Responsibilities of Editors and Publishers

1. Editorial Independence
Decision-Making: Editors have full authority over the editorial content and publication decisions. Decisions are based on the manuscript's relevance, originality, and quality.
Impartiality: Editors must evaluate manuscripts without bias regarding the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.

2. Confidentiality
Manuscript Handling: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and other editorial advisers. Information regarding a manuscript is kept confidential during the review process.
Reviewer Anonymity: DRT maintains the confidentiality of the review process. Reviewers’ identities are not disclosed to authors unless they request an open review process. This ensures reviewers can provide honest and unbiased feedback without fear of repercussion.

3. Conflict of Interest
Editorial Conflicts: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts with conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.
Reviewer Conflicts: Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from the review process if a conflict exists. They should also inform the editor if they have any competing interests that might affect their impartiality.

4. Accountability
Ensuring Quality: Editors are responsible for ensuring the quality and integrity of the articles published in DRT. This includes thorough peer review and editorial oversight to maintain high scientific standards.
Ethical Oversight: Editors must ensure that all research complies with ethical standards and that any ethical concerns are addressed promptly. This includes investigating ethical issues such as plagiarism, data fabrication, and falsification.
Publication Decisions: Editors should base their publication decisions on the manuscript's importance, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal's scope. They should ensure that decisions are fair and not influenced by external pressures.

5. Communication
With Authors: Editors should communicate their decisions and the rationale behind them clearly and constructively to authors. They should guide how to address reviewers' comments and improve their manuscripts.
With Reviewers: Editors should maintain open and respectful communication with reviewers, providing them with the necessary information and support to perform their duties effectively. They should also acknowledge reviewers' contributions to the journal.

6. Ethical and Legal Compliance
Adherence to Guidelines: Editors must adhere to established guidelines and policies from COPE, WAME, and other relevant bodies to ensure ethical publishing practices.
Legal Responsibilities: Editors must know and comply with relevant legal standards, including libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.