Editorial Policies

Fundamental principle of scholarly decision-making

Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly quality, fit with the journal’s aims and scope, originality, significance of the problem, methodology, quality of analysis and strength of argument. Factors unrelated to scholarly quality — including nationality, gender, ethnicity, personal beliefs or social status of the author — must not form the basis of decisions.

Editorial independence and responsibility

The editorial team is responsible for organizing and overseeing the manuscript review process, selecting qualified individuals for evaluation, maintaining confidentiality, and making the final decision within the framework of the journal’s policies. Where an editorial member has a conflict of interest with a manuscript, they must be excluded from decision-making on that article.

Initial screening of manuscripts

Every manuscript is examined, before specialist evaluation, for subject suitability, completeness of information, compliance with format requirements and author guidelines, overall quality of presentation, and initial indications of issues related to originality. This stage does not constitute final scholarly review and may result in a request for formal revisions or desk rejection of manuscripts outside the journal’s scope.

Peer review and specialist evaluation

Eligible manuscripts are referred to relevant specialists for scholarly evaluation. The exact type of review, anonymization arrangements, number of reviewers and any possible exceptions must be transparently announced on the Peer Review page before formal publication begins. The final decision is made on the basis of the body of evidence and scholarly reports; mere receipt of a manuscript or its entry into the review stage does not guarantee acceptance.

Originality, plagiarism and duplicate publication

Authors are responsible for the originality of the manuscript and the accuracy of citations. Claiming intellectual ownership of others’ material, use without proper citation, simultaneous submission of a manuscript to several journals, and duplicate publication may lead to suspension of the review process or post-publication actions. Details are set out on the Plagiarism and Publication Ethics pages.

Conflicts of interest

Authors, reviewers and editorial members must declare any conflict of interest related to a manuscript. A conflict of interest does not necessarily mean misconduct, but it must be managed so that the independence and impartiality of scholarly evaluation are preserved.

Appeals, complaints and handling

The journal must provide a channel for raising questions, appeals or complaints about editorial processes through the journal office. Complaints should be examined on the basis of documented information and without influencing the scholarly process of the article. Where necessary, the matter may be referred to competent persons or bodies for further examination.

Corrections, retractions and post-publication issues

If a scholarly error or a significant issue in an article is identified after publication, the journal will examine the matter and, where necessary, publish a correction, notice or retraction in accordance with the relevant policies. The aim of these actions is to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record and to prevent the spread of inaccurate information.

Related policies