Editorial Independence

Our views on Editorial Independence are reflected in the Distinguished Editors Series by Lapeña JF on "Editorial independence and the editor-owner relationship: good editors never die, they just cross the line." (Singapore Med J. 2009 Dec;50(12):1120-2. PMID: 20087545). We ensure that the editorial decision-making processes of the Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery are completely independent from influence by the owner-publisher, the Philippine Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

To this end, the Editor-in-Chief of the PJOHNS is appointed by the Board of Trustees of the PSO-HNS for three-year terms, renewable every three years, while the appointing body (Board of Trustees) only have one-year terms of office. In this manner, Editors-in-Chief of the PJOHNS are never co-terminus with the President and officers of the PSO-HNS. Associate Editors are appointed solely by the Editor-in-Chief, while the Managing Editor is appointed by the Editor-in- Chief in consultation with the Owner-Publisher. The Editorial Assistant is employed by the PSOHNS with the approval of the Editor-in-Chief. No one on the executive or commercial side of the PSOHNS can get involved in, interfere, or even comment on editorial decisions under any circumstances. This includes the decision to print advertisements (or to refuse such printing).

All editorial decisions are made within the editorial structures of the PJOHNS, by the Editor-in- Chief, Associate Editors, and Managing Editor, in consultation with the Editorial Advisory Board if needed. Where any member of the editorial board (including the Editor-in-Chief) submits an article where they have an authorship role, they recuse themselves from the editorial decision-making process, with another editor assigned as handling editor.