Publication Ethics

PRINCIPLES OF PUBLICATION ETHICS

The Editorial Team of the scientific journal Social Sciences Forum is committed to maintaining high standards of quality in published articles and adheres to ethical principles, requiring the same from all parties involved in the publication process: authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.

The Editorial Team of Social Sciences Forum has adopted publication ethics principles in accordance with the guidelines of:

• The Code of Ethics for a Researcher, developed by the Committee for Ethics in Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences,
• The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – https://publicationethics.org/,
• Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK) – https://www.elsevier.com/editors/perk and https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/publishing-ethics.

Publication Ethics Principles Applicable to the Editorial Board

The Editorial Board shapes the programmatic profile of the Social Sciences Forum, determines its development directions, and consults on its substantive scope.

Publication Ethics Principles Applicable to the Editorial Board

1. The Editorial Board is committed to ensuring the highest substantive quality of the scientific journal and to achieving the established goals and programmatic objectives while upholding ethical principles and standards.
2. The Editorial Board conducts an initial assessment of submitted manuscripts based on their alignment with the thematic focus of the Social Sciences Forum. Manuscripts that do not align with the journal's scope may be rejected. Submitted manuscripts are evaluated solely on substantive grounds, without consideration of factors such as the authors' race, gender, religion, origin, nationality, or political views.
3. Based on reviewers' recommendations, the Editorial Board decides whether to accept an article for publication or to reject it. If, according to the reviews, the article requires revisions, the Editorial Team may request the author to make the necessary corrections and, if needed, resubmit the manuscript for a second round of review.
4. The Editorial Board maintains the confidentiality of all data concerning submitted manuscripts and their authors.
5. The Editorial Board ensures the appropriate selection of reviewers (a reviewer cannot be a co-author of the publication or affiliated with the same institution as the manuscript's author) and supervises the review process.
6. For manuscripts not selected for publication, the Editorial Board will not use them in any way that infringes on the intellectual property rights of the author.

The editorial office of the Social Sciences Forum declares that any detected violations of ethical principles will result in the rejection of the article and the notification of relevant entities (e.g., the authors' employing institutions, scientific societies, associations, or academic editors).

Publication Ethics Principles for the Publisher

1. The Publisher ensures adherence to ethical principles and standards, using all available measures to prevent plagiarism and instances of academic misconduct.
2. The Publisher provides open access (OPEN ACCESS) to the full text of all manuscripts on the Social Sciences Forum platform. Published materials are protected by copyright law.
3. The Publisher commits to publishing corrections, clarifications, and apologies when necessary.

Publication Ethics Principles for Reviewers

1. Reviewers assess manuscripts within their area of expertise, ensuring a fair, objective, thorough, and reliable evaluation. The review must be based on the provided review form, which requires a clear decision on whether to accept or reject the manuscript for publication.
2. The principle of confidentiality and mutual anonymity between reviewers and authors is maintained (double-blind review).
3. If a reviewer cannot evaluate a manuscript, particularly in cases of a potential conflict of interest (e.g., personal, financial, professional, or intellectual), or is unable to complete the review within the agreed timeframe, they must promptly notify the Editorial Board.
4. Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of all information provided by the Editorial Board.
5. Reviewers are prohibited from using knowledge about a manuscript before its publication.
6. If a reviewer suspects ethical misconduct by the author, they must inform the Editorial Board.

Publication Ethics Principles for Authors/Co-authors

1. Authors submit only original manuscripts that are neither plagiarized nor self-plagiarized, have not been previously published, and are not under consideration by another publisher. Manuscripts raising originality concerns for other reasons will undergo additional verification.
2. By submitting a manuscript, the author ensures that the transferred copyrights do not infringe upon personal or third-party rights and that the use of others' work complies with copyright law. If using external illustrative materials (e.g., figures, tables, charts), the author must obtain the necessary permissions and provide them to the Publisher.
3. For co-authored works, the author ensures that:
• Ghostwriting (substantial contribution by an individual not acknowledged as an author or in acknowledgments) and guest authorship (minimal or no contribution by an individual listed as an author) do not occur.
• All authors approve the final version of the manuscript and consent to its submission for publication. They are also required to disclose the percentage contribution of each author.
4. Authors must disclose funding sources, contributions from research institutions, associations, and other entities (financial disclosure).
5. Manuscripts containing research results must adhere to scientific integrity and reliability standards, and the research must comply with legal and ethical guidelines.
6. Authors are obligated to inform the Editorial Board of any circumstances that may affect the results or their interpretation and disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
7. Authors' personal data is not disclosed to reviewers and vice versa (double-blind review).