Multi-tier Governance Model

HCMCOU Journal of Science - Advances in Computational Structures operates under a transparent multi-tier governance model to ensure editorial independence, accountability, and academic integrity. The HCMCOUJS Editorial Board is responsible for strategic direction, policy issuance, and system-wide quality oversight, while each specialized member journal is managed by its own Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board, and corresponding staff.

Editorial decisions are made independently at the journal level, based on scholarly merit, relevance, and compliance with publication ethics, in alignment with international standards such as COPE. All decisions follow the published peer review, appeal, and ethical oversight procedures.

Conflicts of interest are strictly managed; editors must recuse themselves from handling a manuscript whenever there is a risk of compromising objectivity. The governance system ensures consistency, transparency, and continuous quality improvement across all journals under HCMCOUJS.

This policy is applied and interpreted in conjunction with other HCMCOUJS policies, including but not limited to: the Editorial Independence and Editorial Governance Policy, Peer Review Policy, Submission Policy, Copyright and Licensing Policy, Personal Data Privacy Policy, AI Governance Policy, Complaints and Appeals Policy, and Archiving and Digital Preservation Policy.

1. Editorial Governance Framework

1.1. Governance Principles
The HCMCOUJS governance system is built on the following fundamental principles:

1.1.1. Editorial Independence. All academic decisions are made independently and free from any undue interference.

1.1.2. Accountability. Every level of governance is accountable for the decisions and activities within its scope of authority.

1.1.3. Transparency. Organizational structure, policies, procedures, roles, responsibilities, and decision-making mechanisms are clearly disclosed on the official HCMCOUJS website.

1.1.4. Fairness. All manuscripts are evaluated fairly, objectively, and consistently, regardless of the authors' nationality, gender, ethnicity, religion, political views, institutional affiliation, or funding source.

1.1.5. Research Integrity. Governance activities are consistently directed toward safeguarding research integrity and preventing misconduct in research and publishing.

1.1.6. Continuous Improvement. HCMCOUJS regularly reviews, evaluates, and updates its governance system to meet the evolving requirements of the international academic community.

1.2. Governance Model
HCMCOUJS adopts a multi-tier editorial governance model, in which strategic governance authority, system-wide governance authority, and academic decision-making authority are clearly delineated to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure editorial independence.

The governance framework is structured around four complementary levels:

Level 1 – Publisher Governance

HCMCOUJS Publisher provides strategic leadership and system-wide governance by:

  • establishing publishing strategies and long-term development objectives;
  • approving publisher-wide editorial policies;
  • maintaining quality assurance systems;
  • promoting research integrity;
  • overseeing compliance with international publishing standards;
  • supporting the sustainable development of all journals.

Publisher Governance does not participate in editorial decisions concerning individual manuscripts except where specifically required under established publisher policies.

Level 2 – Editorial Council Governance

The HCMCOUJS Editorial Council serves as the highest academic governance body responsible for:

  • developing editorial policies;
  • supervising editorial governance;
  • monitoring publication quality;
  • safeguarding editorial independence;
  • overseeing research integrity;
  • advising on strategic editorial development.

The Editorial Council performs oversight functions and does not intervene in routine editorial decisions concerning individual manuscripts.

Level 3 – Journal Editorial Governance

Each specialized journal maintains its own Editorial Board under the authority of its Editor-in-Chief.

Journal Editorial Governance is responsible for:

  • academic leadership within its disciplinary scope;
  • manuscript assessment;
  • peer review management;
  • editorial decision-making;
  • implementation of HCMCOUJS policies;
  • journal development.

Each journal retains appropriate academic autonomy while operating within the unified governance framework established by HCMCOUJS Publisher.

Level 4 – Editorial Operations

Editorial Operations encompass the day-to-day management of manuscript processing and publication activities.

Operational responsibilities include:

  • manuscript administration;
  • technical screening;
  • editorial correspondence;
  • production coordination;
  • publication scheduling;
  • metadata management;
  • documentation and record management;
  • OJS administration;
  • editorial reporting.

Editorial Operations support the editorial process but do not make academic decisions regarding manuscripts.

1.3. Distinction Between Governance and Academic Decision-Making

A foundational principle of HCMCOUJS is the clear distinction between:

  • strategic governance;
  • system-wide governance;
  • ethics governance;
  • quality governance;

and:

  • the academic evaluation of individual manuscripts;
  • the selection of reviewers;
  • decisions requiring revisions;
  • decisions to accept or reject a manuscript for publication.

The HCMCOUJS Editorial Council and HCMCOUJS Publisher do not evaluate or intervene in the academic content of individual manuscripts, except in cases involving research misconduct investigations, complaints, appeals, or other special circumstances as defined by HCMCOUJS policy.

All academic decisions must be made by the Editor-in-Chief or the editor assigned to handle the manuscript, in accordance with HCMCOUJS's established peer review process and delegation of authority.

2. Publisher Ownership and Responsibilities

2.1. Ownership

HCMCOUJS is a system of scientific journals belonging to Ho Chi Minh City Open University, organized and operated in accordance with the laws of Vietnam, the University's internal regulations, and international standards of scholarly publishing.

Ho Chi Minh City Open University is the supervising body of HCMCOUJS and is responsible for ensuring the conditions necessary for HCMCOUJS to fulfill its scholarly-publishing mission in an independent, transparent, and sustainable manner.

2.2. Publisher Responsibilities

The HCMCOUJS Publisher is responsible for:

  • developing the strategy for the journal system;
  • issuing and updating the publishing policy system;
  • ensuring the technical infrastructure and manuscript management platform;
  • maintaining the electronic publishing system;
  • ensuring digital archiving and preservation;
  • ensuring resources for editorial activities;
  • promoting international academic collaboration;
  • monitoring compliance with HCMCOUJS policies;
  • supporting the journals in the international indexing process;
  • promoting quality-improvement and publishing-innovation activities.

The Publisher does not participate in evaluating the academic content of, or in decisions to accept or reject, individual manuscripts, except in the cases provided for in this Policy or related policies.

2.3. Commitment to Protecting Editorial Independence

The HCMCOUJS Publisher is committed to respecting and protecting the editorial independence of all journals within the HCMCOUJS system.

No individual or organization — including the supervising body, funders, collaborating partners, advertisers, or other interested parties — may exert inappropriate influence on the academic decisions of editors.

The Publisher does not request, direct, or exert pressure to accept, reject, or modify editorial decisions for any reason unrelated to scholarly merit or compliance with research ethics.

2.4. Resource Provision

The Publisher is committed to providing all resources necessary to ensure effective editorial operations, including:

  • IT infrastructure and the OJS system;
  • editorial human resources;
  • training and capacity-building programs for editors;
  • plagiarism-detection and quality-control support systems;
  • resources for data management, information security, and long-term archiving;
  • support for international collaboration and integration activities.

The provision of resources does not affect the independence of editors in making academic decisions.

2.5. Publisher Oversight

The Publisher performs an oversight function to ensure:

  • the uniform implementation of HCMCOUJS policies;
  • compliance with research and publication ethics principles;
  • the effectiveness of the editorial governance system;
  • the quality of the member journals' operations;
  • the fulfillment of the requirements of international indexing databases.

The Publisher's oversight activities shall not be construed as interference in the academic evaluation process or as a substitute for the professional authority of the Editor-in-Chief, the Editorial Board, or the editors assigned to handle manuscripts.

2.6. Supervising-Body Support and Assurance of Academic Freedom

Ho Chi Minh City Open University and HCMCOUJS Publisher respect the academic freedom, editorial independence, and professional autonomy of the journals within the system, within the framework of Vietnamese law on scientific research and publishing, the University's internal regulations, and international standards for academic publishing.

All financial, administrative, material, or technical support is intended to enable the sustainable development of scholarly-publishing activities and must not be used as a tool to influence the scientific content or the outcomes of the editorial process.

3. HCMCOUJS Editorial Governance Structure

3.1. Editorial Governance Framework

HCMCOUJS applies a multi-level editorial governance framework to ensure a clear separation between strategic governance, academic governance, operational governance, and compliance oversight.

The governance structure is designed to:

  • ensure the independence of editorial decisions;
  • strengthen the accountability of each governance level;
  • enhance transparency in publishing operations;
  • prevent and control conflicts of interest;
  • protect research integrity;
  • maintain consistency across the entire HCMCOUJS system.

The governance system is built on the principle of clear delegation of authority, whereby each governance level performs only the functions within its own scope of responsibility and does not substitute for the professional role of another governance level, except in the cases provided for in this Policy.

3.2. Governance Levels

HCMCOUJS governance is organized across the following four levels:

Level 1 – Publisher Governance

Responsible for:

  • setting the development strategy;
  • issuing the policy system;
  • ensuring resources;
  • monitoring compliance;
  • developing quality across the entire system.

Level 2 – Editorial Council Governance

The HCMCOUJS Editorial Council is responsible for:

  • academic direction;
  • policy governance;
  • oversight of editorial activities;
  • publication-ethics governance;
  • review of special cases;
  • evaluation of the performance of the journal system.

Level 3 – Journal Editorial Governance

Each member journal has an independent Editorial Board responsible for:

  • academic management of the journal;
  • organizing peer review;
  • selecting reviewers;
  • ensuring scientific quality;
  • academic decisions on manuscripts.

Level 4 – Editorial Operations

The Editorial Secretariat is responsible for:

  • operating the OJS process;
  • administrative checks;
  • records management;
  • author support;
  • reviewer support;
  • ensuring editorial timeliness;
  • records archiving.

3.3. Relationships between Governance Levels

The governance levels cooperate on the principles of:

  • clear separation of functions;
  • no overlapping of authority;
  • no interference beyond authority;
  • assured accountability;
  • assured transparency.

No governance level may use administrative management authority to influence or alter an academic decision lawfully made by the competent level.

4. HCMCOUJS Editorial Council

4.1. Role of the Editorial Council

The HCMCOUJS Editorial Council is the highest academic governance body of the HCMCOUJS system.

The Council does not directly handle individual routine manuscripts; rather, it performs the functions of:

  • academic strategic planning;
  • setting development directions;
  • issuing policies;
  • overseeing policy implementation;
  • ensuring publication quality;
  • protecting research integrity;
  • reviewing special cases within its authority.

4.2. Composition

The HCMCOUJS Editorial Council comprises:

  • the Chair of the Editorial Council;
  • the HCMCOUJS Editor-in-Chief;
  • the HCMCOUJS Deputy Editors-in-Chief;
  • the Editors-in-Chief of the member journals;
  • the HCMCOUJS Managing Editor;
  • other members appointed by HCMCOUJS according to the development needs of the system.

Where necessary, the Council may invite:

  • Ethics Advisors;
  • Statistical Advisors;
  • Methodology Advisors;
  • Legal Advisors;
  • AI and Research Integrity Advisors;

to provide consultation on specialized cases without participating in voting, unless otherwise provided.

4.3. Responsibilities

The HCMCOUJS Editorial Council is responsible for:

4.3.1. Strategy Development

    • developing the HCMCOUJS development strategy;
    • developing the international academic network;
    • setting development directions for the member journals.

4.3.2. Editorial Governance

    • issuing policies;
    • reviewing policies;
    • updating policies;
    • overseeing policy implementation.

4.3.3. Research-Integrity Governance

    • overseeing the implementation of publication ethics;
    • overseeing research integrity;
    • ensuring compliance with COPE;
    • ensuring compliance with international standards.

4.3.4. Quality Assurance

    • assessing editorial quality;
    • assessing the effectiveness of peer review;
    • assessing governance effectiveness;
    • overseeing quality improvement.

4.3.5. International Development

    • developing international collaboration;
    • promoting international indexing;
    • enhancing the academic reputation of HCMCOUJS.

4.4. Matters within the Authority of the Editorial Council

The following matters fall within the review or decision-making authority of the HCMCOUJS Editorial Council:

  • issuing and amending HCMCOUJS policies;
  • establishing or dissolving member journals;
  • appointing or dismissing Editors-in-Chief in accordance with the regulations of the competent authority;
  • reviewing cases of serious research-ethics violations;
  • reviewing retraction cases that are complex or that significantly affect the reputation of HCMCOUJS;
  • reviewing expression-of-concern cases that are serious or that involve multiple parties;
  • resolving academic disputes beyond the authority of a member journal's Editor-in-Chief;
  • reviewing final appeals in accordance with the Complaints & Appeals Policy;
  • approving major changes to the publishing model, editorial standards, or governance policy.

In reviewing the above matters, the Editorial Council does not re-evaluate the scholarly merit of a manuscript absent grounds of ethics violation, procedural breach, or significant new decisive evidence.

5. Governance of the Member Journals

5.1. Academic Autonomy of the Member Journals

Each member journal within the HCMCOUJS system is organized with its own Editorial Board and has autonomy in managing the academic activities within its field of expertise.

This autonomy includes:

  • organizing the process for receiving and handling manuscripts;
  • selecting and assigning editors to handle manuscripts;
  • selecting appropriate reviewers;
  • making decisions to request revision, accept, or reject for publication in accordance with the delegation of authority of HCMCOUJS;
  • developing the academic direction and expert network within the journal's aims and scope.

The exercise of academic autonomy must fully comply with HCMCOUJS policies and international standards of scholarly publishing.

5.2. Member Journal Editorial Board

Each member journal has its own Editorial Board, comprising:

  • the Editor-in-Chief;
  • the Managing Editor;
  • Associate Editors (where applicable);
  • Section Editors;
  • domestic Editorial Board members;
  • international Editorial Board members;
  • academic, methodological, or statistical advisors (where necessary).

The composition of the Editorial Board must reflect diversity of expertise, institution, geographic region, and country, in line with the international development orientation of HCMCOUJS.

5.3. Responsibilities of the Member Journal Editorial Board

The Editorial Board of each member journal is responsible for:

  • ensuring the academic quality of published articles;
  • maintaining independence and objectivity in the editorial process;
  • conducting the peer review process in accordance with the HCMCOUJS Peer Review Policy;
  • overseeing compliance with requirements on research ethics, authorship, conflict-of-interest disclosure, AI use, and related policies;
  • proposing initiatives to enhance the quality and reputation of the journal;
  • coordinating with the HCMCOUJS Editorial Council in handling cases beyond the journal's authority.

The Editorial Board may not issue regulations or procedures that conflict with the unified HCMCOUJS policy system, unless approved by the HCMCOUJS Editorial Council.

6. Roles and Responsibilities of Editorial Positions

6.1. General Principles

All members involved in HCMCOUJS editorial activities must carry out their duties on the basis of:

  • academic independence;
  • objectivity;
  • fairness;
  • transparency;
  • confidentiality;
  • accountability;
  • compliance with HCMCOUJS policies;
  • compliance with international standards of publication ethics.

No individual may simultaneously hold all decision-making powers throughout the entire editorial process for the same manuscript.

Editorial responsibilities must be clearly assigned, verifiable, and fully recorded in the HCMCOUJS manuscript management system.

6.2. Chair of the HCMCOUJS Editorial Council

The Chair of the Editorial Council is responsible for:

  • setting the strategic direction for the academic development of HCMCOUJS;
  • chairing the development and review of the policy system;
  • ensuring the implementation of good-governance principles;
  • overseeing the editorial independence of the entire system;
  • chairing the review of special cases within the authority of the Editorial Council;
  • promoting international academic collaboration and developing the reputation of HCMCOUJS.

The Chair of the Editorial Council does not participate in decisions to accept or reject individual manuscripts, except where lawfully assigned or when handling special cases under this Policy.

6.3. HCMCOUJS Editor-in-Chief

The HCMCOUJS Editor-in-Chief is responsible for:

  • coordinating the overall academic activities of the entire system;
  • organizing the implementation of HCMCOUJS policies;
  • overseeing the activities of the member journals;
  • proposing improvements to the editorial process;
  • coordinating the handling of cases beyond the authority of individual journals;
  • reporting periodically to the Editorial Council.

The HCMCOUJS Editor-in-Chief does not substitute for the academic decision-making authority of the Editors-in-Chief of the member journals with respect to routine manuscripts.

6.4. Editors-in-Chief of the Member Journals

The Editor-in-Chief of each member journal bears the highest responsibility for the academic activities of the journal.

This includes:

  • scientific quality;
  • the peer review process;
  • final academic decisions;
  • compliance with policies;
  • publication quality.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for:

  • assigning editors to handle manuscripts;
  • deciding whether to send manuscripts for review;
  • reviewing peer review reports;
  • deciding on revision requirements;
  • deciding to accept or reject manuscripts;
  • reviewing pre-publication retraction requests;
  • handling issues arising during the editorial process.

Where a conflict of interest arises, the Editor-in-Chief must recuse themselves from handling the manuscript and appoint a duly authorized editor as a replacement, or report to the HCMCOUJS Editorial Council to assign an independent handler.

6.5. Managing Editor

The Managing Editor is responsible for coordinating and managing editorial operations.

This includes:

  • receiving manuscripts;
  • checking the completeness of submissions;
  • checking technical requirements;
  • tracking processing progress;
  • managing OJS;
  • managing editorial records;
  • supporting communication with authors;
  • supporting reviewers;
  • supporting the Editorial Board.

The Managing Editor does not participate in evaluating academic content and has no authority to accept or reject manuscripts, unless concurrently appointed to an academic editorial position and acting strictly within the assigned scope.

6.6. Associate Editors and Section Editors

Associate Editors and Section Editors are responsible for:

  • conducting the initial assessment of a manuscript's suitability;
  • proposing reviewers;
  • overseeing the review process;
  • assessing the quality of review reports;
  • recommending academic decisions to the Editor-in-Chief;
  • ensuring timely handling of manuscripts;
  • detecting signs of research-ethics violations;
  • reporting anomalous cases.

Associate Editors and Section Editors may not unilaterally alter the final decision of the Editor-in-Chief without new grounds or authorization as provided.

6.7. Editorial Secretariat

The Editorial Secretariat is responsible for:

  • technical support;
  • records management;
  • supporting the publication process;
  • data archiving;
  • managing the publication schedule;
  • supporting communication with authors and reviewers.

The Editorial Secretariat may not participate in academic evaluation or influence editorial decisions.