Ethics

Research involving human participants, human material, or human data, must have been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and must have been approved by an appropriate ethics committee. A statement detailing this, including the name of the ethics committee and the reference number where appropriate, must appear in all manuscripts reporting such research. If a study has been granted an exemption from requiring ethics approval, this should also be detailed in the manuscript (including the name of the ethics committee that granted the exemption). Further information and documentation to support this should be made available to the Editor on request. Manuscripts may be rejected if the Editor considers that the research has not been carried out within an appropriate ethical framework. In rare cases, the Editor may contact the ethics committee for further information.
 
 Useful links:
https://publicationethics.org/membership/code-of-conduct
 

General Principles
The journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and other international recommendations.
Integrity, transparency, accountability, and respect in academic communication are ensured.
Published works must meet high standards of scientific and ethical quality.

Authors’ Responsibilities

  • Originality. Articles must be original, not previously published, and not under consideration elsewhere.

  • Citation. All sources, data, and ideas used must be properly cited.

  • Authorship. Only individuals who have made significant contributions to the research may be listed as authors; all co-authors must approve the final version.

  • Research Ethics. Studies involving humans or animals must comply with national and international ethical standards (e.g., the Declaration of Helsinki).

  • Conflicts of Interest. Any financial, institutional, or personal interests that could affect the research must be disclosed.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

  • Confidentiality. Manuscripts and reviews must not be shared with third parties.

  • Objectivity. Reviews must be fair, reasoned, and impartial.

  • Source Verification. If a reviewer identifies missing citations or plagiarism, they must inform the editorial board.

  • Conflicts of Interest. Reviewers must decline to review a manuscript if they have personal or professional relationships with the author(s).

Editors’ Responsibilities

  • Decision-making. Publication decisions are based on scholarly criteria, independent of authors’ identity or affiliation.

  • Transparency. The journal ensures a clear acceptance–rejection procedure.

  • Plagiarism Prevention. Manuscripts are screened using reliable plagiarism detection tools.

  • Error Correction. If errors are identified, the journal issues corrections, retractions, or statements of concern.

Readers’ Rights
The journal adheres to open science principles, ensuring free access for readers.
Readers are guaranteed that articles meet high academic and ethical standards.

Handling of Misconduct
In cases of suspected plagiarism, data fabrication, or inappropriate authorship, the editorial board follows COPE Flowcharts: COPE resources on misconduct.
In cases of serious misconduct, the article may be retracted, and a public editorial statement may be issued.