Guidelines for the Management of the Journal of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences (JCAS)_2023

Article 1:Preamble.

The Journal of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences (JCAS) was launched in 2001. The present JCAS Management Guidelines stipulate the roles of various actors in the production, distribution and archiving of the journal. The  JCAS Management Guidelines should be read together with the Instructions and Policy guidelines to Authors/ Contributors, which have also been revised to meet up with the current evolution in the domain of journal publishing.

Article 2: Management Policy of JCAS. The JCAS shall be managed transparently in accordance with the  best practice principles governing the management of public finances in Cameroon. The Cameroon Academy of Sciences, which is a non-profit organization, owns the JCAS. Therefore, the JCAS shall also be a non-profit undertaking of the Academy. However, it shall be allowed to charge contributors such amounts that may be required to  meet the cost of publication. Further details about the cost of publication in JCAS are given below and in the guidelines to contributors/authors.

Part One: Management Structure 

Article 3: The Management structure of JCAS shall comprise the following:

• The Editorial Board
• The Management Committee and Secretariat

These organs shall be placed under the Editor- in- Chief.

Article 4: The Editorial Board

• Chaired by the Editor- in- Chief the Editorial Board shall be composed of 6-15 Associate Editors, Fellows of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences, and Guest Reviewers selected on academic merit to serve for 3 years renewable. The total number of members of the Editorial Board shall not be less than 20 and shall not exceed 150.
• There shall be 2- 5 Associate Editors for each of the three main sections of the journal, that in themselves correspond to the Colleges of the Academy.
• Membership of the Editorial Board shall be open to Fellows, Associate Fellows, Corresponding members of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences (CAS). The minimum requirement for membership of the editorial Board is to have published not less than 10 articles in peer reviewed journals of international standing with not less than three of them appearing during the previous  five years.
• Guest Reviewers shall be selected from non-members of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences on account of their specialist knowledge in the relevant domain for which they are consulted. They shall be acknowledged by listing them as Guest Reviewers.

5. The Editor-in-Chief
   • The Editor-in-Chief shall be selected by the Executive Committee of CAS and confirmed by the General Assembly of CAS. He/ She shall hold office for three years renewable.
   • The Editor- in-Chief shall oversee the general management of the publication and distribution of JCAS. In this capacity he/she shall call for articles, arrange for the reviews and take the final decision to accept or reject articles. He/she shall also oversee the printing and distribution of the journal which may be sub-contracted to competent service providers.
   • The Editor –in-Chief shall propose the list of Members of the Editorial Board, the Associate Editors for ratification by the Executive Committee of CAS. He shall have the authority to invite and end the services of Guest Reviewers in consultation with the Associate Editors.
   • The Editor- in- Chief shall maintain contact with all members of the Editorial Board through email or other electronic means. He shall consult them on major decisions affecting the journal. He may call and preside over an Editorial Board meeting as a side-meeting of the General Assembly of CAS.
   • The Associate Editors shall be selected to represent the various colleges on the proposal of the Editor-in-Chief to whom they shall report. Due consideration shall be given to gender balance in selecting the Associate Editors .
   • All members of the Editorial Board are expected to review articles in their disciplines for the They shall also assist the Editor –in –Chief to make the journal known and respected by publishing some of their work in the journal.
6. The Management Committee.
   • The Management Committee and Secretariat shall be composed of the following:

• The Editor –in-Chief (Chairperson)
• One Associate Editor per College of CAS ( for a maximum of three)

One or two administrative Assistants ( non- voting members appointed by the Editor-in-Chief)

6.2 The Management Committee shall oversee the day-to- day  running of the journal and shall be empowered to take decisions on behalf of the Editorial Board between the meetings of the latter.

They shall assist the Editor –in-chief in the discharge of his/her duties as stipulated in the present guidelines.

7. Financial Provisions
   • The financial management of JCAS shall conform to the highest ethical standards and shall be in accordance with the standards set for the management of public finance in Cameroon.
   • Under the authority of the Editor-in-Chief one of the Administrative Assistants shall be designated as the Finance Clerk. He /she shall keep the accounts, receipts, and other pertinent financial records  JCAS in strict respect of standard accounting procedures. 
   • The revenue/income of JCAS shall be derived from:

-Gifts, donations, and grants duly authorized by  CAS

-Proceeds from page charges paid by contributors to the journal

-Subscription charges

-Proceeds from advertisements placed in the JCAS

• The expenditure on JCAS shall include the following:

• The cost of publication
• The cost of communication
• The cost of distribution of the journal
• The payment of honoraria to persons involved in the publication of the journal according to the schedule /rates stipulated herein.

-other direct costs and contingencies 

7.5. An account shall be opened for JCAS in a local recognized bank and shall have as signatories the Executive Secretary and Treasurer of the Academy, and the Editor-in-Chief of the JCAS.

7.6 Honoraria

7.6.1. The service of  the Editor-in chief, the Associate Editors, the Reviewers shall be gratuitous.

However, they shall be entitled to honoraria to cover communication costs ,subject to effective participation in the production of the journal issue concerned  as follows:

• Editor- in- Chief – 50 000F per issue of JCAS published
• Associate Editor-25 000F per issue published
• Reviewers may be given a rebate of 25 % for one article per issue  that they publish in JCAS within 24 months of reviewing an article for JCAS.
• Administrative Assistant-30 000F per issue published

7.6.2. These payments are not to be cumulative  ie no person may be paid honoraria under more than one category

7.7 Distribution/Circulation of the Journal.

The printed edition of the   journal shall be distributed free of charge to the following:

The SG of the Presidency of the Republic.

The Secretary General of the PMs Office.

The Minister of Higher Education.

The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation.

The Central Library of the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation.

The Libraries of all State Universities of Cameroon.

The Libraries of State Research Institutes.

The Archives of the Academy of Sciences.

The National Archives in Yaoundé and Buea;

All duly registered and paid-up members of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences.

All Guest reviewers of the volume/issue concerned.

PART TWO: Instructions to Editors

Article 8. Procedures for Submission, Review and  Acceptance/Rejection of articles  submitted to the  JCAS

8.1 All submissions to the JCAS shall be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief or uploaded to JCAS when the latter is available.

8.2. The contributors and authors shall be required to follow the instructions to contributors as specified herein.

8.3. The Editor-in –Chief shall ensure that  each article is registered, given a serial number, and then assigned to  three reviewers.

8.4. Reviewers have  7 days to read the article and submit their report. This deadline may be extended to a maximum of  21  days after which the article shall be reassigned to  other reviewers and the contributors informed. At this stage the contributors may withdraw their article.

8.5. The entire peer review process shall be anonymous, and the Editor-in-chief shall ensure that the manuscripts are coded, identifiers like names, addresses, acknowledgements etc; are removed from the manuscripts before they are forwarded to reviewers. The identity of the reviewers shall not be disclosed to the authors/contributors or any other person.

8.6. A manuscript will only be accepted for publication in JCAS if  two of the three reviewers consulted recommend it for publication. Articles accepted for publication, subject to corrections, will be returned to the reviewers for final vetting after the corrections have been done. However, minor corrections can be cleared by the Editor-in-chief or the Associate Editors.

8.7. The Editor-in –Chief shall notify the contributor of the acceptance of the article in writing. In case of rejection the reasons shall be given in the letter. Coded copies of the reviewers’ comments without the reviewer’s name and/or identifiers shall be attached to the rejection letter. The Editor-in-Chief may reject on submission an article which does respect the instructions to contributors or is clearly not within the scope of the journal.

8.8. Contributors shall be required to pay page charges at rates fixed by the Executive Council of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated the cost of publishing/printing one typeset page (approximately  500 words in New Romance 12) shall be 10000 (ten thousand) FCFA or 20 (twenty US dollars). The Editor-in-Chief may grant rebates and waivers to some authors from least developed countries under exceptional circumstances, provided that all authors must pay at least 100 USD or 50 000 FCFA per full length article  published. 

8.9. The Executive Secretary of CAS shall be responsible for the archiving and distribution of JCAS in collaboration with the Editor-in-Chief of JCAS.

9. The present guidelines shall come into force on the date of the signature. It shall be distributed as necessary.

Updated on the 3^rd of June,2023