Review procedure, publication ethics and editorial policy of the bulletin (in accordance with COPE guidelines)

7.1. General editorial policy

The editorial policy of the Bulletin is based on COPE recommendations and complies with international standards of publication ethics. The main principles are: independence of editorial decisions, impartiality, transparency, confidentiality and accountability.

7.2. Independence of editorial decisions

The editorial board makes decisions on the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts solely on the basis of their scientific quality, originality and relevance to the Bulletin’s scope. No external influence — from the founder, funding organisations, advertisers or any other parties — influences or can influence these decisions.

7.3. Conflict of interest

The editorial board requires all participants in the publishing process to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest. Manuscripts where there is a conflict of interest on the part of an editor are referred to another editor for processing. A reviewer is obliged to decline to review a manuscript in the event of a conflict of interest.

7.4. Data Protection and Confidentiality

The editorial board maintains confidentiality regarding manuscripts, the identity of reviewers in their dealings with authors, and all materials related to the handling of complaints. Personal data of participants in the publishing process is processed in accordance with the Law of Ukraine ‘On the Protection of Personal Data’.

7.5. Submission and Review Procedure

Manuscripts are submitted via the OJS (Open Journal Systems) management system on the Bulletin’s official website. The review procedure comprises the following main stages:

  1. Manuscript registration: the author registers or logs into their personal account on the Bulletin’s website and uploads the manuscript.
  2. Preliminary review by the editorial board: checking compliance with formatting requirements, subject matter and minimum quality standards, including verification of declarations of adherence to ethical standards. At this stage, the manuscript may be returned without peer review.
  3. Originality check: the manuscript is checked for plagiarism or improper borrowing using appropriate software.
  4. Appointment of reviewers: the editor-in-chief appoints at least two independent reviewers.
  5. Review: reviewers provide an assessment and recommendations in accordance with established criteria.
  6. Editorial decision: the editor-in-chief or editorial board makes a decision based on the reviews and informs the author.
  7. Revision (if necessary): the author revises the manuscript taking into account the reviewers’ comments; the revised manuscript may be resubmitted for review.
  8. Acceptance and preparation for publication: the accepted manuscript undergoes editorial and technical preparation (proofreading, typesetting, DOI assignment).
  9. Publication: the article is published on the Bulletin’s website and in print.

7.6. Equal access and non-discrimination

The editorial board ensures equal and impartial treatment of all authors, regardless of their gender, ethnic origin, nationality, religious beliefs, institution or geographical location. Decisions are made solely on the basis of the scientific content of the manuscript.

7.7. Responsibility for the content of publications

The authors are responsible for the authenticity and accuracy of the information presented in the article. The views expressed in published articles reflect the authors’ position and do not necessarily coincide with that of the editorial board or the founder of the Bulletin.

7.8. Archiving and long-term preservation

The Bulletin ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of published materials via the OJS system. All articles are stored in the Bulletin’s archive and remain accessible to readers regardless of changes in the editorial board or the founding institution.

7.9. Amendments and corrections to published materials

In the event of minor errors being identified in a published article, the editorial board may publish a corrigendum (correction). In the event of significant violations, the retraction procedure set out in Section 5 of this document shall apply.