Review Policy

Basic principles of reviewing publications in journals

  1. At least two independent reviewers from outside a given academic unit shall be appointed to evaluate each publication.
  2. The recommended solution is to adopt a model whereby the author(s) and reviewers do not know their identities (the so-called “double-blind review process”).
  3. Based on other solutions, the reviewer shall sign a declaration of there being no conflict of interest; a conflict of interest is considered to occur between the reviewer and the author in the following cases:
    a) direct personal relations (kinship, legal relationships, other conflicting relations),
    b) relationships based of professional subordination,
    c) direct scientific cooperation for the last two years preceding the preparation of the review.
  4. The review must be prepared in writing and finish with an unequivocal conclusion as to whether a given paper should be allowed for publication, or rejected.
  5. The rules for qualifying or rejecting publications and any review form are made public on the journal’s website, or in each issue of the journal.
  6. The names of reviewers of individual publications/issues are not disclosed. Once a year, the journal shall feature a list of cooperating reviewers.

Out of concern for academic integrity and the overall quality of published papers, the editorial board and the publishing house operate specific procedures geared towards preventing cases of ghost-writing. Both ghost-writing and guest authorship are examples of gross academic misconduct.
Ghost-writing occurs when the author (or co-author) of a publication has made a major contribution to its coming into being and yet does not reveal his/her participation as one of the legitimate authors thereof, or his/her role is not mentioned in the credits and acknowledgements section of the book.
As far as guest authorship is concerned, in spite of the fact that an individual has been mentioned as the author or co-author of a given publication, his/her actual role in the creation process is minor or none.
Please note that any identified case of ghost-writing and/or guest authorship shall be made public, and the relevant authorities will be notified without delay. In addition, all manifestations of academic misconduct will be duly documented for legal reasons.