the highest standards of academic integrity. JSLA seeks to serve as a credible international platform for broad scholarly participation rather than a channel for disproportionate self-publication by its own editorial leadership. To protect the integrity of editorial decision-making and to reduce real or perceived conflicts of interest, JSLA applies safeguards to limit “editorial endogeny” (sometimes referred to as endogamy) and to ensure that manuscripts submitted by individuals involved in journal governance are handled through fully independent processes.

Definition of Editorial Endogeny

Editorial endogeny refers to the proportion of articles published in the journal that are authored or co-authored by individuals who hold formal roles within the journal’s editorial and peer review ecosystem. For the purposes of this policy, this includes the Editor-in-Chief, associate editors, section editors, editorial board members, advisory board members, guest editors involved in special issues, and individuals who serve as regular reviewers for the journal in an ongoing capacity. JSLA treats these categories as potential sources of power imbalance because they may have privileged access to editorial processes, insider knowledge of standards, or relationships that could compromise impartiality if not properly managed.

Endogeny Limits

JSLA enforces an endogeny limit designed to protect editorial diversity and the credibility of peer review. No more than 5% of articles published in any given volume year may be authored or co-authored by members of the journal’s editorial team as defined above. This limit is intended to maintain broad representation of the scholarly community, preserve objectivity in peer review and editorial outcomes, reduce conflicts of interest, and support transparency expectations commonly applied during indexing evaluations and journal assessments. The limit is applied at the volume-year level to reflect the full publication output of the journal rather than isolated issues, and it is implemented as a governance safeguard rather than as a measure of the scientific merit of any individual submission.

Monitoring & Compliance

3.1 Annual Monitoring

JSLA monitors editorial endogeny as part of its governance and quality assurance practices. The editorial office tracks the total number of articles published within each volume year and identifies articles authored or co-authored by individuals covered under this policy. The journal calculates the annual proportion of such publications and maintains internal records that can support audits, evaluations, and continuous improvement. A summary of annual endogeny monitoring is reported through journal governance channels to ensure visibility and accountability in management oversight.

3.2 Periodic Reviews

To reduce the risk of exceeding the annual threshold late in the publication year, JSLA may review endogeny status periodically as part of routine editorial operations. When the proportion approaches the threshold, additional caution is applied in scheduling and handling submissions from covered individuals, including deferring consideration to a subsequent volume year where appropriate and where this does not compromise fairness or scientific integrity. These reviews are intended to support proactive compliance rather than reactive correction.

3.3 Transparency

JSLA maintains transparency regarding endogeny safeguards. Endogeny statistics and the governance approach used to manage self-publication risks may be disclosed upon request, and the journal may present these records as part of evaluations conducted by indexing services, academic bodies, or other assessment frameworks. The journal treats transparency as a tool for accountability and reputational integrity, while still maintaining confidentiality of peer review records and personal data as required.

Handling Submissions From Editorial Team Members

4.1 Mandatory Recusal

When an editorial team member submits a manuscript to JSLA, mandatory recusal applies immediately and comprehensively. The submitting editor or board member must not handle their own manuscript in any capacity and must not participate in reviewer selection, editorial deliberation, or decision-making for that submission. They must not access reviewer identities, confidential reviewer comments, internal editorial notes, or any non-public system records relating to the manuscript. Recusal is intended to remove both actual influence and the perception of influence, and it applies regardless of the seniority or role of the submitting individual.

4.2 Independent Handling

Manuscripts submitted by individuals covered under this policy are assigned to an independent handling editor who has no relevant conflict of interest. Where feasible, the handling editor should not be affiliated with the same institution as the submitting editorial member and should not have a recent collaboration or supervisory relationship with them. If a suitable internal editor cannot be assigned without conflicts, JSLA may appoint an external guest handling editor for the specific manuscript to ensure independent oversight. The handling editor exercises full editorial authority over the submission, including reviewer selection, revision decisions, and final recommendation.

4.3 Rigorous Peer Review

Submissions from editorial team members are subjected to the same peer review standards, ethical checks, and decision thresholds applied to all manuscripts, and they are not granted preferential timelines or procedural advantages. To protect credibility and reduce perceptions of favoritism, such submissions undergo double-blind peer review with at least two independent external reviewers, and additional review may be requested if reviewer reports are inconclusive or conflicting. The handling editor may apply heightened scrutiny to ensure that methodological and reporting standards are met and that the editorial record clearly demonstrates fairness and independence.

4.4 Conflict of Interest Declaration

Authors who hold editorial or governance roles within JSLA must disclose their relationship to the journal in the manuscript’s competing interests statement. The disclosure should clearly state the individual’s role and affirm that they were not involved in handling the manuscript, reviewer selection, or editorial decision-making. This disclosure is intended to inform readers transparently and to support trust that the journal applied appropriate safeguards.

Special Issues & Guest Editors

5.1 Guest Editor Submissions

For special issues managed by guest editors, JSLA applies the same principles of independence and proportionality. No more than 5% of articles within a special issue should be authored or co-authored by the guest editor(s), and guest editors must not handle, review, or influence decisions on their own submissions. Guest editor manuscripts are assigned to the Editor-in-Chief or an independent handling editor, and peer review is administered with the same rigor applied to standard submissions, including independent external review and conflict-of-interest controls.

5.2 Independent Oversight

All special issues remain subject to oversight by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated senior editor to ensure consistent standards across the journal. Oversight includes confirming that peer review was properly conducted, that conflicts of interest were managed, that endogeny safeguards were applied, and that final publication decisions reflect scientific merit and ethical compliance rather than sponsor or editor influence. Special issue governance is documented to support transparency and accountability.

Reviewer Manuscripts

6.1 Regular Reviewers

If a reviewer who regularly reviews for JSLA submits a manuscript, the journal applies safeguards to prevent reciprocal influence and to preserve fairness. Such individuals must not review manuscripts for JSLA while their own submission is under review, and their manuscript is handled through an independent editorial pathway with careful reviewer selection to avoid conflicts. The journal treats ongoing reviewers as part of the journal’s governance ecosystem because repeated involvement in review processes can create reciprocal expectations if not properly controlled.

6.2 No Quid Pro Quo

JSLA strictly prohibits reciprocal reviewing arrangements, peer review rings, trading of authorship or citations, and any behavior intended to manipulate editorial outcomes. The journal treats coercive citation practices, coordinated reviewer behavior, or undisclosed reciprocal agreements as serious breaches of publication ethics. Where credible evidence of such activity exists, the journal may reject the manuscript, remove individuals from editorial or reviewer roles, apply sanctions, and take additional integrity actions consistent with its ethics and misconduct procedures.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

7.1 If Endogeny Limit Is Exceeded

If the annual endogeny threshold is exceeded within a given volume year, JSLA implements corrective measures promptly. Such measures may include deferring additional manuscripts authored by covered individuals to a subsequent volume year, tightening internal scheduling controls, and preparing a documented corrective action plan for governance and evaluation purposes. Where a third-party evaluation requires disclosure of corrective actions, the journal may provide an objective summary of the steps taken to restore compliance while maintaining confidentiality of peer review records.

7.2 Individual Violations

If an editor, board member, guest editor, or reviewer is found to have influenced the handling of their own manuscript, violated recusal requirements, attempted to manipulate peer review, or engaged in quid pro quo arrangements, JSLA may apply proportionate sanctions. These may include rejection of the manuscript, retraction of a published article where the integrity of the process was compromised, removal from editorial or reviewer roles, notification to affiliated institutions where warranted, temporary or permanent submission restrictions, and other governance actions necessary to protect the journal’s credibility and the scholarly record.

Contact for Concerns

Concerns regarding editorial endogeny, self-publication safeguards, conflicts of interest, or suspected process manipulation may be reported confidentially to the journal at editor@jsla.com. JSLA evaluates such concerns under its Complaints and Appeals procedures and applies confidentiality protections appropriate to the seriousness of the allegation and the need to preserve due process.