The editorial policy of the journal is committed to adhering to the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is guided by the principles of academic integrity. Its primary objective is to ensure a highly objective evaluation of scientific content, determine compliance with the journal’s requirements, and provide a comprehensive analysis of the manuscript's merits and weaknesses.

The Editorial Board accepts only original materials articles that have not been previously published and have not been submitted to other journals. To detect textual borrowings in submitted manuscripts, the Editorial Board utilises specialized software. Manuscripts containing unattributed borrowings (plagiarism) are rejected prior to publication. All submissions are screened for plagiarism using StrikePlagiarism.com software provided by the Polish company Plagiat.pl.

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

Academic integrity serves as the cornerstone of the Editorial Board's activities, guaranteeing the quality and authority of published research. The journal promotes a culture of scientific inquiry based on:

• Intellectual honesty: results presented in the article must be the outcome of the author’s independent research, free from manipulation or distortion.
• Respect for intellectual property: by submitting an article, the author guarantees that the work does not violate existing copyrights. Illustrative materials (tables, figures, photos, etc.) must include proper citations.
• Open access: the journal declares a policy of open access to research results, fostering scientific discussion and the advancement of scholarly thought.
• Objectivity: reviewers provide an unbiased expert assessment to enhance the scientific quality of manuscripts.
• Equality: the Editorial Board ensures equal opportunities for all authors, regardless of their status or titles.

The primary violation of academic integrity is academic plagiarism, defined as the reproduction of others' results, ideas, or text fragments without proper attribution. To avoid plagiarism, authors must:

• Use quotation marks for verbatim text.
• Maintain the original context of the quote.
• Use ellipses (...) to indicate omitted parts of a quote.
• Limit the use of direct quotations.

This policy also applies to self-plagiarism, where an author reuses their own previously published materials while presenting them as new scientific findings.

Other violations include data fabrication and falsification (inventing facts, manipulating archival sources, or intentionally altering research results to support a false hypothesis). Furthermore, authorship manipulation including individuals who did not participate in the research or commissioning texts through third-party commercial services is strictly prohibited.

In light of technological advancements, the undisclosed use of generative AI is also considered a violation. Submitting text or images generated by AI without proper declaration and critical reassessment by the author is regarded as a form of academic deception. Additionally, duplicate submission (submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously) and the intentional concealment of conflicts of interest are unacceptable.

 

PUBLICATION ETHICS

The journal consistently adheres to the COPE Code of Conduct publishing standards.

Editorial Board members and independent experts review articles based on objectivity and international academic standards.

The Editorial Office reserves the right to make stylistic edits. Edits that may alter the meaning of the text are coordinated with the author.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject articles that do not meet the journal’s requirements or scope.

Opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board. Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of information, names, statistical data, and citations.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to make minor literary edits and abridgements to texts, while preserving the author's style.

Submitted materials are not returned and cannot be published in other scientific journals.

Ethical principles for the Editorial Board

Decisions are based on the positive feedback of a qualified reviewer who has no conflict of interest with the author.

Manuscripts are evaluated regardless of the race, gender, religious views, origin, citizenship, social status, or political affiliations of the authors.

A manuscript will not be published if there are grounds to believe it is plagiarised. The academic integrity threshold must exceed 80%.

The Editorial Board addresses all claims regarding manuscripts or published materials and takes necessary steps to resolve conflicts and restore violated rights.

Ethical principles for reviewers

Manuscripts are treated as confidential documents and intellectual property. They cannot be shared with third parties without editorial authorisation.

By submitting a manuscript for review, authors entrust reviewers with the results of their scientific work and creative efforts, on which their reputation and career may depend. Disclosure of confidential information about the review of a manuscript violates the author's rights. Breach of confidentiality is possible only in the event of a statement of inaccuracy or falsification of materials; in all other cases, its preservation is mandatory.

Reviewers provide an objective assessment of the manuscript's quality and its compliance with scientific, literary, and ethical standards. Personal criticism is impermissible.

The reviewer shall not consider manuscripts if there is a conflict of interest arising from competition, collaboration, or other relationships with any authors or organisations associated with the manuscript.

Ethical principles for authors

The author(s) guarantee that the submitted manuscript:

• Presents reliable research results.
• Is not plagiarised.
• Has not been previously published in any language.
• Contains proper citations for all sources used during the preparation of the article.