AMG Transcend Association maintains organizational oversight of its scholarly publishing activities while preserving the editorial independence of the journals it publishes.
Publisher-level responsibilities and journal-level editorial responsibilities are distinct, even where the same individual holds responsibilities in both areas.
Scientific evaluation, peer review, and decisions concerning the acceptance or rejection of individual manuscripts must follow the published editorial policies and procedures of the respective journal.
Publisher Leadership
Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu
President, AMG Transcend Association
(Founding) Editor-in-Chief
Prof. PhD Eng. Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu serves as President of AMG Transcend Association and as Editor-in-Chief of Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry.
He is Professor at the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, and is a doctoral supervisor in the field of Chemical Engineering.
His academic expertise includes materials science, nanoscience, chemical engineering, and related interdisciplinary research areas.
His professional activities include scientific research, doctoral supervision, scholarly publishing, peer review, editorial activity, and participation in scientific and educational initiatives.
Within AMG Transcend Association, he is responsible for organizational leadership and oversight of the publisher’s scholarly publishing activities.
In his role as Editor-in-Chief of Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry, he is responsible for the scientific and editorial direction of the journal in accordance with its published editorial, peer-review, research-integrity, and conflict-of-interest policies.
Publisher Management Responsibilities
Publisher-level management responsibilities include, as applicable:
- organizational oversight of scholarly publishing activities;
- maintenance and development of publisher-level policies and procedures;
- support for journal publishing infrastructure and manuscript-management systems;
- administrative and technical coordination of publishing operations;
- maintenance of accurate publisher and journal information;
- support for publication production, dissemination, accessibility, and preservation;
- promotion of ethical and responsible scholarly publishing practices;
- support for the operational continuity and sustainability of the publisher’s journals.
Publisher-level responsibilities do not provide authority to bypass or override the scientific peer-review and editorial procedures established by individual journals.
Editorial Responsibilities
Editorial responsibility for individual journals is exercised through their respective Editors-in-Chief, editors, Editorial Boards, and other appropriately appointed editorial participants.
Journal editorial structures are responsible for:
- assessing manuscripts for relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;
- overseeing independent peer review;
- selecting appropriately qualified reviewers;
- evaluating reviewer reports and author revisions;
- assessing scientific, methodological, ethical, and reporting quality;
- managing relevant conflicts of interest;
- making or recommending editorial decisions according to the journal’s editorial structure;
- safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record.
Editorial decisions must be based on scientific and scholarly considerations and must not be determined by financial, commercial, institutional, personal, or reputational interests of the publisher or its management.
Dual Publisher and Editorial Roles
AMG Transcend Association recognizes that the same individual may hold both publisher-management and journal editorial responsibilities.
Where such dual responsibilities exist, the individual must distinguish clearly between actions taken in a publisher-management capacity and actions taken in an editorial capacity.
Holding a publisher-management position must not be used to:
- obtain preferential treatment for a manuscript;
- bypass or modify established peer-review procedures;
- influence reviewer selection for personal or organizational advantage;
- alter independent reviewer assessments;
- influence an editorial decision for financial, institutional, personal, or reputational reasons;
- interfere with legitimate corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or other post-publication actions.
Editorial decisions concerning individual manuscripts must remain subject to the journal’s published editorial and conflict-of-interest procedures.
Safeguards for Conflicts Involving the Editor-in-Chief
Because the President of AMG Transcend Association also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry, specific safeguards apply where a relevant competing interest may affect independent editorial judgment.
The Editor-in-Chief must recuse themselves from substantive editorial involvement where they:
- are an author or co-author of the submitted manuscript;
- have a relevant personal, professional, financial, institutional, academic, or other competing interest;
- have a relationship with an author that could reasonably call independent judgment into question;
- are directly involved in the research under evaluation; or
- are otherwise unable to provide an independent editorial assessment.
In such circumstances, editorial responsibility must be transferred to another appropriately qualified and independent editor who has no relevant competing interest.
The independent handling editor must have genuine authority to:
- conduct or oversee the initial editorial assessment;
- select and invite peer reviewers;
- evaluate reviewer reports;
- request revisions;
- obtain additional scientific, methodological, statistical, ethical, or other expert assessment where necessary;
- recommend or make the final editorial decision in accordance with the journal’s editorial structure.
The conflicted Editor-in-Chief must not participate in reviewer selection, assessment of reviewer reports, revision requirements, editorial discussions, recommendations concerning acceptance or rejection, or the final publication decision.
Where technically and operationally feasible, access to confidential editorial information concerning such submissions should also be appropriately restricted.
Manuscripts Submitted by Editors or Publisher Leadership
Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board members, publisher leadership, journal staff, or other individuals involved in editorial or publishing operations must undergo the same scientific, ethical, editorial, and peer-review standards applied to other submissions.
Such manuscripts must be handled independently by an editor with no relevant competing interest.
The submitting individual must participate solely in their capacity as an author and must not use editorial authority, publisher authority, internal access, or organizational position to influence the evaluation or publication of the manuscript.
Where appropriate, published articles may include a transparency statement confirming that an author holds an editorial position and that the manuscript was handled independently.
Qualifications and Relevant Expertise
AMG Transcend Association considers appropriate academic, scientific, editorial, professional, and operational experience when assigning responsibilities related to scholarly publishing.
Relevant qualifications and experience may include:
- academic and research qualifications;
- demonstrated subject-matter expertise;
- experience in scientific research and scholarly communication;
- experience in journal editing and peer review;
- familiarity with research and publication ethics;
- experience with manuscript assessment and editorial workflows;
- knowledge of scholarly publishing standards and responsible editorial practice;
- experience with publication production, dissemination, or publishing infrastructure, where relevant to the role.
Scientific and editorial responsibilities should be assigned according to relevant expertise and independence rather than commercial, financial, or institutional considerations.
Editorial and Operational Competence
AMG Transcend Association seeks to ensure that individuals involved in scholarly publishing activities perform responsibilities appropriate to their expertise.
Editors and reviewers are selected primarily on the basis of relevant scientific or scholarly expertise, independence, and their ability to contribute appropriately to manuscript evaluation.
Administrative and technical functions are distinguished from scientific editorial authority. Staff members or service providers performing production, administrative, or technical tasks do not obtain editorial decision-making authority solely because of those responsibilities.
Where specialized assessment is required, journals may seek independent scientific, methodological, statistical, ethical, or other expert advice.
Accountability
Individuals involved in publisher management and journal operations are expected to act according to the principles of:
- editorial independence;
- transparency;
- impartiality;
- research and publication integrity;
- appropriate management of competing interests;
- confidentiality;
- accountability;
- protection of the scholarly record.
Concerns regarding inappropriate interference, conflicts of interest, or failures of editorial independence will be handled through the publisher’s and journal’s applicable conflict-of-interest, publication-ethics, editorial-governance, and complaints procedures.
Further Information
Additional information concerning AMG Transcend Association is available under:
- Publisher Information;
- Publishing History and Experience;
- Editorial Governance;
- Publisher Policies;
- Editorial Independence and Governance.
Journal-specific information concerning Editors-in-Chief, Editorial Boards, peer-review procedures, and editorial policies is provided on the respective journal websites.