Fast-Track and Focused Program Policy

Last Updated: October 2026

This policy is part of ETFLIN's Editorial Policies.

ETFLIN is committed to providing a fair, rigorous, and transparent editorial process for all submitted manuscripts. Editorial handling and publication decisions are governed by the journal's scientific standards, peer-review procedures, publication ethics requirements, and editorial independence.

ETFLIN does not offer a separate Fast-Track service that guarantees expedited peer review, acceptance, issuance of a Letter of Acceptance (LoA), or publication within a specified period. However, a manuscript may be considered for the Focused Program when a legitimate and substantiated urgency warrants special consideration by the editor.

The Focused Program provides a limited form of editorial prioritization within the regular submission queue. It does not establish a separate peer-review standard, bypass the normal editorial assessment, or guarantee that a manuscript will be reviewed, accepted, or published sooner than other submissions.

Fast-Track Service

ETFLIN does not operate a standalone Fast-Track service, whether paid or unpaid, that promises a predetermined review or publication timeline. Authors should not assume that a request for expedited handling, a stated deadline, or an expression of urgency will qualify a manuscript for accelerated processing.

No author is entitled to expedited acceptance, a guaranteed editorial decision, or an advance Letter of Acceptance merely by requesting special handling. The journal will not issue an LoA before a manuscript has received formal acceptance through the established editorial process.

All manuscripts remain subject to the applicable submission requirements, initial editorial assessment, peer review, revision procedures, and final editorial decision. These requirements cannot be waived solely to accommodate an author's preferred timeline.

Focused Program

The Focused Program is a limited editorial arrangement intended for manuscripts presenting a legitimate and substantiated need for prioritized handling. It allows the editor to consider whether a manuscript should receive priority within the regular editorial queue because of circumstances that make timely scholarly assessment particularly important.

The program is intended to address exceptional urgency rather than provide a routine alternative to regular submission processing. Eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis by the responsible editor, taking into account the justification provided, the manuscript's completeness, its suitability for editorial assessment, and the availability of editorial and reviewer resources.

Approval under the Focused Program means that the editorial team may prioritize the manuscript's administrative handling or placement in the editorial queue. It does not mean that the manuscript will automatically receive an earlier reviewer response, a faster final decision, or earlier publication.

The Focused Program remains subject to the same academic, ethical, technical, and editorial requirements as the regular submission pathway.

Eligibility and Assessment of Urgency

Authors requesting consideration under the Focused Program must explain the specific circumstances that make timely editorial handling important. The request should describe the nature of the urgency, its relevance to the research, and any concrete deadline or time-sensitive consideration that may assist the editor in evaluating the request.

The editor may consider factors such as the time-sensitive relevance of the research, the need for timely scholarly assessment in a developing scientific or public-interest situation, or a substantiated deadline associated with a formally established scholarly initiative. These examples are illustrative and do not create an entitlement to priority handling.

Personal or institutional deadlines, including those related to graduation, promotion, employment, funding arrangements, or administrative requirements, do not automatically qualify a manuscript for the Focused Program. Such circumstances may be described where relevant, but the editor retains discretion to determine whether the request presents a sufficient justification for priority handling.

The existence of an urgent deadline does not establish the scientific merit of a manuscript and does not justify reducing the rigor of its evaluation. The editor may decline a request when the justification is insufficient, the manuscript is not ready for assessment, reviewer availability is limited, or prioritization cannot reasonably be accommodated without compromising the editorial process.

Request Procedure

Authors should request consideration under the Focused Program at the time of submission through the journal's official submission system, using the designated field for comments to the editor or another submission channel specified by the editorial office.

The request should include the manuscript title, a concise explanation of the urgency, the relevant deadline where applicable, and any supporting information necessary for the editor to assess the request. Authors should disclose only information relevant to that assessment and should avoid providing unnecessary confidential or personal information.

If urgency arises after submission, authors may contact the editorial office through the official communication channel and explain the changed circumstances. Requests made after submission remain subject to editorial discretion and may not be considered if the manuscript has progressed too far for meaningful reprioritization.

Authors should not contact reviewers directly to request faster evaluation or attempt to influence their review schedules. All communication concerning the request must be handled through the editorial office.

Submitting a request does not automatically place a manuscript in the Focused Program. The request is subject to editorial assessment and may be accepted or declined without affecting the manuscript's eligibility for consideration through the regular editorial process.

Editorial Prioritization and Review Scheduling

When a request is approved, the editor may give the manuscript priority in the relevant administrative or editorial queue, including the initial handling of the submission or the process of inviting appropriate reviewers. The degree of prioritization depends on editorial capacity and the circumstances of the manuscript.

Editorial prioritization does not give the journal control over every stage of peer review. Reviewers must have appropriate expertise, sufficient time, and the ability to provide a careful and independent assessment. They may decline an invitation, request an extension, or be unable to complete a review within the anticipated period.

The editor may need to invite replacement reviewers, seek additional opinions, request substantive revisions, or conduct further assessment before reaching a decision. These activities may extend the processing time regardless of the manuscript's status under the Focused Program.

ETFLIN will make reasonable efforts to handle approved requests appropriately, but reviewer availability and response schedules cannot be guaranteed. The Focused Program does not require reviewers to compromise the depth, accuracy, or independence of their assessments to meet an author's preferred deadline.

The general review procedures and operational targets described in ETFLIN's Peer-review Policy continue to apply. Any stated review target should not be interpreted as a guarantee of a completed review, final decision, or publication by a particular date.

Peer-Review Standards and Editorial Independence

All manuscripts considered under the Focused Program must undergo the same applicable initial assessment, peer-review procedures, and editorial evaluation as manuscripts processed through the regular queue.

The program does not exempt a manuscript from scope assessment, technical screening, plagiarism and research-integrity checks, ethical review of the submitted documentation, reviewer evaluation, or required revisions. The number and expertise of reviewers, as well as any additional assessment, remain governed by the applicable peer-review procedures.

Editorial decisions must be based on the manuscript's scholarly quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, validity of the findings, ethical compliance, and the adequacy of the authors' responses to editorial and reviewer comments.

Participation in the Focused Program must not influence a reviewer's recommendation or an editor's decision to accept, revise, or reject a manuscript. Neither the urgency described by the authors nor the approval of a priority request creates a presumption of acceptance.

The editor retains full authority to determine the appropriate editorial outcome. Where the manuscript does not meet the journal's requirements, it may be rejected or returned for revision under the same standards applied to regular submissions.

These principles are consistent with ETFLIN's Publication Ethics Policy and its commitment to fair, independent, and evidence-based editorial decisions.

Author Responsibilities and Revision Timelines

Authors whose manuscripts are considered under the Focused Program are expected to submit complete files, provide accurate information, comply with the journal's submission requirements, and respond to editorial communications within the deadlines specified by the editor.

Where revisions are required, the editor will determine an appropriate response period according to the nature and extent of the requested changes. The authors' response time, the completeness of revised files, and the need for further evaluation may affect the overall processing period.

Approval under the Focused Program does not eliminate the need for substantive revision, additional review, clarification of research methods, verification of ethical compliance, or resolution of research-integrity concerns. Authors must not assume that their manuscripts will receive fewer review rounds or reduced scrutiny.

Where an author cannot meet an agreed revision deadline, the author should inform the editorial office promptly and explain the circumstances. The editor may reassess the manuscript's priority status if delays, incomplete submissions, or other circumstances prevent the program from serving its intended purpose. Any such reassessment does not, by itself, constitute a rejection of the manuscript.

Letter of Acceptance (LoA)

A Letter of Acceptance (LoA) is an official confirmation that a manuscript has been formally accepted for publication by the responsible editor through the journal's established editorial process.

ETFLIN will not issue an LoA before a formal acceptance decision has been recorded. In particular, an LoA will not be issued while the manuscript is undergoing initial assessment, external peer review, or required revision, or while material editorial, ethical, or research-integrity concerns remain unresolved.

A request for consideration under the Focused Program, approval of that request, or an expectation of urgent handling does not entitle an author to an LoA. The journal does not issue advance, provisional, or guaranteed LoAs based on a future acceptance expectation or an author's administrative deadline.

The timing of an LoA depends on the completion of the required editorial process and the formal recording of the acceptance decision. Neither participation in the Focused Program nor the submission of supporting documentation guarantees acceptance or the issuance of an LoA by a specified date.

Authors should refer to the official manuscript status and communications issued through the journal's submission system for confirmation of the editorial outcome.

Acceptance and Publication Schedule

Formal acceptance and publication are separate stages. Once accepted, a manuscript may still require production activities such as copyediting, typesetting, author proofreading, metadata preparation, and final publication checks.

The Focused Program does not guarantee publication within a particular volume, issue, publication window, or calendar date. The actual publication schedule depends on the completion of production requirements, the journal's publishing arrangements, and any outstanding corrections or documentation.

Authors remain responsible for reviewing proofs and responding to production queries within the period specified by the editorial or production team. Delays in author responses or the discovery of material errors may affect publication timing.

A manuscript's inclusion in the Focused Program therefore should not be interpreted as a promise that acceptance, completion of production, assignment to an issue, or online publication will occur by a particular deadline.

Fees and Financial Independence

The Focused Program is an editorial prioritization arrangement, not a purchased guarantee of faster review or acceptance. No payment can purchase a favorable recommendation, override an editorial decision, or exempt a manuscript from the journal's peer-review and ethical requirements.

Any applicable publication charges, waivers, or other financial arrangements are governed exclusively by ETFLIN's Pricing Policy. Such arrangements are separate from decisions concerning the manuscript's scholarly merit, reviewer recommendations, and editorial outcome.

ETFLIN does not accept financial or external pressure as a basis for altering the scientific assessment of a manuscript. Editors and reviewers must maintain their independence throughout the process.

Declining or Withdrawing Focused Program Status

The editor may decline a request for the Focused Program if the urgency is not sufficiently justified, the submission is incomplete, the requested prioritization cannot reasonably be accommodated, or relevant editorial and reviewer resources are unavailable.

A declined request does not automatically result in manuscript rejection. Unless the editor determines otherwise under the regular submission procedures, the manuscript may continue through the standard editorial queue.

Where a request has initially been approved, the editor may reassess its priority status if the circumstances underlying the request change materially, if the author does not comply with required procedural deadlines, or if continued prioritization is no longer feasible.

Any decision to decline or withdraw priority handling concerns the manuscript's position in the editorial workflow. It does not predetermine the scientific outcome, which remains subject to the regular editorial and peer-review standards.

Complaints and Editorial Communications

Questions regarding the Focused Program should be directed to the editorial office through the journal's official communication channels. Authors should provide the manuscript identification details and relevant correspondence when requesting clarification.

Concerns about procedural irregularities or the handling of a manuscript may be submitted through the applicable editorial complaints or appeals procedures. A request for priority handling, a missed preferred deadline, or disagreement with a scientific assessment does not independently establish grounds for acceptance.

All communications must remain professional and must not involve direct pressure on reviewers or attempts to circumvent the journal's established procedures.

Relationship with Other Editorial Policies

This policy should be read together with ETFLIN's Peer-review Policy, Author Instruction, Manuscript Status, Pricing Policy, and Publication Ethics Policy.

Where a request under the Focused Program raises questions concerning authorship, research ethics, plagiarism, data integrity, competing interests, or the use of artificial intelligence, the relevant ETFLIN policy continues to apply. The Focused Program cannot override any applicable ethical or editorial requirement.

In the event of any conflict between a requested timeline and the requirements necessary for a fair and reliable scholarly assessment, the latter takes precedence.

Policy Review

ETFLIN may review and update this policy when editorial practices, submission systems, or publication requirements change. Any revised policy will be published through the journal's official website.

Questions about this policy may be directed to halo@etflin.com.