Publication Ethics

Originality and plagiarism

The author submits only original manuscripts and ensures that all the work or words of others have been appropriately cited. Plagiarism in all its forms, e.g. copying or paraphrasing others without citing them, is strictly forbidden. The author shall not publish the same article in further journals.

Authorship of the manuscript

Authorship should be limited to those who have contributed significantly to, or the analysis of the study, those who have participated in the preparation of the manuscript, and have approved the final version of the manuscript. The author should ensure that all co-authors are listed in the manuscript, have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission for publication. Other persons who have had an impact on some important aspects of a scholarly manuscript should be listed or shown as collaborators.

Disclosure and conflict of interest

The author should disclose the contribution of research institutions, associations and other entities and any major conflicts of interest that may affect the analysis of research or the results. The author should also disclose all sources of financial support in his/her manuscript.

Confirmation of sources

The author should cite all the publications that have had an impact on the submitted manuscript.

Fundamental errors in published works

If the author discovers a fundamental error or inaccuracy in his/her manuscript, he/she is required to notify the editorial secretary as soon as possible.

Ghostwriting

Ghostwriting/guest authorship are manifestations of scientific misconduct and any detected cases will be revealed, including notification of the entities concerned. Manifestations of scientific misconduct, will be documented by the Editors.

Editorial decisions

The reviewers support the Editor-in-Chief in taking editorial decisions and may also assist the author in improving his/her work.

Feedback

Any reviewer who is not able to examine the manuscript due to the lack of expertise or time should inform the editors as fast as possible so they can appoint new reviewers.

Confidentiality

All reviewed manuscripts must be treated as confidential documents. They may not be showed to or discussed with persons other than the editors.

Objectivity standards

Reviews should be objective. Personal criticism of the author is deemed inappropriate. The reviewer should clearly express his/her views supporting them with appropriate arguments.

Anonymity

All reviews are anonymous and the Editorial Board does not make authors’ personal data available to reviewers.

Disclosure and conflict of interest

The reviewer must not use in his/her research any crucial information or ideas coming from an unpublished manuscript without an express written consent of its author. In case of the conflict of interest related to the relationship with the author, company or institution connected to the manuscript the reviewer should decline the invitation to review the given manuscript.

Confirmation of sources

The reviewer should point out important published research that has not been referred to by the author of the manuscript. Any claim that is an observation, source or argument that has been previously discussed should be supported by an appropriate reference. The reviewer should also inform the editors of any significant similarity or overlap between the manuscript and any other paper (published or unpublished) if he/she notices it.

Fair play and editorial independence

Submitted manuscripts shall be evaluated solely on the basis of their relevance to the journal’s topic of interest and academic excellence. The author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, political views and institutional affiliation are not to be taken into account. No external body can influence the editors in the process of selecting, editing and publishing manuscripts.

Confidentiality

No information about a submitted manuscript may be disclosed to anyone other than its author, the editors, reviewers, potential reviewers and the publisher.

Disclosure and conflict of interest

Unpublished manuscripts or their parts may not be used in research conducted by the editorial team or reviewers without the written consent of the author.

Publication decisions

The Editor-in-Chief must comply with the existing law on defamation, infringement of copyright and plagiarism. He/she is responsible for deciding which of the submitted manuscripts should be published. He/she may consult thematic editors and/or reviewers.

Where any scientific misconduct is detected, the Editors, based on the guidelines proposed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), will apply the following procedures:

• Suspected redundant publication in a submitted manuscript
• Suspected redundant publication in a published manuscript
• Suspected plagiarism in a submitted manuscript
• Suspected plagiarism in a published manuscript
• Suspected fabricated data in a submitted manuscript
• Suspected fabricated data in a published manuscript
• Corresponding author requests addition of extra author before publication
• Corresponding author requests removal of author before publication
• Request for addition of extra author after publication
• Request for removal of author after publication
• What to do if you suspect ghost, guest or gift authorship
• How to spot authorship problems
• What to do if a reviewer suspects undisclosed conflict of interest (Col) in a submitted manuscript
• What to do if a reader suspects undisclosed conflict of interest (CoI) in a published article
• What to do if you suspect an ethical problem with a submitted manuscript
• What to do if you suspect a reviewer has appropriated an author’s ideas or data
• How to respond to whistle blowers when concerns are raised directly
• How to respond to whistle blowers when concerns are raised via social media