Article Transfer Policy

1. Article Transfer Policy

   Author Consent
   Materials That May Be Transferred
   Independent Editorial Assessment
   Reviewer Reports
   No Guarantee of Acceptance or Faster Publication
   Fees
   Editorial Independence and Conflicts of Interest
   Confidentiality

   Optional manuscript transfer within the Centre for Research and Innovation journal portfolio

   An article may be offered for transfer when the editors consider another CRI journal potentially more appropriate. Transfer occurs only with the author's explicit consent. Acceptance is not guaranteed. The receiving journal conducts its own editorial assessment and determines whether additional peer review is required.

   1. Author Consent

   Article transfer is entirely optional. A manuscript, associated files, metadata, and any reviewer or editorial reports are transferred only with the author's explicit consent. Declining a transfer invitation has no adverse effect on the author.

   2. Materials That May Be Transferred

   With author consent, a transfer may include the manuscript, supplementary files, submission metadata, and relevant editorial records. Reviewer reports may be transferred only where doing so is consistent with reviewer confidentiality, the journal's reviewer terms, and any consent requirements that apply. Information is transferred solely for legitimate editorial consideration by the receiving journal.

   3. Independent Editorial Assessment

   The receiving journal conducts its own editorial assessment. It may accept existing reviewer reports, request additional review, begin a new peer-review process, or decline the manuscript. The receiving journal's editor retains responsibility for the final decision.

   4. Reviewer Reports

   Where reviewer reports are transferred, they are provided to the receiving journal for editorial consideration. The receiving editor decides whether the reports are sufficient or whether additional independent review is required.

   5. No Guarantee of Acceptance or Faster Publication

   Transfer does not guarantee external review, acceptance, a favourable decision, faster decision-making, or publication. The receiving journal applies its own aims and scope, peer-review requirements, ethical standards, and editorial criteria.

   6. Fees

   No transfer fee is charged unless explicitly stated. If the receiving journal applies an Article Processing Charge or another author-facing fee, the author must be informed of that journal's current fee policy before accepting the transfer.

   7. Editorial Independence and Conflicts of Interest

   Article transfer does not alter editorial standards, peer-review requirements, conflicts-of-interest management, or the independence of the receiving journal's final decision. An editor with a relevant conflict of interest does not make the decision on the transferred manuscript.

   8. Confidentiality

   Transferred manuscripts, reviewer reports, and editorial correspondence remain confidential and are accessible only to individuals involved in legitimate editorial handling at the receiving journal.