Editorial Governance

REACT journals are overseen by an editorial committee and supported by a multidisciplinary editorial board composed of subject experts from academia, industry, and public research institutions. The committee ensures that editorial decisions are made based solely on academic merit, research quality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

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Peer Review Process

All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening for thematic relevance, technical compliance, and originality. Manuscripts deemed suitable are subjected to a double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers. The review process is designed to ensure objectivity, constructive feedback, and high-quality academic contributions. Final acceptance decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief or designated editors based on reviewer recommendations and internal assessments.

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Submission Declaration

By submitting a manuscript to REACT, authors affirm the following:

• The work is original and has not been previously published, except in formats such as a preprint, abstract, thesis, or academic lecture.
• The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
• All authors have reviewed and approved the submission and any institutional or legal approvals have been obtained where applicable.
• The article, once accepted, will not be published in any other journal or language without written permission from the REACT editorial office.

All manuscripts may be subjected to plagiarism screening or integrity verification tools as part of the editorial workflow.

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Authorship and Contributor Responsibilities

Each listed author must have made a meaningful contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the work. Contributions may include:

• Developing the research idea, acquiring data, or analyzing results.
• Drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
• Providing final approval for the version to be submitted.

A corresponding author should be designated to communicate with the journal throughout the submission and review process. All authors are jointly responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.

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Changes to Authorship

Requests for changes to authorship (including addition, removal, or reordering) are discouraged after submission and will only be considered prior to acceptance. Such requests must be:

• Initiated by the corresponding author.
• Accompanied by a clear justification and written consent from all listed authors, including those being added or removed.

Post-acceptance authorship changes are permitted only in exceptional circumstances and may result in the publication of a corrigendum. Unauthorized authorship changes may result in rejection or retraction of the manuscript.

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Competing Interests and Funding Disclosure

All authors must disclose any personal or financial relationships that could influence the work. Examples include:

• Employment, advisory roles, equity ownership.
• Receipt of honoraria, grants, or other funding.
• Intellectual property holdings or consultancy agreements.

Where applicable, authors should include a statement such as:

"This work was supported by [Funder Name, Grant Number]."

If no funding was received, authors should state:

"This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

Authors with no competing interests must explicitly declare:

"The authors declare that there are no known competing interests."

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Declaration of Generative AI Use

Authors must disclose any use of generative AI technologies in the writing process. Acceptable use is limited to improving grammar or clarity, and must be done under human oversight. Example disclosure:

Declaration of AI Use: During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [Tool Name] to assist with language refinement. The authors reviewed and edited all content and take full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

AI tools must not be credited as authors.

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Inclusive and Respectful Language

Authors are expected to use inclusive, unbiased, and respectful language. Manuscripts should avoid assumptions, stereotypes, or terminology that could reflect negatively on individuals or groups based on gender, race, age, ethnicity, disability, or health status. Gender-neutral language (e.g., plural forms or non-binary alternatives) is encouraged.

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Jurisdictional Claims and Institutional Affiliations

REACT maintains neutrality on issues of territorial disputes and jurisdictional claims. Authors are advised to:

• Represent institutional affiliations accurately using standardized, verifiable formats.
• Use maps that reflect only the scope of the study area and do not imply endorsement of any territorial boundaries. 

A disclaimer such as "Map lines delineate study areas and do not necessarily depict accepted national boundaries" should be included where applicable.

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Research Involving Humans or Human Tissues

Manuscripts reporting studies involving human participants must include a statement confirming:

• Compliance with institutional and national guidelines.
• Approval by an appropriate ethics committee (including date and reference number).
• Informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legal representatives.

The privacy rights and dignity of participants must be protected at all times.

In studies involving human tissue or organs:

• Authors must provide evidence that procurement followed ethical and legal guidelines.
• Organs must not have been sourced from executed prisoners or individuals detained against their will.
• Informed consent from donors or their families must have been obtained freely, without coercion.
• The source and handling of all human-derived materials must be clearly disclosed and traceable.

Failure to comply with these standards may result in manuscript rejection or retraction.

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Research Involving Animals

For studies involving animal subjects, authors must confirm adherence to institutional and national ethical standards. Details of animal care, housing, and procedures must be provided, and relevant ethics approval must be cited.

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Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to deposit raw data, code, or supplementary material in recognized repositories. Data availability enhances reproducibility, transparency, and trust in scientific findings. Links to datasets should be provided in the manuscript, and any access restrictions must be clearly explained.

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Open Access, Licensing, and Copyright

REACT is an open-access journal series. Articles are published under a Creative Commons license, allowing free and permanent access to all content. Authors retain copyright and grant REACT the right to distribute and archive their work.

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Appeals, Complaints, and Corrections

Authors may appeal editorial decisions or raise concerns about editorial conduct by contacting the journal office. All appeals are handled transparently and in accordance with journal policy. Corrections, errata, or retractions are issued when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.