In order to maintain the quality and reputation of the International Journal of Geohazards and Environment (IJG hereunder) and at the same to protect the freedom of speech in academic arena, the following policy including journal standard, working rules, terms and conditions are established and are to be implemented by all members who are involved in the journal throughout the process of manuscript evaluation and publication.

 I. Mission of the Journal

 IJG is aimed at being one first class journal in the world in its field. Its purpose is to provide an open forum for scholars to disseminate their findings and exchange ideas freely on various associated topics. Only high quality papers from original works, reviews and case studies will be accepted for publication in the journal.

 II. Journal Editorial Board

 a)      Board structure

IJG is supported by an Editorial Board, which consists of the following positions: Editor-in-Chief, Honorary Editor, Executive Publishing Editor, Associate Editors and Editorial Members.

 b)      Qualification of members

Members to serve on IJG Editorial Board must have expertise in fields associated with at least one of the following themes: landslides, debris flows, subsurface ground failure, underground instability and earthquakes. A member is expected to have been an accomplished and well-respected scholar with extensive research/work experience in the relevant fields, normally with a tracking record of publications in English journals. Outstanding scholars with the equivalent qualification may also be included.

 c)      Appointment and duration

·   Members of IJG Editorial Board are initially appointed by invitation from the Editor-in-Chief for a term of two years.

·   At the end of the initial term, a member who remains an Active Status will be automatically renewed for another term of two years, unless the member indicated otherwise. At the end of the second term, a member may be re-appointed.

·   A member may terminate his/her service to the journal prior to the expiration date by a written notice to the Editor-in-Chief three (3) months in advance.

·   If a member violated the journal policy with clear evidence, his/her membership in the Board may be terminated at any time by a written notice from the Editor-in-Chief.

 d)     Member status

All members are required to perform their duties and provide services to the journal as described below to remain an Active Status. If a member is inactive for a period of 12 consecutive months, his/her status will be changed to Inactive and the membership will be terminated automatically.

 III. Duties and Responsibilities of Editorial Board Members

• All members of IJG Editorial Board are required to make a commitment and provide services to the journal, such as soliciting high quality papers, conducting peer review of manuscripts and reviewing manuscripts (limited to two to three per year).
• A member must be fair and hold a high and reasonable standard in evaluation of manuscripts. It is the duty of the member to ensure that the accepted manuscript meets the journal standard.
• The Editor-in-Chief oversees the entire journal operation and is ultimately responsible for the reputation and the quality of the journal.
• The Honorary Editor shares the responsibility with the Editor-in-Chief for the reputation and quality of the journal and may participate in manuscripts review.
• The Associate Editor-in-Chief assists the Editor-in-Chief in maintaining the reputation and quality of the journal among other duties as a senior Board member.
• The Executive Editor assists the Editor-in-Chief in managing the IJG editorial office, supervising the office staff, directing manuscripts flow, and making production and publication of the accepted papers, reporting weekly to the Editor-in-Chief. He may also participate in peer review of manuscripts.
• Associate Editors assist the Editor-in-Chief in peer review of manuscripts as one of its important roles, typically being responsible for the entire process of peer review of selected manuscripts. For more detail, see Guideline for Editors.

 IV Working Rules

1.   It is paramount for everyone involved in IJG to work together as a team, to build and maintain the journal’s reputation, to win and retain the trust of authors and readers, and to follow the established journal policy and rules in dealing with journal matters.

2.   Everyone involved in reviewing manuscripts must follow the guideline and schedule and inform the editor in charge promptly if any delay or problem is anticipated during the process.

3.   If an expected delay or a problem due to whatever reasons during the process can not be resolved within a reasonable time frame, it is the duty of the person involved to inform timely the Editor-in-Chief who may take an action to process the manuscript at his discretion.

4.   It is the responsibility of the editor in charge of a manuscript review to complete the peer review process timely and to make an impartial recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief by following the Guideline for Editors.

5.   It is the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief to make a final decision on acceptance or rejection of a manuscript. The decision by the Editor-in-Chief is final and not negotiable.

6.   Notification to authors about the outcome of a manuscript is issued directly from the Editor-in-Chief to ensure consistency of the journal.

 V. Journal Standard

1.   All papers to be published in IJG must be original, of high quality, well written in English, and meet the academic and publishing standards of the journal.

2.   A paper to be accepted by the journal must have at least two positive recommendations.

3.   The selected reviewers for a manuscript must have expertise in the relevant field and are in a position to make impartial evaluation and recommendation.

4.   If a manuscript received inconsistent recommendations, issues raised by reviewers must be addressed satisfactorily before it can be accepted for publication.

5.   A manuscript, which contains unsuitable materials, is of low quality or in violation of copyright, or may cause political or religious instability, will not be accepted in the journal.