Editorial Structure and Responsibilities

The Journal maintains a structured editorial system to ensure professionalism, academic integrity, efficient manuscript handling, and quality publication standards. Editorial responsibilities shall be distributed according to designation, expertise, and experience, and all editors shall be expected to perform their duties in accordance with the policies, ethical standards, and publication objectives of the Journal.

1. Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief shall serve as the highest editorial authority of the Journal and shall exercise overall supervision and control over editorial operations, publication standards, policy implementation, and manuscript decision-making processes.

The Editor-in-Chief shall possess the final authority in matters relating to manuscript acceptance, rejection, publication decisions, editorial policies, ethical concerns, disputes, and institutional matters connected with the Journal. The Editor-in-Chief may also supervise editorial functioning, ensure compliance with publication standards, and undertake such additional responsibilities as may be necessary for the efficient administration of the Journal.

2. Senior Editors

Senior Editors shall be responsible for supervising the academic quality and editorial standards of manuscripts processed by the Journal. Such editors may include academicians, faculty members, Ph.D. scholars, researchers, or individuals possessing significant academic or publication experience relevant to the field of the Journal.

Senior Editors shall ordinarily conduct the final quality review of manuscripts after completion of plagiarism assessment, AI-content screening, formatting review, citation verification, and peer review procedures. Senior Editors may also provide editorial guidance, assess reviewer observations, supervise editorial compliance, and assist in maintaining the academic integrity and publication standards of the Journal.

The recommendations and observations of Senior Editors shall remain subject to the final approval and decision-making authority of the Editor-in-Chief.

3. Junior Editors / Student Editors

Junior Editors, including Student Editors where applicable, shall primarily assist in the preliminary editorial processing of manuscripts submitted to the Journal. Such editors may be appointed from among students or individuals possessing appropriate editorial, research, publication, or citation-related experience.

The responsibilities of Junior Editors may include preliminary manuscript screening, formatting review, citation verification, plagiarism assessment, AI-content screening, author communication, reviewer coordination, manuscript tracking, and related editorial assistance required for the smooth functioning of the publication process.

Junior Editors may initially be appointed on a traineeship or probationary basis, during which their performance, professionalism, consistency, communication, and editorial capabilities may be assessed by the Journal before continuation or confirmation of association.

4. Appointment of Editors

Editors may be appointed based upon prior association with Vintage Legal, relevant academic qualifications, publication experience, subject-matter expertise, editorial competence, professional contribution, or institutional requirements.

Appointments may take place through applications submitted to the Journal, internal recommendations, direct invitations issued by the Journal, or professional outreach undertaken by the editorial administration. Upon approval of candidature, the selected individual may receive a formal invitation or appointment communication from the Journal regarding their proposed association and responsibilities.

5. Resignation and Termination

Editors associated with the Journal may voluntarily resign from their position by providing prior notice ordinarily extending to thirty (30) days. Editors intending to resign may suggest a suitable replacement possessing relevant qualifications or experience for consideration by the Journal. In cases where no replacement recommendation is provided, the resigning editor may be required to continue responsibilities until a suitable replacement or transition arrangement is made by the Journal, subject to institutional discretion.

The Journal or Vintage Legal may suspend, terminate, or discontinue the association of any editor in cases involving consistent inactivity, conflict of interest, breach of confidentiality, professional misconduct, violation of editorial policies, unethical conduct, or failure to comply with institutional requirements, publication standards, or editorial responsibilities.

6. Nature of Editorial Association

Association with the Journal in an editorial capacity shall be academic and professional in nature and shall not automatically constitute employment, partnership, or contractual entitlement unless expressly stated otherwise by the institution.

All editors shall be expected to maintain professionalism, confidentiality, ethical conduct, and institutional integrity while discharging their editorial responsibilities and representing the Journal in any capacity.