Policy on academic integrity and publication ethics

2.1. Principles

The Bulletin adheres to the principles of academic integrity and publication ethics in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), in particular the COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Editors. All participants in the publishing process — authors, reviewers, and editors — are required to adhere to these principles.

2.2. Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors are required to:

  • submit only original works that have not been previously published and are not under consideration by other publications;
  • ensure the accuracy of all data, results and conclusions presented;
  • correctly cite all sources used and avoid incorrect borrowing, plagiarism and self-plagiarism;
  • disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest;
  • list all persons who have made a substantial contribution to the research (authorship), and not include persons who have not made such a contribution (honorary authorship);
  • obtain permission to use copyright-protected materials;
  • obtain and provide, upon request from the editorial board, the conclusions of ethics committees for research subject to the relevant legislation;
  • in the event of significant errors being identified in a submitted or already published manuscript, notify the editorial board without delay;
  • comply with the Law of Ukraine ‘On Copyright and Related Rights’ and the current legislation of Ukraine.

2.3. Responsibilities of reviewers

Reviewers are required to:

  • provide an objective, impartial and constructive assessment of the manuscript;
  • maintain confidentiality regarding the content of the manuscript and any information obtained during the review process;
  • notify the editorial board in good time if they are unable to complete the review within the specified timeframe;
  • disclose any conflict of interest and decline to review the manuscript if such a conflict exists;
  • inform the editor of any signs of plagiarism or breaches of publication ethics identified in the manuscript.

2.4. Responsibilities of the editorial board

The editorial board is obliged to:

  • consider manuscripts objectively, without discrimination on the grounds of nationality, gender, institution or other characteristics unrelated to scientific quality;
  • make decisions regarding publication solely on the basis of scientific quality and relevance to the Bulletin’s subject matter;
  • ensure the confidentiality of manuscripts prior to publication;
  • address any identified breaches of publication ethics, including through the retraction of articles;
  • ensure the functioning of mechanisms for handling complaints and appeals;
  • not disclose the identity of reviewers to authors.