Ethical Principles of the Editorial Board of the Journal
“Scientific Research Issues of South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky: Linguistic Sciences”
Ethics guidelines of the editorial board are based on the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics, as well as the principles of DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment).
Ethical Obligations of the Journal Editorial Board:
- The editorial board bears ethical responsibility for everything published in the journal; therefore, all submitted materials undergo careful selection and peer review. The editorial board reserves the right to reject an article or return it for revision;
- The editorial board must make fair and unbiased decisions, independent of commercial or other interests, and ensure an honest peer-review process within a reasonable timeframe;
- The editorial board may reject a manuscript without review if it considers that the work does not comply with the editorial policy, ethical principles, or manuscript requirements;
- Members of the editorial board must not disclose to third parties any information related to the content of a manuscript under consideration, except for persons involved in its professional evaluation;
- The editorial board has the right to withdraw the electronic version of an article published in the printed version of the journal if a violation of rights or generally accepted standards of scientific ethics is identified. The editorial office informs the author who submitted the article and the institution where the research was conducted. A notice of the retraction is also published in the next issue of the journal;
- The editorial board/council allows the dissemination of journal articles or excerpts thereof in electronic networks, provided that a reference to the original source is mandatory. The publication and/or distribution of journal materials by third parties or organizations on paper or fixed electronic media is prohibited.
Ethical Obligations of Authors:
- Research published in the journal must be conducted in accordance with applicable legislation and ethical standards. Any hazardous aspects and risks associated with the conducted research must be clearly indicated;
- Authors must present their results clearly and unambiguously so that they can be verified by other researchers, without falsification of data or improper manipulation;
- Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their articles and for the fact of their publication; plagiarism presented as original work and submission of previously published articles is not permitted;
- Scientific criticism of another researcher’s work may be included in the study; however, personal criticism is not considered appropriate;
- Sources of funding and any potential conflicts of interest must be fully disclosed. Authors must guarantee the absence of contractual relationships or ownership considerations that could influence the publication of information contained in the manuscript;
- Authors must clearly indicate the sources of all cited or presented information and properly format references in accordance with the manuscript requirements.
Ethical Principles of Reviewers:
- A manuscript received for review must be treated as a confidential document that cannot be shared or discussed with third parties who are not authorized by the editorial board;
- The reviewer is obliged to provide an objective and well-reasoned assessment of the research results presented;
- Unpublished data obtained from manuscripts submitted for review must not be used by the reviewer for personal purposes;
- A reviewer who considers themselves insufficiently qualified to evaluate a manuscript, or who is unable to remain objective, must inform the editor and request to be excluded from the review process of that manuscript.
In accordance with the principles of DORA, the journal:
– evaluates manuscripts solely based on their scientific quality, novelty, methodological rigor, and contribution to the advancement of science;
– does not use journal-level bibliometric indicators (including Impact Factor) as a criterion for assessing individual articles or an author’s scientific quality;
– does not encourage the artificial increase of citation rates;
– supports the responsible use of bibliometric indicators.
Plagiarism Policy
The editorial board accepts for consideration only original articles that have not been published (in whole or in part) and are not under consideration in other journals.
Plagiarism is currently a significant problem in modern science. The journal’s editorial board declares the inadmissibility of using another person’s work without proper acknowledgment of authorship or providing appropriate references in submitted materials.
Articles submitted to the journal are checked for plagiarism using the StrikePlagiarism.com software by the Polish company Plagiat.pl.
Conflict of Interest Policy
A conflict of interest refers to any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that may influence or create the perception of influencing the objectivity of peer review, editorial decisions, or the content of a publication.
Mandatory disclosure is required from: authors regarding financial and non-financial relationships; reviewers regarding any potential bias or interest; editors when handling manuscripts related to their institution, colleagues, or subordinates.
In cases where a potential conflict of interest is identified: the relevant editor or reviewer is recused; an independent handling editor is appointed; independent reviewers are engaged; and the grounds for and decisions regarding the conflict are documented.
Submissions from the Editor or Editorial Board Members
Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief, editors, or members of the editorial board:
– are handled exclusively by an independent responsible editor;
– undergo the standard double-blind peer review process;
– do not involve the author in editorial decision-making;
– are accompanied by a public declaration addressing the management of conflicts of interest.
The editorial board guarantees that the systematic publication of materials by editorial board members is not permitted without proper adherence to established procedures.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy in Scientific Publications
The editorial board supports innovative technologies, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the preparation of scientific publications. At the same time, we emphasize the need to adhere to the principles of academic integrity, transparency, and responsibility when using AI tools.
Authors are required to clearly indicate in the publication where and how artificial intelligence tools were used (for example, in text generation, data analysis, illustration preparation, etc.). It is prohibited to submit works entirely generated by artificial intelligence without a substantial contribution by the authors to the scientific content and its interpretation. Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and quality of the materials, even if part of the work was performed using AI.
The editorial board may use AI tools to assist in plagiarism detection, text preparation, fact-checking, and other aspects of the editorial process. Decisions on the acceptance or rejection of articles are made solely by editors and reviewers, regardless of any results obtained through AI use.
The use of AI must not violate copyright, confidentiality, or lead to data manipulation. It is forbidden to conceal the fact of AI use or to mislead readers regarding the origin of the text or research results.
Authors, reviewers, and editors are responsible for complying with this policy. In case of violations, corrections, rejection of publication, or retraction of articles may be applied in accordance with the editorial policy.
Complaints Handling Procedure
The journal ensures an open and transparent mechanism for handling complaints related to editorial decisions, the peer-review process, or publication ethics.
Complaints may be submitted by authors, reviewers, or readers in cases of possible violations, conflicts of interest, non-compliance with review procedures, or breaches of ethical standards.
All complaints are reviewed by the editorial board within established timeframes, based on principles of impartiality and confidentiality. If necessary, independent experts may be involved in the review process.
The decision on a complaint is made by the editorial board after a comprehensive analysis of the submitted materials and may include clarification, correction, re-review of the manuscript, or other appropriate actions.
The editorial board guarantees that no complaint will negatively affect the future treatment of the complainant.
Procedure for Retraction of Published Articles
The journal adheres to the principles of academic integrity, publication ethics, and international standards of scientific communication, including the recommendations of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics). Retraction of an article is an exceptional measure applied to ensure the reliability of the scientific record and to inform readers about significant violations that affect the results or conclusions of the research.
Grounds for retraction may include confirmed cases of plagiarism or self-plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, significant errors that render the results unreliable, duplicate publication, copyright violations, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or other serious breaches of the journal’s editorial policy and ethical standards. The procedure may be initiated by authors, editorial board members, reviewers, readers, or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.
Upon receiving relevant information, the editorial board conducts a preliminary assessment and, if necessary, an internal review involving editorial board members or independent experts. The authors are informed of the concerns and are given the opportunity to provide explanations. Based on the outcome of the review, a decision may be made to take no action, publish a correction, issue an expression of concern, or retract the article.
In the case of a retraction decision, the editorial board publishes an official notice stating the reasons for retraction and the date of the decision. The retracted article is not removed from the journal’s electronic archive; however, a clear retraction notice is placed on its page to ensure transparency and preserve the integrity of the scholarly record. All decisions are made in accordance with the principles of impartiality, confidentiality, and respect for all parties involved in the publication process.
Ethical Requirements for Research Involving Humans, Animals, Biological Materials, and Personal Data
In the case of manuscripts submitted to the journal that contain results of research involving humans, animals, their biological materials, personal or confidential data, authors must confirm that such research was conducted in accordance with applicable legislation of Ukraine, international ethical standards, and the requirements of the institutions where the research was carried out.
If the research involved human participants (including athletes, pupils, students, coaches, or other individuals), authors must indicate in the manuscript that:
– the study was approved by an appropriate ethics committee of the educational or research institution;
– all participants were properly informed about the purpose and conditions of the study;
– voluntary informed consent was obtained from participants for their participation and for the use of collected data for scientific purposes.
When personal or confidential data are used, authors must ensure their processing in accordance with personal data protection legislation and guarantee the anonymity and confidentiality of research participants.
If animals were involved in the research, authors must confirm that all procedures were carried out in accordance with ethical standards for the treatment of laboratory and other animals and in compliance with relevant legal regulations.
The editorial board may request authors to provide a copy of the ethics committee approval or other documentary evidence confirming compliance with ethical standards in conducting the research.