Governance

Editorial policies

These policies describe how Lumora journals are governed: who makes editorial decisions, how the independence of those decisions is protected, and what authors, readers, and editors can expect from the publisher.

One principle above all. Editorial decisions at Lumora journals are made on scholarly merit alone. The publisher's commercial interests — including article processing charges — never influence what is accepted or rejected, and an author's ability to pay is never known to reviewers and never a factor in the decision.

Editorial independence

Each Lumora journal is editorially independent. The editor-in-chief has full authority over the journal's scholarly content: what is sent to review, who reviews it, and what is accepted, revised, or rejected. The publisher provides infrastructure, funding, and operational support, but does not interfere in individual editorial decisions and cannot overturn them. This separation follows the ICMJE and COPE positions on the relationship between editors and publishers.

Decisions rest on relevance, originality, methodological rigor, ethical soundness, and fit with the journal's scope.
Submissions are judged on their content — never on the identity, affiliation, nationality, gender, or seniority of the authors, and never on ability to pay the APC.
Manuscripts authored by editors or editorial board members are handled by another editor with no involvement of the author-editor, under the same standards as any other submission (see the Conflict of Interest Policy).

Roles and responsibilities

Editor-in-chief

Owns the journal's scholarly direction, scope, and quality standards.
Makes or delegates final decisions on all manuscripts and is accountable for the integrity of the peer review process.
Appoints editorial board members and handling editors, and reviews their performance.
Leads the handling of ethics cases, appeals, and complaints per Publication Ethics.

Editorial board

Advises on scope, policy, and strategy; champions the journal in the research community.
Handles manuscripts as associate or handling editors, reviews submissions, and suggests qualified reviewers.
Board membership is reviewed periodically; members act under the same conflict-of-interest and confidentiality rules as external reviewers. Current members are listed on the Editorial Board page.

Publisher (Lumora)

Provides the publishing platform, indexing and archiving arrangements, production, and long-term preservation (see the Archiving Policy).
Maintains transparent public policies on peer review, ethics, fees, copyright, and corrections, and keeps them aligned with COPE Core Practices and ICMJE Recommendations.
Safeguards editorial independence contractually and in practice, and supports editors in misconduct investigations.
Lumora is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is registered with the Saudi Ministry of Media. Publisher inquiries: Support@lumora.sa (response within 24 hours, 24/7).

Journal governance

Every Lumora journal operates under a documented governance structure: a named editor-in-chief, an editorial board with defined terms, and public policies covering peer review, ethics, open access, and fees. New journals launch with these structures in place, not as an afterthought. Changes to a journal's scope, title, or editorial leadership are announced on the journal's site. Journal performance — including decision times and the quality of peer review — is reviewed regularly by the editor-in-chief and the publisher together, without touching individual editorial decisions.

Special issues and guest-edited collections

Special issues can serve readers well, but they are also a known integrity risk in scholarly publishing. Lumora journals therefore apply the following safeguards:

Every special issue proposal is approved by the editor-in-chief, who remains accountable for all content published in the journal.
Guest editors are appointed by the editor-in-chief, declare conflicts of interest, and receive the journal's editorial policies before work begins.
Manuscripts in special issues undergo the same peer review standards as regular submissions — same review model, same criteria, same decision options.
Guest editors do not handle manuscripts they authored or co-authored; those are managed by the editor-in-chief or an independent editor.
Special issue articles are clearly labelled as such, and the editor-in-chief may halt or unwind a special issue if integrity concerns emerge.

Advertising policy

Lumora journal websites currently carry no third-party advertising. Should advertising ever be introduced, the following rules apply in advance:

Advertising is completely separate from editorial decision-making; advertisers and sponsors have no influence over editorial content, and editorial staff are not involved in selling advertising.
Advertisements must be clearly distinguishable from scholarly content and must never be juxtaposed with related editorial content in a way that implies endorsement.
Ads for products known to be harmful to health, and ads that are misleading or undignified, are not accepted.
Acceptance of an advertisement is never a condition of, and never linked to, acceptance of a manuscript.

Equity and diversity in editorial boards

Lumora is committed to editorial boards that reflect the communities the journals serve. When appointing editors, board members, and reviewers, we actively consider gender balance, geographic and institutional diversity, and career stage, alongside subject expertise — a broader range of perspectives produces fairer review and better journals. As a publisher rooted in Saudi Arabia, we particularly encourage the participation of researchers from the region alongside international colleagues, and our double-anonymous review model (see the Peer Review Policy) supports assessment free of bias regarding identity or origin.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts under consideration are confidential. Editors and board members do not disclose the existence, content, or status of a submission to anyone beyond those involved in its assessment, and do not use unpublished material for their own research. Editorial correspondence and reviewer identities are likewise confidential, disclosed only where a misconduct investigation requires it.

Conflicts of interest

Editors, board members, reviewers, and authors must disclose relationships that could be seen to influence the work or its assessment, and editors recuse themselves from any submission in which they have a conflict. Full requirements are in the Conflict of Interest Policy.

Corrections and post-publication issues

Where errors or integrity concerns affect the published record, journals issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions with clear, linked notices, following COPE — see the Corrections & Retractions Policy. Readers are encouraged to raise post-publication concerns with the editorial office.

Complaints and appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions with a reasoned, evidence-based request (see the Peer Review Policy). Complaints about editorial processes, an editor's conduct, or the publisher are sent to Support@lumora.sa, acknowledged within 24 hours, investigated by someone not involved in the original matter, and answered substantively. The full procedure is in Publication Ethics.

Last updated: July 2026 · Related: Publication Ethics, Peer Review Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, Editorial Board, All Policies