Editorial Responsibilities

Functional Thin Films and Energy Materials is committed to maintaining a professional, fair, transparent, and academically rigorous editorial process. All participants in the publication process are expected to perform their responsibilities with integrity, impartiality, confidentiality, and respect for scholarly standards.

Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief has overall responsibility for the academic direction, editorial quality, and publication standards of the Journal. The Editor-in-Chief oversees manuscript assessment, appoints or assigns handling editors, makes final editorial decisions where appropriate, and ensures that manuscripts are processed consistently with the Journal's scope and policies. The Editor-in-Chief also provides academic leadership for the development of the Journal and its Editorial Board.

Associate Editors

Associate Editors assist the Editor-in-Chief in the academic management of manuscripts within their areas of expertise. Their responsibilities may include conducting initial assessments, overseeing the peer-review process, identifying suitable reviewers, evaluating reviewer reports, communicating with authors, and making recommendations regarding revision or publication. Associate Editors may also contribute to the development of Special Issues, thematic areas, and the Journal's scholarly program. They are expected to apply the Journal's editorial standards consistently and refer matters requiring higher-level consideration to the Editor-in-Chief.

Editorial Board and Manuscript handling Editors

Editorial Board members and handling editors support the Editor-in-Chief in maintaining the academic quality and relevance of the Journal. Their responsibilities may include assessing submissions, identifying appropriate reviewers, evaluating reviewer reports, advising on editorial decisions, and contributing to the development of the Journal's subject coverage. Editors are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively and independently, based on their scholarly merits and relevance to the Journal.

Guest Editors

Guest Editors appointed for Special Issues are responsible for supporting the development and coordination of their approved themes, promoting the thematic issue proposal among potential authors, collecting and monitoring submissions, assisting with the identification of suitable reviewers,  and providing editorial recommendations. Special Issue manuscripts remain subject to the Journal's standard editorial and peer-review procedures, applicable APCs, and final publication decisions remain with the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately designated independent editor.