PUBLICATION ETHICS
ETHICS & MALPRACTICE POLICY
1. INTRODUCTION
The editorial board and the publisher of the journal are committed to upholding the highest standards of publishing ethics and scientific integrity at all stages of the publication process.
This ethics policy has been developed based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the recommendations of recognized international publishers, indexing databases, and scientific journal registries.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure the integrity of research, the transparency of the publication process, and the accountability of all parties involved.
2. MISSION AND VALUES
The editorial board of the journal is committed to ensuring the integrity of scientific research, the transparency and impartiality of the peer-review process, and the accountability of all parties involved in the publishing process.
The journal promotes the publication of research results in accordance with the principles of academic ethics and supports open access to scientific knowledge.
The peer-review process is conducted using a double-blind system, and all manuscripts are verified using specialized plagiarism detection tools to ensure the originality and integrity of the research.
3. EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
3.1 Responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief
The editor-in-chief holds ultimate responsibility for all editorial decisions regarding the acceptance, rejection, or return of manuscripts for revision.
These decisions are made based on the scholarly merit of the submitted work, its relevance to the journal’s scope, the quality of the research, and its originality.
The editor-in-chief ensures compliance with the principles of publication ethics, maintains the impartiality of the review process, and takes appropriate action in cases of suspected ethical misconduct.
3.2 Integrity and Impartiality in Manuscript Evaluation
The editorial board guarantees that all submitted manuscripts are evaluated fairly, impartially, and solely based on their scientific merit, originality, relevance to the field, and consistency with the journal’s scope.
The evaluation process is conducted independently of the authors' identities, nationalities, ethnic origins, religions, genders, sexual orientations, institutional affiliations, or political views.
The editorial board ensures that editorial procedures are transparent and that the selection of reviewers is appropriate to the subject matter and specialization of the submitted work.
3.3 Confidentiality of the Editorial Process
All information related to submitted manuscripts, including their content, authorship, reviews, correspondence with authors and reviewers, and editorial decisions, is treated as confidential.
Access to this information is limited to authorized editorial staff and selected reviewers solely as necessary for the peer-review process.
Disclosure of any information to third parties without explicit consent from the authors or involved parties is prohibited, except in cases related to suspected breaches of publication ethics.
Members of the editorial team and reviewers are also obliged to maintain confidentiality even after the editorial process has concluded.
3.4 Preventing and Resolving Conflicts of Interest
Editorial board members are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the evaluation of a submitted manuscript or editorial decisions.
In the event of such a conflict, the involved editorial board member is excluded from handling the manuscript, and the responsibility is transferred to another, independent editor.
The editorial board takes all possible actions to ensure impartiality, transparency, and integrity throughout the publication process.
3.5 Prevention of Unethical Practices
The editorial board actively opposes all forms of unethical practices related to the publication process, such as plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data manipulation, false authorship (ghost authorship, gift authorship), fabrication of results, or undisclosed conflicts of interest.
To prevent misconduct, the editorial board applies appropriate control procedures, including plagiarism detection software, mandatory disclosure of funding sources, and declarations of conflicts of interest.
In cases of suspected misconduct, the editorial board follows procedures consistent with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including conducting investigations and involving the Publication Ethics Committee if necessary.
All confirmed cases of unethical behavior result in appropriate consequences, such as article retraction, notification of the author's affiliated institution, or other actions provided for in the procedures.
4. AUTHORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
4.1 Originality of Research, Transparency of Sources and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools
Authors are obliged to present only original research results. The work must result from the authors' own research and must not contain sections of other works without appropriate acknowledgment.
All data, results, quotations, and other materials used must be clearly identified and properly referenced. Copying sections of other works, data, or results without explicit citation is unacceptable.
Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data falsification, and unauthorized appropriation of others' ideas constitute serious breaches of publication ethics and will result in rejection of the manuscript or retraction of the publication.
Authors are required to disclose in the manuscript submission any use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as language models, text generators, or software assisting in content editing, that had a significant impact on the content or form of the article.
Authors bear full responsibility for the content, originality, and accuracy of all parts of the manuscript prepared with the support of AI. The use of AI does not release authors from their obligation to ensure the reliability and compliance of the manuscript with the principles of publication ethics.
4.2 Criteria for Authorship
Authorship is reserved exclusively for individuals who have made significant contributions to the scientific work, including activities such as: research conception and design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results, or drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
All co-authors should participate in preparing the final version of the work and approve its submission for publication.
Ghost authorship (omission of individuals who made a significant contribution) and gift authorship (crediting individuals who did not contribute) are unacceptable practices.
In the case of multi-authored publications, the editorial board may require a statement specifying the individual contributions of each co-author.
4.3 Exclusivity of Manuscript Submission
Authors are obliged to submit their manuscript to only one journal at a time.
Simultaneous submission of the same article or its substantial parts to more than one journal is considered a serious breach of publication ethics (duplicate submission).
If duplicate submission is detected, the manuscript will be rejected, and the authors' affiliated institutions may be notified.
Authors must disclose any prior publications or submissions related to the research described in the article, particularly in the case of related or similar works.
4.4 Proper Citation, Funding Disclosure, and Conflicts of Interest
Authors are required to properly cite all sources that influenced the conception, implementation, or interpretation of the research presented in the manuscript.
Citations should be complete, conform to scientific standards, and enable identification of the cited works.
Authors must disclose all sources of funding that supported the research or the preparation of the publication.
Furthermore, authors are obliged to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of the data, presentation of results, or decisions related to publication.
Failure to disclose conflicts of interest or funding sources may result in rejection of the manuscript or retraction of the published article.
4.5 Retention and Sharing of Research Data
Authors are required to appropriately retain original research data underlying the conclusions presented in the manuscript for at least five years from the date of publication, unless otherwise required by legal or institutional regulations.
Upon request from the editorial board or relevant authorities, authors must provide the source data for verification of the research's reliability.
If legal or ethical restrictions apply to the sharing of data (e.g., sensitive research or confidential data), authors must clearly indicate this in the manuscript along with a justification.
Authors are also encouraged to deposit research data in recognized open access repositories and provide appropriate links in the publication.
4.6 Copyright and Publishing Agreement
Authors are required to sign a publishing agreement upon acceptance of the manuscript for publication. Under this agreement, the authors retain the copyright to the work and grant the publisher a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, archive, distribute, and reproduce the final published version, including in print and electronic formats, in any media now known or hereafter developed, and to deposit or index the article in relevant databases and repositories.
Authors may use the article for scientific and educational purposes in accordance with the terms specified in the agreement.
5. REVIEWERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
5.1 Reliability, Constructiveness, and Timeliness of Evaluation
Reviewers are required to provide a reliable, objective, and constructive evaluation of the submitted manuscript, based solely on its scientific merit, originality, and the quality of the presented research.
Reviews should be prepared in a professional and substantive manner, offering authors clear and specific suggestions for potential improvements, while highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the work.
Reviewers should complete their reviews within the designated timeframe and, if unable to do so, promptly inform the editorial board to allow the appointment of an alternative reviewer.
5.2 Obligation to Maintain Confidentiality
Reviewers are obliged to treat all materials related to the review process as confidential.
Manuscript content, research results, opinions of other reviewers, and any information obtained during and after the review process must not be disclosed to third parties or used for personal research purposes without explicit consent from the editorial board.
5.3 Prohibition on Using Information from Reviewed Manuscripts
Reviewers must not use any information, data, concepts, methodologies, or results contained in reviewed manuscripts for their own scientific, educational, or commercial purposes prior to the official publication of the manuscript.
Knowledge acquired during the review process is confidential and must not be exploited in a way that would benefit the reviewer or influence their own research without prior written consent from both the editorial board and the author.
5.4 Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers are required to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest to the editorial office. In such cases, they should promptly inform the editors and withdraw from the review process.
5.5 Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools and Third-Party Assistance
Reviewers are required to prepare their evaluations personally and must not delegate the review process to artificial intelligence (AI) tools, automated systems, or third parties who have not been formally appointed as reviewers by the editorial board.
AI tools may be used solely as a technical aid (e.g., for language or formatting checks). If AI tools are used in this limited capacity, reviewers should disclose this in the review report.
6. PUBLISHER’S RESPONSIBILITIES
The publisher of the journal is Łódzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe (Łódź Scientific Society), which provides technical and organizational support to the editorial board and is responsible for the long-term archiving of the content.
6.1 Support for Publishing Ethics Standards
The publisher is committed to upholding the highest standards of publishing ethics and to supporting the editorial board in implementing good publication practices, in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
6.2 Independence of Editorial Decisions
The publisher ensures the complete independence of the editorial board in making decisions regarding the acceptance, rejection, or retraction of manuscripts.
The publisher does not interfere with the peer-review process, scientific evaluation, or editorial decisions.
6.3 Provision of Organizational Resources
The publisher provides the editorial board with appropriate technical and organizational resources, including in particular:
- editorial and peer-review management systems,
- plagiarism detection tools,
- content archiving systems,
- legal support regarding intellectual property protection.
6.4 Supporting the Detection of Ethical Violations
The publisher supports the editorial board in detecting and addressing cases of breaches of publication ethics, including plagiarism, data fabrication, conflicts of interest, or unethical research practices.
6.5 Transparency of Funding and Open Access Policy
The publisher ensures transparency regarding the sources of publication funding and supports open access policies for research data and results (open data), in accordance with current scientific standards.
7. PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING ETHICAL VIOLATIONS
7.1 Common Violations of Publication Ethics
- Plagiarism: Appropriation of others' ideas, data, text fragments, or research results without proper attribution and citation, presenting them as one’s own.
- Self-plagiarism: Republishing the same or very similar content in different places without proper reference or without informing the editorial board about prior use.
- Data fabrication or falsification: Manipulating research results, modifying data, or fabricating non-existent results or experiments to achieve desired outcomes.
- Unauthorized authorship (ghost, gift authorship): Crediting individuals who did not contribute significantly to the work (gift authorship) or omitting individuals who did contribute (ghost authorship).
- Manipulation in the peer-review process: Attempts to influence the selection of reviewers, impersonation of reviewers, or falsification of peer reviews.
- Unethical research involving humans/animals: Conducting research without required ethics committee approvals, without informed consent from participants, or violating animal welfare standards.
- Concealment of conflicts of interest: Failing to disclose financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could affect the interpretation of research results or editorial decisions.
7.2 Reporting Violations of Publication Ethics
Any participant in the publishing process - author, reviewer, editor, reader, or another person involved - has the right to report suspected violations of publication ethics.
Reports should be submitted in writing, either electronically or by traditional means, and should, where possible, include supporting documentation (e.g., text fragments indicating plagiarism, correspondence, references to other publications, research results).
The editorial board ensures that all reports will be treated seriously and confidentially. The identity of the reporting person will not be disclosed without their consent unless required by law.
7.3 Investigation Procedure for Ethical Violations
a. Preliminary Assessment by the Editorial Board
The editor-in-chief or an authorized editorial board member conducts a preliminary analysis of the report to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to initiate a full investigation.
If the report is deemed unfounded, the case is closed at the preliminary assessment stage, and the reporting party is informed of the decision.
b. Notification of Parties and Collection of Explanations
The individuals concerned (authors, reviewers, or editorial board members) are promptly informed of the allegations and given the opportunity to provide written explanations and evidence.
Explanations must be submitted within 14 days from the date of notification. In justified cases, the editorial board may extend the deadline.
c. Consultation with Experts or the Ethics Committee
If the case is complex or requires specialized expertise, the editorial board may consult external experts or refer the matter to the independent Publication Ethics Committee operating within the journal.
d. Editorial Decision
Based on the collected evidence and explanations, the editorial board makes a decision regarding further actions.
Decisions are made in accordance with the principles of fairness, impartiality, and the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
e. Documentation of the Case and Corrective Actions
The entire course of proceedings, including the initial report, provided explanations, consultations, decisions made, and any corrective actions taken, is thoroughly documented and archived by the editorial board.
This documentation is stored in a manner that ensures confidentiality, data integrity, and compliance with applicable data protection regulations.
7.4 Sanctions
Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, the editorial board may apply appropriate measures, including:
- Issuing a warning or notice to the author in case of minor violations,
- Rejecting the manuscript during the review stage,
- Requiring corrections or clarifications,
- Publishing an erratum or correction,
- Retraction of the published article,
- Notifying the author’s affiliated institution or other relevant bodies,
- Imposing a temporary ban on manuscript submissions to the journal,
- Removing a reviewer from the journal’s list of reviewers in cases of misconduct.
7.5 Appeals
Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions concerning breaches of publication ethics.
The appeal must be submitted in writing within 14 days from the date of receiving the decision.
The appeal should be sent to the editor-in-chief’s email address and must include a justification and indicate the grounds for reconsideration.
The editor-in-chief will forward the appeal to the independent Publication Ethics Committee operating within the journal.
The Committee reviews all documentation collected during the proceedings and may request additional explanations from the parties involved.
The decision of the Publication Ethics Committee is final and binding for all parties.
8. PUBLICATION ETHICS COMMITTEE
The Publication Ethics Committee is an independent advisory body operating within the journal.
It is established to consider appeals against editorial decisions concerning breaches of publication ethics and to resolve complex or disputed cases related to violations of ethical standards.
8.1 Composition of the Committee
The Committee consists of at least three members with high scientific qualifications and experience in research, scholarly publishing, or ethical matters.
The composition of the Publication Ethics Committee is determined on an ad hoc basis by the editorial board, selecting independent experts with appropriate scientific qualifications or experience in ethics.
Committee members must not have any affiliations with individuals or institutions involved in the case under consideration.
8.2 Tasks of the Committee
The tasks of the Publication Ethics Committee include, in particular:
- Reviewing appeals submitted by authors against editorial decisions,
- Reviewing complex cases of ethical violations reported by the editorial board,
- Formulating opinions and recommendations regarding the resolution of cases,
- Supporting the editorial board in maintaining high standards of publication ethics.
Operating Principles of the Committee
- The Committee acts independently and impartially.
- Proceedings before the Committee are conducted with strict confidentiality.
- The Committee makes decisions by a simple majority vote after reviewing the collected evidence.
- The decisions of the Committee are final and binding on all parties involved.
9. RETRACTIONS, ERRATA, VERSIONS
The journal publishes retractions, errata, and corrections in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Each change is permanent and accompanied by appropriate metadata.
The journal’s editorial board adheres to the highest standards regarding the accuracy and currency of published content.
9.1 Retraction (Withdrawal of Publication)
A publication may be formally retracted in the event of:
- Plagiarism or serious violations of ethical standards,
- Fabrication or falsification of data,
- Significant scientific errors affecting the article's conclusions,
- Unauthorized authorship or conflicts of interest revealed after publication.
Information about the retraction will be made publicly available, clearly marked, and permanently linked to the original article.
9.2 Erratum (Correction or Amendment)
If minor errors are identified in a published article that do not affect the research results or main conclusions, the editorial board will publish an erratum or correction.
The erratum will be clearly marked and linked to the original article.
9.3 Article Versions
In the event that data updates or significant changes are required, the editorial board may publish a new version of the article (version of record), clearly indicating the changes and enabling readers to access previous versions.
10. POLICY ON PREPRINTS
The journal accepts submissions of manuscripts that have previously been made available as preprints on open preprint servers. Preprints are understood as versions of scholarly articles that have been publicly shared before undergoing formal peer review in the journal. A preprint is not considered a formal publication, and its prior dissemination does not negatively affect the possibility of publishing the article in the journal.
10.1 Preprint Guidelines
Authors are required to disclose at the time of submission whether the manuscript has been previously shared as a preprint, and to provide a direct link to the preprint.
After acceptance of the article for publication, authors should, if possible, update the preprint entry with a reference to the published version in the journal, including a DOI link.
10.2 Preprints and Copyright
Authors retain the copyright to all versions of the article. Under the publishing agreement, they grant the publisher a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, archive, distribute, and reproduce the final published version, including in print and electronic formats, in any media now known or hereafter developed, and to deposit or index the article in relevant databases and repositories.
The preprint may remain available in an open repository. The official version of the article is the one published in the journal and identified by its DOI.
11. LICENSE VERSION AND ACCESS
As of 2025, all articles published in the journal are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0 International License). This license allows for unrestricted copying, distribution, adaptation, and use of the content, provided that appropriate credit is given to the authors, the source of publication is cited, and any changes made are clearly indicated.
Articles published before 2025 remain available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License) or Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
Information about the applicable license is provided with each article.
12. CONTACT AND COMPLAINTS
All complaints, inquiries, or concerns regarding breaches of publication ethics may be directed to the editor-in-chief of the journal.
Complaints should be submitted in writing, either electronically or by traditional means, and should include sufficient justification and, where possible, supporting documentation for the allegations.
The editorial board ensures that all submissions will be handled impartially, confidentially, and in accordance with the procedures set out in the journal's publication ethics policy.
