We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of editorial excellence, transparency and ethical publishing. These editorial policies apply to all journals, special issues and publications hosted by AOPL.

1. Editorial Mission

AOPL’s editorial mission is to:

• Promote rigorous, peer-reviewed scholarship rooted in African contexts and global relevance
• Support early-career researchers and underrepresented voices
• Uphold ethical publishing practices and academic integrity
• Foster inclusive, interdisciplinary and decolonised knowledge production

2. Editorial Structure

Each AOPL journal is managed by an editorial team comprising:

• Editor-in-Chief – Oversees journal direction, policy and quality control
• Managing Editor – Coordinates submissions, peer review and production
• Associate Editors – Handle subject-specific manuscripts and reviewer assignments
• Editorial Board – Provides strategic guidance and supports outreach and review
• Advisory Board (optional) – Offers high-level insight on thematic and regional priorities

3. Submission and Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to our journals undergo a double-blind peer review process unless otherwise stated. The process includes:

1. Initial Screening – The editorial team checks for scope, formatting and plagiarism
2. Peer Review – Two or more independent reviewers evaluate the manuscript
3. Editorial Decision – Based on reviewer feedback, the editor issues a decision:
   • Accept
   • Minor/Major Revisions
   • Reject
4. Revision and Resubmission – Authors revise and resubmit within the specified timeframe
5. Final Decision and Copyediting – Accepted manuscripts are copyedited and prepared for publication

4. Types of Submissions

Our journals accept a range of scholarly content, including:

• Original Research Articles
• Review Articles
• Policy Briefs
• Book Reviews
• Commentaries and Essays
• Conference Reports
• Special Issue Proposals

Each submission type has specific formatting and word count requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.

5. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should reflect substantial contributions to the research and writing process. We follow the ICMJE authorship criteria:

• Substantial contributions to conception, design, data collection or analysis
• Drafting or critically revising the manuscript
• Final approval of the version to be published
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

All authors must disclose their contributions using the CRediT taxonomy.

6. Research Ethics and Integrity

We uphold the principles of research integrity and expect authors to:

• Obtain ethical approval for studies involving human or animal subjects
• Secure informed consent where applicable
• Disclose conflicts of interest
• Avoid fabrication, falsification and plagiarism

7. Plagiarism and Similarity Checks

All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate). Manuscripts with significant overlap (typically >15%) will be returned to authors or rejected outright.

8. Corrections, Retractions and Withdrawals

We are committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. We follow COPE guidelines for:

• Corrections – For minor errors that do not affect the conclusions
• Retractions – For serious ethical breaches or data falsification
• Withdrawals – For author-requested removal prior to publication

9. Open Access and Licensing

All our content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright and grant AOPL a non-exclusive license to publish.

10. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written request with justification. Complaints about editorial conduct or peer review should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief or Managing Editor of the AOPL journal concerned.

11. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to:

• Provide objective, constructive and timely feedback
• Maintain confidentiality
• Declare conflicts of interest
• Avoid using unpublished material for personal advantage

12. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

AOPL is committed to inclusive publishing. We actively seek contributions from:

• Underrepresented regions and institutions
• Early-career and first-time authors
• Women and marginalised scholars
• Indigenous and community-based researchers

We strive to ensure diversity in our editorial boards, reviewer pools and published content.

13. Special Issues and Thematic Calls

Our journals regularly publish special issues on emerging themes. Proposals should include:

• Title and rationale
• Guest editor(s) CVs
• Timeline and submission plan
• Target audience and impact

14. Metrics and Impact

AOPL tracks article-level metrics including:

• Downloads and views
• Altmetric attention scores
• Citations (via Google Scholar, Crossref, Scopus where applicable)

Authors are encouraged to share their work widely and link it to their ORCID and institutional repositories.

15. Contact and Support

For editorial inquiries, policy clarifications or support contact – info@africaopl.org