General terms
The editorial board of the journal adheres to international standards of publication ethics, based on the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Resource Kit. Its activities are based on scientific rigour, objectivity, professionalism and adherence to the principles of transparency and confidentiality. Decisions on publication are made solely on the basis of the academic value of the manuscript and the conclusions of the reviewers. Intellectual content is evaluated regardless of the race, gender, orientation, nationality, religion or political views of the authors. The editorial board undertakes to maintain editorial confidentiality and not to disclose information about the authors or the content of the submitted materials to third parties. Unpublished data obtained in the process of editing or reviewing cannot be used in our own research without the written consent of the authors.
Duties of the editorial board
The editorial board may reject a manuscript if it lacks scientific novelty or practical significance, does not correspond to the journal's subject area, does not comply with the formatting requirements, or if plagiarism or materials created by automatic translators are detected. If serious violations (plagiarism, falsification, fabrication of data, duplication) are detected during review or after publication, the editorial board reserves the right to withdraw the article, notifying the authors and interested institutions.
In the case of a conflict, the editorial board acts in accordance with COPE principles, organising discussions with authors and reviewers to resolve disputes fairly.
Responsibilities of reviewers
Reviewers evaluate manuscripts impartially and confidentially. They assess the quality of theoretical and experimental work, its interpretation and scientific novelty, pay attention to the proper citation of sources, and notify the editorial board if they find significant textual similarities or possible plagiarism.
Reviewers are not entitled to use information from manuscripts for their own benefit. In the event of a conflict of interest, they must inform the editorial board and refuse to evaluate the manuscript. Reviewers are expected to provide a reasoned explanation of their conclusions and recommendations, which will help both the editorial board and the authors.
Principles of authorship
Authors are responsible for the authenticity and novelty of the presented results, the correctness of references and citations, as well as the absence of plagiarism and excessive self-citation. Submission of an article confirms that it is not under consideration in another publication and has not been previously published. All persons who have made a significant contribution to the research should be listed as co-authors, while formal authorship is not permitted.
In the event of serious errors or inaccuracies, authors must immediately notify the editorial board and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article. They are also required to declare all sources of research funding and any potential conflicts of interest.
Submission of an article implies that all authors:
Co-authors who do not meet the criteria for authorship are listed in the Acknowledgements.
Confidentiality
The editor and editorial board do not disclose information about the submitted manuscripts (authors, topics, texts, etc.). Any manuscript received for review is considered a confidential document. The editor and the editorial board undertake not to disclose information about the accepted manuscripts unnecessarily, with the exception of authors, reviewers, other scientific consultants and the publisher.
Resolution of conflict of interest
Unpublished materials should not be used in any research by the editor, reviewers, or others without the written consent of the authors.
Editors, reviewers, and scientific consultants undertake to recuse themselves from consideration of manuscripts in the presence of conflict of interest as a result of competitive, joint, and other interactions and relations with authors, companies, other organisations associated with the manuscript.
The editorial board undertakes to take retaliatory measures in case of conflict situations and claims regarding the manuscripts or published materials.
The editorial board may address claims or concerns about research or publication misconduct raised by readers, reviewers, or others. Furthermore, the journal reserves the right to inform readers about the resolution of conflict situations.
Ethical standards
All research involving human subjects must have been formally approved by the appropriate ethics committee at the institution where the work was performed. In manuscripts containing the results of surveys or interviews, authors must confirm that the participation of respondents was voluntary, that their written informed consent was obtained (including for the publication of the results), and that confidentiality, anonymity, and the absence of discrimination or coercion were ensured.
The ethics of the research conducted must be properly justified and, if possible, confirmed by reference to international professional standards, such as the American Sociological Association's Code of Ethics (1997), the ICC/ESOMAR International Code (2016) or the European Commission's Guidelines on Ethics and Data Protection (2021). When reporting the results, authors are required to state that the research was conducted in accordance with applicable national and international ethical requirements. If the project did not require formal ethical approval, authors must provide official confirmation of the exemption or refer to the legislation that provides for it.
Data sharing and post-publication discussion
The journal supports the principles of openness and transparency, but access to the data underlying the research is only possible upon formal request and with the consent of the authors. All publications are indexed with a DOI, which allows for discussion on the PubPeer platform. The editorial board encourages post-publication discussions, which should remain professional and ethical.