Publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal is an essential element in the development of a coherent and respectable knowledge network. It is a direct consequence of the quality of the authors’ work and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and represent the scientific method. It is therefore important to establish norms of ethical behavior for all parties involved in the decision-making and publication processes: the Editorial Board, reviewers, and authors.
The review process
Once an article is received through the platform and the Editorial Board identifies the reviewers (external to the editorial bodies with decision-making duties), it undergoes double blind peer review according to the specified form. Responsibility for the referencing procedure rests with the Editors in Chief. The final decision and timing of publication, once the judgment of the referees has been acquired, is the responsibility of the Editorial board, which is responsible for notifying the authors.
The journal publishes two issues per year: issue 1 in April and issue 2 in October.
(For the refereeing process with reference to timing, see the “Call for papers” page)
Duties of the Editorial Board
Decision regarding publication: The Editors in chief and Editorial board of the Journal are responsible for the decision whether or not to publish articles submitted to the Journal. In making this decision, the Editors in chief and Editorial board use the assessment of at least two independent reviewers (double-blind peer review). The Editors in chief and the Editorial board refer to the editorial policies of the Journal and the applicable legal provisions on defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
Fairness: The Editors in chief and Editorial board evaluate articles solely for their scholarly content, in the absence of any form of discrimination.
Confidentiality: The Editors in chief, Editorial board and Editorial Staff may communicate information about submitted articles only to the authors and reviewers. Unpublished material contained in articles submitted to the Journal may not be used by members of the Journal’s organs.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: the Editorial board and Editorial Staff must keep confidential and not use for personal gain any information or ideas obtained through the review of manuscripts. Reviewers are also expected to pay attention to ethical issues, to ensure that published contributions are original, to point out any redundant publications or plagiarism phenomena, and to point out possible conflicts of interest that may arise from competition, collaboration, or other connection with authors, companies, or entities related to the subject matter of the manuscript.
Involvement and cooperation in investigations: If the Editorial board or Editorial Staff detects or receives reports of a significant problem related to errors, conflict of interest, or plagiarism in a published article, they should take charge of it, communicating it to the authors and taking the necessary action to clarify any problems that arise. Responsibility for policies for overseeing ethical issues, research practices, acquiring consensus, and resolving any conflicts lies with the Editorial Board, as well as for any changes to be made to contributions.
It is the responsibility of the Editors in chief and the Editorial Board, according to current regulations and this Code of Ethics, to manage practices contrary to scientific integrity.
It is the responsibility of the Editorial Board to evaluate and publicize the post-publication debate (reply notes or letters to the Editor) and to ensure in a documented, traceable and transparent manner, including for the reading public, any changes or corrections to articles already published, or their withdrawal.
The Editorial Staff is responsible for assisting the Editorial board and managing in the processes of editing, publishing and dissemination. No decisions regarding the publication of contributions are the responsibility of the Editorial Staff, which remain the sole preserve of the Editorial Board. The Editorial Staff is bound, where within its competence, to this Code of Ethics.
The Scientific Board, while also responding to this Code of Ethics, is a guarantor of the prestige and scientificity of the journal, but is released from decision-making duties that remain with the Editorial Board.
Duties of reviewers
Contribution to editorial decisions: reviewers actively participate in the decision-making process regarding contributions published in the journal, although the final decision rests with the Editors.
Promptness: reviewers who do not feel they are qualified to review the assigned manuscript or who believe they will not be able to perform the review in the required timeframe should recuse themselves from participating in the review process by notifying the Editors in a timely manner.
Confidentiality: Information or ideas obtained through manuscript review must be kept confidential and not used for personal benefit.
Standards of objectivity: reviewers encourage clarity, completeness and accuracy of reported research by providing authors with guidance and comments with reference to objective parameters.
Acknowledgment of source: reviewers should express their opinions accurately and with the support of clear and documented arguments
Disclosure and conflicts of interest: reviewers are required to pay attention to ethical issues, to ensure that contributions are original, to point out any redundant publications or plagiarism phenomena, and to point out possible conflicts of interest that may arise from competition, collaboration, or other connection with authors, companies, or entities that have relation to the subject of the manuscript.
Duties of authors
Accuracy in manuscript submission: Authors must accurately and clearly present their work and objectively discuss its significance. Data must be presented accurately. Manuscripts must be sufficiently detailed to allow for possible replications of the research conducted. Presenting false or knowingly inaccurate claims constitutes unethical and therefore unacceptable behavior.
Access and retention of data: Authors of a manuscript may be required to submit collected data in order to facilitate the editorial process. Data should be retained by authors for a reasonable time even after the article is published.
Originality and plagiarism: Authors are required to submit original articles; parts taken from other works must be duly cited. Another author’s work may not be presented as one’s own, nor may parts of other work be copied or paraphrased without proper citations. Such behavior constitutes forms of plagiarism and is therefore totally unacceptable.
Multiple, redundant or concurrent publications: Authors must ensure that manuscripts submitted to the journal have not already been published and have not been simultaneously submitted to other journals. Manuscripts must be original and have no redundant parts from other publications.
Acknowledgment of sources: Authors must make sources identifiable, citing any publication they have referenced and any source that has influenced the nature of the research presented in the manuscript. The work of others must be clearly acknowledged. Any information obtained confidentially or through correspondence may not be reported without the permission of the source.
Authors of contributions: Those who have actually and concretely contributed to the conception, design, implementation or interpretation of the research must be listed as authors of the manuscript. All co-authors must contribute to the drafting of the manuscript, agree on its publication, and approve the final version. The names of those who supported certain parts of the research should be indicated in the acknowledgments section.
Ethics regarding the participation of humans and animals: Papers involving research or experiments with humans or animals must contain a statement regarding the conduct of procedures in line with the main relevant laws. In the case of research with people, it must be clearly stated that informed consent has been obtained from the participants. Confidentiality in the handling of personal data must be guaranteed, in full compliance with the Privacy Act.
Conflicts of Interest: All authors must declare the existence of any conflicts of interest that may influence the results obtained or their interpretation. All sources that supported the research from a financial point of view must be indicated.
Errors in published papers: Should an author identify a significant error in published work, it is his or her obligation to notify the Editors promptly and take charge of its correction. Likewise, if the Editors become aware of a significant error in an already published paper, they will contact the authors who will take care to make the necessary corrections in a timely manner. However, the organs of the journal reserve the right to consider the need to withdraw the article.
For matters not explicitly stated, the journal adheres to COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, to which we refer http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines
