FAQ for AEs

1. Conflict of Interest (CoI)

Q: What should I do if I discover a conflict of interest with the authors of a manuscript assigned to me?

A: AEs must avoid reviewing any manuscripts where there is a conflict of interest (CoI). A CoI arises when the first or corresponding authors are recent collaborators or in other sensitive relationships. Please refer to the NIH CoI definition here for general guidelines. While there may be minor country-specific variations in CoI definitions, the essential principles remain the same. In case of uncertainty, please consult with our TMI Managing Editors (MEs), Uwe Kruger or Hongming Shan. If you identify a CoI after a manuscript has been assigned, it is your responsibility to notify the MEs immediately and request reassignment. Handling papers with CoI may result in ethical violations, which could result in dismissal from the AE role.

2. Delayed Manuscripts

Q: What should I do if I cannot find enough reviewers for a manuscript that has been delayed for a while?

A: Submissions that have significant delays need to be handled proactively. If assistance is needed, please contact the MEs to prevent an undesirable backlog. Such a delay often arises when AEs cannot secure reviewers. To address this, we are considering implementing a protocol similar to that of a sister IEEE journal: “If the AE cannot obtain two review reports within 6 weeks, the manuscript will be rejected through an Editor-Initiated Rejection (EIR) and returned to the corresponding author, allowing submission to other more suitable journals. If the manuscript is resubmitted to the same journal, the authors should provide the previous submission ID and a detailed revision report, and the process will be restarted with a different AE and additional reviewers.” For TMI, I propose the following draft:

  • If an AE is unable to secure at least two reviewers within 6 weeks of manuscript assignment, the AE should document their due-diligence effort of inviting at least 20 reviewers and report to the MEs.
  • Based on this report, the MEs may reassign the manuscript to another AE or reject it with an explanation, ensuring authors are not trapped at TMI.
  • This “Delink Policy” aims to ensure fairness to authors and maintain operational efficiency.