Academic Integrity and Ethics Policy
Main principles of the journal’s editorial policy: objectivity and impartiality in the selection of articles for publication; high standards for the presentation of scientific results; double-blind peer review of manuscripts; collegial decision-making regarding article publication; accessibility and prompt communication with authors; strict observance of copyright and related rights; strict adherence to the academic integrity policy.
1. Plagiarism Policy
The editorial board defines plagiarism as follows: Plagiarism (eng. plagiarism) ‒ the disclosure (publication), in whole or in part, of another person’s text under the name of a person who is not the author of that text. Self-plagiarism (eng. self-plagiarism) ‒ repeated publication by an author of substantial and identical scientific texts previously published by the same author without indicating their prior or simultaneous publication. Textual plagiarism ‒ the full or partial borrowing of text fragments (unchanged or modified) present in articles, abstracts, reports, monographs, manuscripts of qualification works, etc.
Actions that characterize plagiarism include: presenting another person’s work as one’s own; copying words or ideas of others without referencing their works; intentional omission of references from the list of sources; providing incorrect information about a source; changing the order of words while preserving the general structure of a sentence without citing the source; copying a large amount of text or ideas with references to sources that collectively constitute the majority of the article. Plagiarism is classified into the following categories: exact copying without changes (Copy & Paste) and without proper bibliographic formatting of borrowed fragments; copying with changes in linguistic, lexical, and technical interpretation (rearranging words, replacing letters or numbers); imitation of style; translation from another language; borrowing of ideas.
Articles submitted to the journal are checked for plagiarism using the software StrikePlagiarism.com. The editorial board analyzes all cases of detected plagiarism and reserves the right not to allow the manuscript to proceed to the peer-review process. Scientific papers submitted to the editorial office are analyzed according to the following indicators:
- if the originality of the manuscript text exceeds 80% – the material is accepted for consideration;
- if the originality of the work is between 60% and 80% – the scientific work is returned to the author(s) for revision with a recommendation to review textual borrowings and resubmit the article in a corrected document;
- manuscripts with originality below 60% – are not accepted for consideration.
Authors of submitted materials bear full responsibility for the reliability of the information in the articles, the accuracy of titles, names, and quotations in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine "On Copyright and Related Rights").
Plagiarism in all forms is unacceptable and is considered unethical behavior and a violation of professional standards governing relations between authors, reviewers, editors, publishers, and readers, which contradicts the provisions of the section “Publication Ethics and Editorial Policy”. If textual borrowing is detected after publication, the editorial board conducts a thorough analysis. The editorial office will contact the author and inform them about the circumstances that have arisen. Depending on the amount of plagiarism, the document may also be removed from the journal’s database.
2. Policy on Fabrication and Falsification of Data
Fabrication (invention) and falsification (deliberate distortion) of research data, experimental results, statistical indicators, graphical materials, or other scientific results constitute a serious violation of academic integrity. Detection of such actions is grounds for rejection of the manuscript or retraction of an already published article. The retraction procedure is described on the page “Retraction Procedure”.
3. Conflict of Interest Policy
Authors are required to inform the editorial office about any real or potential conflict of interest (financial, professional, or personal) that may influence the research results or their interpretation.
Reviewers and members of the editorial board must declare any conflict of interest and refuse to participate in the review of a manuscript if such a conflict exists.
4. Authorship Policy
Authorship of an article must be based solely on a significant intellectual contribution to the research concept, its implementation, analysis of results, and preparation of the manuscript.
The following are unacceptable:
- “guest” authorship;
- “gift” authorship;
- “ghost” authorship.
Authors bear full responsibility for the reliability of information, the accuracy of titles, names, and citations in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights”).
5. Duplicate and Parallel Publication
Submission of the same manuscript simultaneously to several journals is prohibited. Re-publication of material without proper reference to the original source is also a violation of academic integrity.
6. Ethical Standards for Research Involving Humans or Animals
Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with ethical standards and the principles of voluntary informed consent. Research involving animals must comply with the requirements of humane treatment and current legislation. More details can be found on the page "Publication Ethics and Editorial Policy" in the section 1.8.
7. Policy on Corrections and Retractions
If significant errors or violations are identified after publication, the editorial office reserves the right to:
- publish a correction (corrigendum);
- publish an editorial note;
- retract the article with an official notice;
- remove the material from the journal database.
8. Procedure for Considering Violations
All reports of possible violations of academic integrity and ethical standards are considered by the editorial board confidentially, objectively, and within the established timeframes. The procedure for reviewing such reports is described on the page “Procedure for Handling Complaints Regarding Ethical Violations”. The editorial office contacts the author to clarify the circumstances. If necessary, independent experts may be involved.
The editorial board reserves the right not to allow the manuscript to proceed to peer review or to decide on the retraction of the publication depending on the nature and extent of the violation.
