Compliance with international principles of publication ethics
In its activities, the editorial board of the journal follows generally recognized international principles of academic integrity and ethical conduct in the field of scholarly publishing.
The journal adheres to the recommendations of leading international organizations, in particular the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and the principles of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which define modern approaches to ensuring the transparency of editorial procedures, the responsibility of participants in the publication process, and the objective evaluation of scientific results.
Ethics of Research Involving People
When reporting research involving human participants, human material, human tissues, or human data, authors must state that the studies were conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Declaration of Helsinki of 1975, revised in 2013. Before the study begins, approval must be obtained from the local institutional review board or another appropriate ethics committee to confirm that the research complies with national and international guidelines.
Research involving human participants must be approved by the relevant ethics committees affiliated with the institution(s) where the research is conducted. A manuscript presenting the results of surveys or interviews must include confirmation that the authors ensured the voluntary participation of respondents, obtained their written informed consent (including consent for the publication of the results), and guaranteed confidentiality, anonymity, and the prevention of any forms of discrimination or coercion.
The ethical validity of the conducted research must be properly substantiated and, where possible, supported by references to international professional standards and codes, including the Code of Ethics of the American Sociological Association (1997), the European Commission’s Guidance on Ethics and Data Protection (2021), as well as the International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics ICC/ESOMAR (2025).
When reporting research involving human participants, authors must indicate that the study was conducted in accordance with the standards listed below. Before conducting the study, approval must be obtained from the local Institutional Review Board (IRB) or another appropriate ethics committee to confirm that the research complies with national and international guidelines. All participants must be fully informed whether anonymity is guaranteed, why the research is being conducted, how their data will be used, and whether there are any associated risks. Ethical approval from the relevant ethics committee must be obtained prior to conducting the study. If ethical approval is not required, authors must either provide an exemption from the ethics committee or cite local or national legislation indicating that ethical approval is not required for this type of research.
Ethical Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Research
The journal endorses the ARRIVE guidelines for reporting experiments involving live animals. Authors and reviewers should use the ARRIVE guidelines as a checklist. Editors reserve the right to request the checklist and to reject submissions that do not comply with these guidelines, reject submissions on ethical or animal welfare grounds, or if the described procedure is not justified by the value of the work presented.
For additional guidance, authors should refer to the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Used in Scientific Procedures, the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, or the European Association for Animal Research.
Research Involving Plants
Experimental research on plants (both cultivated and wild), including the collection of plant material, must comply with institutional, national, or international guidelines. We recommend that authors adhere to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
in its editorial activities, the journal ensures:
- adherence to the principles of integrity, openness, and responsibility in scientific publications;
- the organization of independent and impartial peer review of manuscripts;
- the prevention of breaches of academic integrity, specifically plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification of research results;
- the proper resolution of conflicts of interest among authors, reviewers, and editors;
- transparency in editorial decision-making procedures;
- timely responses to inquiries regarding potential violations of publication ethics.
The journal’s editorial board supports the principles of responsible research assessment, under which scientific works are evaluated based on their content, scientific novelty, and the significance of the results, rather than by formal metrics or quantitative scientometric indicators.
The journal's policies are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changes in international recommendations and the evolution of scientific communication practices.
