Editorial Policy

Last updated: January 1, 2026

1. Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to ACS Publisher journals undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process, where neither the author(s) nor the reviewers know each other's identities. Each manuscript is evaluated by a minimum of two independent expert reviewers with relevant domain expertise.

2. Editorial Decisions

Following peer review, editors may make one of the following decisions:

• Accept: The manuscript is accepted as submitted, with minor typesetting corrections only.
• Minor Revision: Small revisions are required before acceptance. Revised manuscripts are typically reviewed by the handling editor only.
• Major Revision: Substantial revisions are required and the manuscript will be sent back to reviewers after revision.
• Reject: The manuscript does not meet the journal's standards and will not be considered further. Authors may be invited to resubmit to a more suitable journal.

3. Publication Timeline

ACS Publisher is committed to fast, efficient publication:

• Initial editorial decision: within 3–5 working days of submission
• Peer review completion: within 7–15 days
• Publication after acceptance: within 3–5 working days
• DOI assignment: at time of publication

4. Publication Ethics

ACS Publisher is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics in line with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties — authors, reviewers, and editors — are expected to adhere to the following principles:

Authors must:

• Ensure submitted work is original and not published or under review elsewhere
• Properly cite all sources and acknowledge all contributors
• Disclose any conflicts of interest
• Report research honestly and accurately
• Obtain necessary ethical approvals for research involving humans or animals

Reviewers must:

• Review manuscripts objectively, confidentially, and promptly
• Declare any conflicts of interest before accepting a review
• Not use unpublished material from manuscripts for their own research

Editors must:

• Make fair, unbiased decisions based solely on academic merit
• Maintain confidentiality of submissions
• Disclose and manage conflicts of interest

5. Plagiarism Policy

All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using industry-standard detection software. Manuscripts with a similarity index above acceptable thresholds will be returned to authors without review. Deliberate plagiarism, data fabrication, or falsification will result in immediate rejection and may be reported to the authors' institution.

6. Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be based on significant contributions to:

• Conception, design, execution, or analysis of the work
• Drafting or critically revising the manuscript
• Approval of the final version for publication
• Accountability for all aspects of the work

Gift authorship, ghost authorship, and honorary authorship are not permitted.

7. Corrections & Retractions

If significant errors are identified in a published article, ACS Publisher will issue a correction notice linked to the original article. In cases of serious ethical violations (fabricated data, plagiarism, duplicate publication), articles may be retracted. Retraction notices will be published and the article will be clearly marked as retracted while remaining accessible for the scholarly record.

8. Appeals

Authors who believe their manuscript was rejected in error may submit a formal appeal to the editor-in-chief within 30 days of the decision. Appeals must clearly state the grounds for reconsideration and should not simply restate the original arguments. The editor's decision on appeal is final.

9. Contact the Editorial Office

For editorial queries, submissions, or to report concerns about publication ethics:

• 📧 acspublisher@gmail.com
• 📱 +91 8459 08 08 99