Editorial Board Policy

The Editorial Board of the Uzbek Journal "Problems of Mechanics" consists of scholars and specialists with appropriate academic qualifications, publication experience, professional standing, and expertise in mechanics and related fields.

The Editorial Board contributes to the development of the journal’s scientific direction, ensures the academic quality of published materials, protects the impartiality and independence of editorial processes, and supports compliance with international publication ethics standards.

Editorial Board members may have relevant expertise in the following areas:

  • theoretical and applied mechanics;
  • solid mechanics;
  • fluid and gas mechanics;
  • computational mechanics;
  • structural mechanics;
  • dynamics, vibration, and stability;
  • hydromechanics and the mechanics of hydraulic structures;
  • theory of machines and mechanisms;
  • mechanics of transport, agricultural, and textile machinery;
  • mechanics of materials and engineering materials science;
  • modelling, optimization, and control of mechanical systems;
  • other engineering and interdisciplinary fields related to mechanics.

Purpose of the Editorial Board

The primary purpose of the Editorial Board is to strengthen the scientific reputation, academic quality, editorial independence, and international standing of the journal.

The Editorial Board provides recommendations on the journal’s development strategy, contributes scientific expertise to editorial processes, and supports the publication of high-quality research consistent with the journal’s aims and scope.

Main Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

Within the scope of their authority, Editorial Board members are expected to:

  • contribute to the development of the journal’s scientific direction and long-term strategy;
  • periodically evaluate the journal’s aims and scope;
  • participate in the initial scientific assessment of submitted manuscripts;
  • recommend appropriately qualified and independent peer reviewers;
  • review manuscripts when appropriate;
  • provide scientific and methodological advice concerning editorial decisions;
  • support the originality, relevance, methodological soundness, and scientific significance of published content;
  • promote compliance with publication ethics, research integrity principles, and journal policies;
  • develop scientific cooperation and international academic relations;
  • assist in attracting high-quality manuscripts to the journal;
  • propose special issues and thematic collections;
  • contribute to increasing the journal’s international visibility, academic reputation, and citation potential;
  • participate regularly in Editorial Board meetings and consultations.

Membership of the Editorial Board does not require a member to review every manuscript submitted to the journal. However, members are expected to make regular and meaningful contributions to the journal within their areas of expertise.

Editorial Structure

The journal’s editorial structure may include the following positions:

Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief:

  • provides overall leadership for the journal’s scientific and editorial activities;
  • protects editorial independence;
  • determines the journal’s scientific direction and development strategy;
  • participates in the selection and performance evaluation of Editorial Board members;
  • makes decisions on complex scientific, ethical, or procedural matters;
  • has final editorial authority over the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.

The Editor-in-Chief considers the recommendations of reviewers and editors when making decisions but remains personally accountable for the final editorial decision.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief

The Deputy Editor-in-Chief:

  • assists the Editor-in-Chief in managing the journal;
  • coordinates editorial processes;
  • handles manuscripts when assigned by the Editor-in-Chief;
  • performs designated duties of the Editor-in-Chief in their absence;
  • participates in the development and implementation of journal policies.

Executive Secretary

The Executive Secretary:

  • coordinates manuscript receipt and technical completeness checks;
  • manages administrative communication with authors, editors, and reviewers;
  • monitors the timelines of peer review and editorial processes;
  • maintains editorial records and correspondence;
  • participates in administrative activities related to the preparation of journal issues.

The Executive Secretary does not independently make final scientific decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.

Section Editors or Associate Editors

Where appointed by the journal, Section Editors or Associate Editors:

  • manage manuscripts within their areas of expertise;
  • select reviewers and supervise the peer review process;
  • evaluate reviewer reports and authors’ responses;
  • provide the Editor-in-Chief with a reasoned editorial recommendation.

Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board members:

  • provide advisory and expert support for the journal’s scientific development;
  • participate in manuscript assessment or peer review;
  • recommend qualified reviewers;
  • contribute to the improvement of journal policies and scientific priorities;
  • represent the journal within the academic community.

Selection of Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board members are selected according to the following criteria:

  • scientific expertise relevant to the journal’s scope;
  • an appropriate academic degree or equivalent professional experience;
  • a record of publication and scholarly activity in recognized academic journals;
  • experience in peer review and editorial processes;
  • commitment to research integrity and publication ethics;
  • professional reputation and academic integrity;
  • ability to participate regularly in the journal’s activities;
  • potential to contribute to the geographical and institutional diversity of the journal.

When forming the Editorial Board, the journal considers appropriate representation from different countries, scientific schools, institutions, disciplines, and career stages.

The Editorial Board should not be composed exclusively of representatives from a single institution or a narrow academic group.

Appointment and Consent

Before joining the Editorial Board, each member must provide:

  • full name;
  • academic degree and academic title;
  • professional position;
  • institutional affiliation and country;
  • institutional email address;
  • ORCID identifier, where available;
  • information about their research activity and area of expertise.

Each candidate must explicitly consent to serve on the Editorial Board and to the publication of their professional information on the journal’s website.

No person may be listed as a member of the Editorial Board without their prior consent.

Term of Appointment

Editorial Board members may be appointed for a term determined by the journal. Their appointment may be renewed depending on their active participation, scholarly contribution, and compliance with the journal’s requirements.

The composition of the Editorial Board is reviewed periodically to ensure its continued relevance, interdisciplinary and international representation, and alignment with the journal’s needs.

Editorial Independence

The work of the Editorial Board is based on the principles of scientific impartiality, transparency, confidentiality, and editorial independence.

Decisions concerning manuscripts are based solely on:

  • scientific quality;
  • originality;
  • methodological soundness;
  • relevance to the journal’s scope;
  • reliability of the results;
  • scientific and practical significance;
  • compliance with publication ethics requirements.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by an author’s position, academic title, institutional affiliation, nationality, citizenship, gender, religion, political views, or other personal characteristics.

The publisher, owner, funding organizations, public authorities, commercial organizations, and other interested parties must not interfere in editorial decisions concerning individual manuscripts.

Competing Interests

Editorial Board members must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived competing interest that may affect their editorial responsibilities.

A competing interest may relate to:

  • recent co-authorship or collaboration with an author;
  • employment at the same institution;
  • supervisory or mentoring relationships;
  • personal or family relationships;
  • financial interests;
  • professional disputes;
  • direct academic competition;
  • participation in preparing the manuscript or conducting the research.

An Editorial Board member with a competing interest must be excluded from handling the relevant manuscript, selecting reviewers, participating in internal discussions, or making an editorial decision.

Manuscripts Submitted by Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board members are permitted to submit manuscripts to the journal. However, their submissions are subject to the same scientific, ethical, and peer review requirements as manuscripts submitted by other authors.

A manuscript authored or co-authored by an Editorial Board member must:

  • be handled by an independent editor who has no relevant competing interest;
  • be reviewed by at least two independent experts;
  • be assessed without the participation of the Editorial Board member who is an author;
  • receive no preferential or accelerated treatment.

An Editorial Board member who is an author must not have access to reviewer identities, confidential reviewer reports, or internal editorial discussions beyond the information normally provided to authors.

Confidentiality

Editorial Board members must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, reviewers, authors, editorial discussions, and unpublished information.

They must not:

  • share manuscripts with unauthorized persons;
  • use unpublished information for personal or professional advantage;
  • discuss manuscripts without the journal’s authorization;
  • disclose confidential editorial information.

The obligation of confidentiality continues after Editorial Board membership ends.

Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

Editorial Board members must comply with the following principles:

  • fairness and impartiality;
  • editorial independence;
  • confidentiality;
  • disclosure of competing interests;
  • respectful treatment of authors and reviewers;
  • prevention of plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification;
  • prevention of peer review or citation manipulation;
  • protection of the reliability of scientific and editorial decisions.

If an Editorial Board member identifies suspected misconduct, the member must report the matter confidentially to the Editor-in-Chief or the Editorial Office while preserving relevant evidence.

A member must not independently investigate authors or contact third parties without authorization from the journal.

Participation and Performance Evaluation

Editorial Board members are expected to:

  • respond to journal communications within a reasonable period;
  • provide peer review or editorial advice when appropriate;
  • inform the journal of changes to their professional information;
  • participate in Editorial Board meetings and strategic discussions;
  • comply with journal policies and ethical requirements;
  • contribute regularly to the journal’s scientific development.

The participation and performance of Editorial Board members are evaluated periodically.

Termination of Membership

An Editorial Board member may resign at any time by providing written notice to the Editorial Office.

The journal may terminate membership in the following circumstances:

  • prolonged inactivity in journal activities;
  • repeated failure to respond to editorial communications;
  • failure to disclose a competing interest;
  • breach of confidentiality;
  • violation of publication ethics or research integrity requirements;
  • unauthorized statements made on behalf of the journal;
  • submission of false or misleading professional information;
  • conduct that seriously damages the journal’s academic reputation;
  • the member’s scientific expertise no longer aligns with the journal’s needs.

A decision to terminate membership must be reasoned, fair, and made through a process free from competing interests.

Openness and Transparency

The following information about Editorial Board members is published on the journal’s official website:

  • full name;
  • editorial position;
  • academic degree and academic title;
  • principal institutional affiliation;
  • city and country;
  • ORCID identifier, where available;
  • link to an institutional or academic profile, where available.

The Editorial Board list is kept up to date. Members whose institution, position, or other professional information changes must notify the Editorial Office.

The journal does not list individuals who are not genuine Editorial Board members and removes the information of former members in a timely manner.

Distinction Between Editorial Board Members and Reviewers

Editorial Board membership means that a person performs an ongoing editorial or advisory role for the journal.

Peer reviewers are independent experts who assess individual manuscripts on the basis of their subject expertise.

The journal does not present its reviewer list as an Editorial Board list and maintains a clear distinction between these two roles.

External Standards

The activities of the Editorial Board of the Uzbek Journal "Problems of Mechanics" are informed by:

  • COPE Core Practices;
  • COPE guidance on editorial board participation;
  • COPE guidance on editorial independence;
  • Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing;
  • the journal’s Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement;
  • the journal’s Peer Review Policy;
  • applicable national legislation and internationally recognized standards of research integrity.

Policy Administration

This policy is effective from 1 August 2026 and will be reviewed periodically to ensure its continued alignment with applicable ethical standards and the editorial practices of the Uzbek Journal "Problems of Mechanics".

Questions and requests concerning Editorial Board activities, membership, competing interests, or editorial independence should be submitted to the Editorial Office at instmechofficial@gmail.com.

All relevant matters will be considered in accordance with the journal’s applicable policies and relevant COPE guidance.


ISSN 2010-7250 (Online)