ISQGD Books — Editorial, Publishing, and Ethical Policies

Purpose and Scope of These Policies

These policies describe the editorial, ethical, financial, and publishing principles that govern ISQGD Books, the scholarly book-publishing program of the International Society for Quality Growth and Development (ISQGD). They are intended to support consistent decision-making, protect editorial independence, provide transparency for authors and reviewers, and maintain high scholarly and production standards.

ISQGD Books considers textbooks, research monographs, lecture texts, advanced educational books, and interdisciplinary scholarly works in mathematics, statistics, science, engineering, technology, education, data science, artificial intelligence, and related areas.

General Editor, Division Editors-in-Chief, and Editors

ISQGD Books has six divisions, listed in the following order: Mathematics; Physics; Chemistry; Engineering; Probability, Statistics, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence; and Education and Pedagogy. Together, these divisions cover school-level books, undergraduate and graduate textbooks, advanced lecture texts, professional references, research monographs, and other scholarly and educational works appropriate to their respective fields. The Education and Pedagogy Division specifically addresses teaching and learning across disciplines, including hands-on and cooperative learning, curriculum, assessment, teacher education, educational technology, educational systems, access, and policy. Technology-focused and interdisciplinary works are considered within the division most appropriate to their primary subject matter.

Professor Carlo Cattani serves as General Editor of ISQGD Books and as Editor-in-Chief of Mathematics and Education and Pedagogy. He initially leads Education and Pedagogy; a separate Editor-in-Chief may be appointed as that division grows.

The General Editor provides overall leadership for ISQGD Books and coordinates the six divisions at the publishing-program level. Each division is led by an Editor-in-Chief, supported by editors with relevant expertise. Division Editors-in-Chief have primary academic authority for proposals and manuscripts within their respective fields. They oversee subject-matter evaluation, coordinate independent expert review, and make the academic determinations appropriate to their divisions. Those determinations are not subject to a second disciplinary review by the General Editor. The General Editor does not substitute or impose subject-matter judgment for that of the relevant Division Editor-in-Chief and qualified reviewers. The General Editor is responsible for overall consistency of the publishing program and for publisher-level oversight, including compliance with applicable editorial, ethical, conflict-of-interest, contractual, legal, and publishing requirements. When the applicable academic and publisher-level requirements have been satisfied, the General Editor issues or authorizes the formal publishing correspondence on behalf of ISQGD Books. The Editorial Board supports the scholarly development of the publishing program, advises on proposals and manuscripts within relevant areas of expertise, recommends qualified reviewers where appropriate, and helps maintain consistent editorial standards.

Individual books are handled according to subject expertise. A suitable handling editor may be assigned to assist the Division Editor-in-Chief by coordinating evaluation, reviewer selection, revision, and communication. An assigned handling editor does not independently make the division’s academic determination unless formally designated to perform that function; ordinarily, the handling editor reports through the Division Editor-in-Chief, who has primary academic authority for the work within that division. Editors are not expected to evaluate books outside their areas of expertise. Editorial Board membership does not imply involvement in every manuscript. Interdisciplinary projects may have a responsible handling editor who consults editors from other relevant divisions. While a division leadership position is vacant, the General Editor coordinates the assignment of a suitably qualified editor with relevant subject expertise to perform the necessary divisional editorial functions. School-level books are assessed for age-appropriate explanations, prerequisites, examples, exercises, and teaching methods by reviewers with relevant educational expertise.

Editorial appointments, current affiliations, and contact information are maintained on the official ISQGD Books Editorial Board section.

Editorial Independence and Decision-Making

Academic decisions are based on scholarly merit, educational value, originality, clarity, reviewer reports, the intended readership, and reasoned editorial judgment within the relevant discipline. The ISQGD Board of Directors provides institutional governance for ISQGD, but individual book evaluations are handled through the scholarly editorial structure of ISQGD Books. Within that structure, the relevant Division Editor-in-Chief has primary academic authority for proposals and completed manuscripts in that division, with appropriate reliance on qualified independent reviewers and handling editors. The General Editor provides publisher-level oversight, safeguards consistency across the publishing program, and confirms compliance with ISQGD Books policies and procedures. The General Editor neither re-evaluates the disciplinary merits merely by virtue of the General Editor role nor overrides the relevant Division Editor-in-Chief on subject-matter grounds. A procedural, ethical, legal, contractual, conflict-of-interest, or other publisher-level concern may require publication to be paused or the matter to be returned for appropriate resolution, but such action does not constitute a contrary academic judgment.

No author is entitled to acceptance because of institutional affiliation, ISQGD membership, leadership position, personal relationship, financial contribution, or prior service to ISQGD.

Book Proposal and Manuscript Evaluation

ISQGD Books uses a book-publishing evaluation process appropriate to the nature and stage of each project. The normal first stage is a formal book proposal, which is assessed for scholarly or educational merit, audience, distinctiveness, organization, feasibility, international relevance, and fit with the publishing program.

Authors are ordinarily asked to suggest 2–3 qualified experts who could evaluate the proposal. These suggestions are advisory only. ISQGD Books retains responsibility for reviewer selection and may appoint different or additional experts. Authors should disclose relevant relationships and should not suggest individuals whose relationship could reasonably compromise, or appear to compromise, independent evaluation.

Editorial authority is separated from review activity and aligned with subject expertise. Independent reviewers and any assigned handling editor provide evaluations and editorial input. The Editor-in-Chief of the corresponding division has primary academic authority for determining whether a proposal or completed manuscript meets the scholarly and educational standards of that division. The General Editor is responsible for publisher-level oversight, including confirming compliance with applicable editorial, ethical, conflict-of-interest, contractual, legal, and publishing requirements. These are distinct functions: the General Editor does not conduct a second subject-matter evaluation merely by virtue of holding the General Editor position.

Reviewers and editors are asked to consider, as applicable, correctness, significance, distinctiveness, organization, exposition, pedagogical or scholarly value, completeness, suitability for the intended readership, international relevance, and the quality of examples, exercises, figures, tables, references, and supporting material.

Editorial Review and Publishing Decision Process

1. Submission and routing. Book proposals are submitted through the ISQGD Books editorial process and are routed to the Editor-in-Chief of the corresponding division. A central record may be maintained for administrative and publishing purposes. The General Editor or a designated administrative editor may conduct an initial publisher-level screening for completeness, scope, conflicts of interest, and alignment with the ISQGD Books program, but does not independently assess disciplinary merit outside the General Editor’s area of expertise.
2. Evaluation by the corresponding division. The Editor-in-Chief of the corresponding division coordinates the appropriate editorial assessment and independent expert review, selects or approves qualified reviewers, considers the resulting reports, and determines whether the proposal meets the academic and educational standards of that division.
3. Academic determination on the proposal. Based on the applicable evaluations and subject-matter considerations, the Division Editor-in-Chief determines whether the proposal should proceed, proceed subject to specified revisions or clarifications, be reconsidered after substantial revision, or be declined on academic grounds. No separate subject-matter approval by the General Editor is required for that academic determination. When a proposal is academically suitable to proceed, the General Editor confirms that the applicable publisher-level requirements have been satisfied before the project enters formal manuscript development under the ISQGD Books program. A proposal declined on academic grounds is not re-evaluated by the General Editor on disciplinary merits. A favorable proposal determination allows the project to proceed to manuscript development and evaluation; it does not constitute acceptance of the completed book for publication.
4. Evaluation of the completed manuscript. The completed manuscript, including any required revisions, undergoes the applicable editorial and independent review process under the authority of the Division Editor-in-Chief. After considering reviewer reports, revisions, and the author’s responses, the Division Editor-in-Chief determines whether the manuscript meets the academic standards required for publication.
5. Final publication status and formal letter. If the Division Editor-in-Chief determines that the completed manuscript meets the applicable academic standards for publication, the General Editor conducts or coordinates a final publisher-level confirmation that the required editorial procedures, ethical safeguards, conflict-of-interest provisions, permissions, contractual requirements, legal requirements, and other applicable publishing policies have been satisfied. This confirmation is not a second disciplinary review, and the General Editor does not replace or override the academic judgment of the Division Editor-in-Chief on subject-matter grounds. If a substantive procedural, ethical, legal, contractual, or publishing-policy concern remains unresolved, publication may be paused and the matter returned to the Division Editor-in-Chief, or otherwise addressed through the appropriate ISQGD Books procedure, before formal acceptance is issued. If the Division Editor-in-Chief determines that the manuscript should be declined on academic grounds, that determination is implemented through official ISQGD Books correspondence without a second disciplinary evaluation by the General Editor. Once both the academic determination in favor of publication and the publisher-level requirements are satisfied, the General Editor issues or authorizes the formal acceptance letter on behalf of ISQGD Books. A manuscript is formally accepted for publication only when the authorized written acceptance letter has been issued on behalf of ISQGD Books.

All stages of this process remain subject to ISQGD Books’ editorial independence and conflict-of-interest policies.

Conflict-of-Interest Policy

ISQGD Books requires appropriate management of actual, potential, and perceived conflicts of interest. An author who is an ISQGD officer, Board Director, Editorial Board member, editor, staff member, or another person closely connected with the publishing program must not control the evaluation of his or her own manuscript.

In such cases, the conflicted editor is recused and an appropriately independent editor is assigned to the affected editorial function. The author may provide reviewer suggestions through the standard proposal form, but will not control reviewer selection, evaluate reviewer reports on behalf of the publisher, or exercise editorial authority over the work. If a Division Editor-in-Chief is personally conflicted, an appropriately qualified independent editor with relevant subject expertise must be designated to perform the affected divisional functions. If the General Editor is personally conflicted, an appropriately qualified independent senior editor must be formally designated to perform the publisher-level oversight and formal-correspondence functions for that project.

Editors and reviewers should disclose relationships or circumstances that could reasonably affect, or appear to affect, their impartiality.

Originality, Plagiarism, Research Integrity, and Responsible Scholarship

Authors must submit work that is original, properly attributed, and prepared in accordance with accepted standards of academic integrity. Substantial unattributed copying, plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, deceptive manipulation of evidence, or other serious forms of scholarly misconduct are incompatible with publication by ISQGD Books.

Authors are responsible for accurately acknowledging sources, collaborators, prior publication, related editions, and any material reproduced or adapted from third parties. Where a book incorporates previously published material, the relationship to that material must be clearly disclosed and all necessary permissions must be secured.

ISQGD Books may decline, suspend, or terminate consideration of a manuscript when serious ethical concerns arise. If concerns are discovered after publication, appropriate corrections, notices, withdrawal statements, or other remedies may be considered depending on the circumstances.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for the scholarly accuracy of their manuscripts, the originality of their work, the accuracy of citations and permissions, and the timely correction of errors identified during review and production. Authors should respond carefully and professionally to editorial and reviewer comments and should disclose any material change in authorship, content ownership, or publication status while the book is under consideration.

All named authors must have made a meaningful contribution to the work and must approve the submitted and final versions. The publishing agreement will identify the authors or editors legally responsible for the work.

Reviewer Responsibilities and Confidentiality

Reviewers are expected to provide fair, constructive, evidence-based evaluations within a reasonable time. Review material should be treated as confidential and should not be shared, used for personal advantage, or discussed outside the review process without authorization.

Reviewers should avoid personal criticism and should identify significant errors, omissions, unclear arguments, pedagogical weaknesses, or concerns about originality or attribution whenever relevant.

Possible Editorial Outcomes

At the proposal stage, after the applicable divisional evaluation, the Division Editor-in-Chief may determine: proceed toward manuscript development; proceed subject to specified revisions or clarifications; reconsider after substantial revision; or decline the proposal on academic grounds. This constitutes the academic determination within the division and does not require a separate subject-matter approval by the General Editor. For a proposal that is academically suitable to proceed, the General Editor confirms that the applicable publisher-level policies and procedures have been satisfied. A favorable proposal determination or invitation to develop or submit a manuscript does not constitute final acceptance of the completed book.

At the manuscript stage, any assigned handling editor coordinates the evaluation under the Division Editor-in-Chief and reports the results of that process to the Division Editor-in-Chief. The Division Editor-in-Chief determines whether the completed manuscript satisfies the academic standards for publication, requires further revision, or should be declined on academic grounds. A determination to decline on academic grounds is not subject to a second disciplinary evaluation by the General Editor. When the Division Editor-in-Chief determines that a manuscript is academically suitable for publication, the General Editor confirms compliance with the applicable ISQGD Books editorial, ethical, conflict-of-interest, contractual, legal, and publishing requirements. This publisher-level confirmation does not constitute a second subject-matter review. Once the academic determination in favor of publication and the publisher-level requirements are satisfied, the General Editor issues or authorizes the formal acceptance letter on behalf of ISQGD Books. A manuscript is formally accepted for publication only upon issuance of that authorized written acceptance letter.

Appeals, Complaints, and Editorial Concerns

Authors may raise a reasoned appeal or complaint when they believe that a significant procedural error, undisclosed conflict of interest, or serious misunderstanding materially affected an editorial decision. Appeals should identify the specific concern and provide relevant supporting information.

An appeal does not guarantee reconsideration or acceptance. An appeal concerning an academic or subject-matter determination should, where appropriate, be considered by an independent editor or expert with relevant disciplinary expertise who was not responsible for the original determination. An appeal concerning procedure, ethics, conflicts of interest, contractual matters, or publisher-level requirements may be reviewed by the General Editor or, when necessary to preserve independence, by another qualified senior editor who was not responsible for the matter under review.

Author Agreements, Copyright, Licensing, and Permissions

Every accepted title is governed by a written publishing agreement. The agreement should address publishing rights, copyright, formats and editions, pricing, royalties, accounting, approved deductions, author copies, revisions, permissions, termination, and other relevant responsibilities.

ISQGD Books generally favors arrangements in which authors retain copyright while granting ISQGD Books the publishing rights necessary to produce, distribute, market, archive, and make the work available in the agreed formats. The exact terms are determined by the applicable publishing agreement.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for third-party material that requires authorization, including copyrighted figures, photographs, tables, substantial quotations, or other protected content.

Pricing and Global Accessibility

ISQGD Books seeks to maintain reasonable and internationally accessible pricing while supporting professional production and a sustainable publishing program. Electronic and print prices are determined in consultation with the author and may reflect production requirements, distribution arrangements, format, length, expected readership, and market conditions.

ISQGD Books may establish a standard worldwide electronic-book price for a title where appropriate. Print prices may differ because printing, retail, fulfillment, and distribution costs vary by format and channel.

Royalty and Revenue-Sharing Policy

Under the standard ISQGD Books model, authors ordinarily receive 40% of Distributable Net Revenue from sales of their books, subject to the applicable publishing agreement.

Distributable Net Revenue means the amount remaining from receipts attributable to the sale of a book after the clearly defined and contractually permitted publication, transaction, production, and distribution costs have been accounted for.

Book-specific one-time production costs are recoverable only as provided in the author agreement. Once such approved one-time costs have been fully recovered, they cease to be deducted from later sales. Genuine continuing transaction, platform, printing, fulfillment, or distribution costs may continue to apply where relevant.

Royalty statements and payment procedures will be specified in the publishing agreement. ISQGD Books aims to maintain transparent accounting so that authors can understand the basis on which royalties are calculated.

Typesetting, Copyediting, Design, and Production Quality

Accepted books are expected to meet consistent standards for typography, mathematical or technical notation where applicable, figures, tables, references, metadata, accessibility, and overall production quality. The exact production workflow may vary depending on the manuscript and format.

Authors may be asked to review proofs and are responsible for identifying remaining substantive or typographical errors within the proofing schedule. Post-proof changes that substantially alter content may require editorial approval.

ISBNs, Metadata, DOI, and Bibliographic Information

ISQGD Books will maintain appropriate bibliographic metadata for published titles and will obtain or assign ISBNs for formats that require separate identifiers. DOI registration or other persistent identifiers may be used where appropriate and beneficial.

Metadata should accurately identify the title, subtitle, author or editor names, edition, format, publisher, publication date, subject classification, and other relevant bibliographic information.

Digital-First Publishing and Print Availability

ISQGD Books follows a digital-first publishing model designed to support efficient, affordable, and international dissemination of scholarly and educational works. Electronic editions provide a principal means of publication and global access, allowing books to reach students, educators, researchers, professionals, libraries, and institutions without requiring conventional inventory or large advance print runs.

Where a physical edition is appropriate or there is reader, library, or institutional demand, ISQGD Books may also make paperback or hardcover editions available through professional print-on-demand and distribution services. Physical copies can then be produced in response to orders and shipped directly to purchasers by the applicable printing or distribution provider. This approach helps avoid unnecessary inventory, storage, and fulfillment costs while preserving access to professionally produced print editions.

Electronic and print editions of a title are based on the same academically reviewed and approved work. Preparation of a print format does not duplicate the scholarly evaluation of the underlying manuscript; however, each format remains subject to appropriate production checks, bibliographic requirements, and quality control before release.

Availability of particular formats and distribution channels may vary by title. ISQGD Books selects formats and services according to the work, its readership, production requirements, accessibility goals, and sustainable publishing practices.

ISQGD Books as Publisher and the Role of Distribution Services

ISQGD Books remains the scholarly publisher of titles accepted and issued under its imprint. To make books accessible internationally, ISQGD Books may use established external services for electronic retail, digital delivery, print-on-demand, physical fulfillment, and distribution.

Such providers act as service, retail, printing, fulfillment, or distribution channels; their involvement does not transfer editorial responsibility or the publisher role from ISQGD Books. ISQGD Books retains responsibility for its editorial standards, publication decisions, publishing identity, and the bibliographic information associated with its titles.

Specific service providers and distribution channels may change over time or differ by title. This flexibility allows ISQGD Books to select appropriate channels while maintaining its scholarly and publishing standards.

Electronic and Print Distribution

ISQGD Books may distribute titles through the ISQGD website, third-party electronic platforms, professional print-on-demand and fulfillment services, retail or library channels, institutional arrangements, or other appropriate methods. When a third-party print-on-demand service is used, the service provider may print and ship physical copies directly in response to customer orders, allowing ISQGD Books to offer print editions without maintaining routine physical inventory or operating its own order-fulfillment system. Distribution arrangements may differ across titles and formats.

The goal is to support reliable international access while preserving professional standards, transparent accounting, and reasonable pricing.

Corrections, Revised Editions, and Withdrawals

When significant errors are identified after publication, ISQGD Books may issue corrections, update an electronic edition, prepare a revised edition, or take other appropriate action. Minor typographical corrections may be incorporated into later printings or updated electronic files without creating a new edition where bibliographically appropriate.

Serious ethical or legal concerns may require a formal notice, withdrawal, or other corrective action. Such decisions will be made carefully and documented appropriately.

Questions Concerning These Policies

Authors, reviewers, editors, and readers may direct policy-related questions to ISQGD Books through the contact information provided on the ISQGD Books page.