Akademia Kujawsko-Pomorska
(Kujawsko-Pomorska Szkoła Wyższa)

Guidelines on Publishing Ethics

The requirements regarding publication ethics are based on: Elsevier’s policies and the Committee on Publication Ethics’ (COPE’s Best Practices Guidelines for Journal Editors) guidelines on best practice for journal editors.

I. Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for:

• the development of the journal;

• ensuring the highest quality of published material;

• ensuring freedom of expression in material published in the Yearbook;

• maintaining the anonymity of reviewers in all cases;

• selecting reviewers with recognised academic achievements and standing;

• ensuring that published material complies with the principles of publication ethics;

• correcting errors – in the event that material containing errors is published;

• publishing corrections and apologies – where necessary and justified.
  

The Editor-in-Chief strictly adheres to COPE guidelines regarding the retraction of published articles.
The Editor-in-Chief takes all necessary measures to prevent the publication of plagiarised or unoriginal material.
In the event of plagiarism, falsification or fabrication of data, manipulation of research results, undisclosed conflicts of interest or other instances of scientific misconduct, the Editor-in-Chief shall take action in accordance with COPE guidelines; in particular, they may reject the submitted material, retract a published article, publish a correction or inform the author’s relevant academic institution.
The Editor-in-Chief verifies manuscripts submitted for publication in terms of their originality, scientific integrity and adherence to ethical principles during the preparation of the publication.

II. Authors’ Responsibilities 

• Manuscripts submitted for publication should contain the information necessary to enable them to be cited by other authors.

• Only original works will be accepted for publication.
  

• Any use of other authors’ work must be clearly indicated in the submitted material (in the form of a footnote formatted in accordance with the journal’s editorial guidelines and an entry in the bibliography).
  

• Any form of plagiarism is considered unethical and unacceptable.
  

• The editorial board combats instances of academic dishonesty, such as ghostwriting (making a contribution without disclosing one’s authorship or co-authorship, or, in the case of acknowledgements, without specifying the contribution of the person being acknowledged) and guest authorship (listing as an author or co-author a person whose actual contribution to the work is negligible or non-existent) .
  

• In the event of complaints regarding a submitted or published manuscript, the Editor-in-Chief will contact the author; where unethical conduct or misconduct is suspected, the Editor-in-Chief will report this to the relevant institutions or authorities.
  

• Authors should not publish articles based on the same research in more than one journal.
  

• Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.
  

• In principle, an author should not submit a previously published article for consideration by another journal. The publication of a single article in more than one journal is justified only in exceptional cases. In any event, the original reference must be cited in the subsequent publication.
  

• Authors should cite publications that have influenced the creation of their work. Information obtained privately must not be used in the text without the written consent of the author concerned.
  

• If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their duty to notify the Editorial Board immediately and to cooperate with the Editor-in-Chief to retract or correct the article.
  

• If the Editor-in-Chief receives information from a third party that a work published in the Yearbook contains a material error, it is the author’s duty to withdraw or correct the publication without delay, or to provide the Editor-in-Chief with evidence of the correctness of the original article.
  

• Authorship should be restricted to those who have made a significant contribution to the development, design or execution of the submitted material.
  

• All those who have made a significant contribution should be listed as co-authors. Other individuals who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged or listed accordingly.
  

• The submitter should ensure that all co-authors are listed in the submitted material and that all co-authors have approved the final version of the article and consented to its submission for publication in the Yearbook.
  

• All authors should disclose in the submitted text any financial or other significant conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their text. All sources of financial support should be disclosed.
  

• Authors are encouraged to retain the research data underpinning the presented results and to make them available in accordance with the principles of open science, provided this does not contravene legal provisions, contractual obligations or ethical principles.
  

• Authors of studies involving human participants are required to comply with applicable ethical principles and data protection regulations. Where necessary, authors should have obtained the relevant consents or opinions from the appropriate ethics committees.

III. Terms and Conditions of Publication

The ‘Publication Guidelines’ applicable to the Yearbook are published and kept up to date.  

IV. Conditions for the Publication of Material

• Decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of material for publication are based solely on an assessment of its substance, including the originality of the research problem and its relevance to the aims and scope of the Yearbook.
  

• The Editorial Board will indicate which of the subject editors is responsible for the publication process in each case.
  

• The Editorial Board declares that submissions will not be rejected on the basis of the views expressed therein, provided that they demonstrate academic rigour and do not discredit other authors. The Editorial Board guarantees freedom to publish academically sound material.
  

• The decision to accept or reject a submitted manuscript is always communicated to the author, together with a justification, particularly in the event of rejection.
  

• Any changes to the structure of the Yearbook do not affect previous decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts submitted for publication.
  

V. Confidentiality and conflicts of interest 

• A conflict of interest may be financial, professional, institutional or personal in nature, and arises when circumstances may influence, or appear to influence, the objectivity of the publication process. The obligation to disclose conflicts of interest applies to authors, reviewers and members of the editorial board.
  

• The editorial team does not disclose information about submitted material to anyone other than the author, the reviewer, potential reviewers and editorial staff.
  

• Unpublished manuscripts may not be used in the work of a member or employee of the editorial team without the author’s written consent. Information obtained during the peer-review process is confidential and must not be used for personal gain.
  

• A member of the Editorial Board should avoid any conflict of interest arising from links with the author of the submitted material or the institution where the material was prepared.
  

• The Editor-in-Chief requires all authors to disclose any conflicts of interest and to publish corrections or retractions if conflicting interests are revealed after publication.

 VI. Peer Review

• Peer review is an essential part of the publication process in the Yearbook.
  

 

• The review forms the basis for editorial decisions and, through communication between the Editorial Board and the author, serves as a basis for enhancing the academic quality of the submitted material.
  

• Submitted materials are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. The preparation of peer reviews is governed by the ‘Publication Guidelines’ in force at the Yearbook.
  

• In the event of a discrepancy between two reviews concerning the publication of a submission, the final decision on its publication rests with the Editor-in-Chief, who may, before making that decision, seek the opinion of the Editorial Board or the Scientific Council.
  

• A reviewer is obliged to provide an objective and thorough assessment of the material submitted for publication.
  

•  A reviewer should draw the Editor-in-Chief’s attention to any significant similarities between the material submitted for publication and any other published text of which they are aware.
  

• Reviewers should avoid any kind of conflict of interest. 
  

• Any selected reviewer who does not feel qualified to review the material submitted for publication, or who knows that they will be unable to complete the review within the deadline set by the Editor-in-Chief, should immediately notify the Editorial Board of this fact.
  

• The peer-review process for material submitted for publication is subject to confidentiality requirements. To avoid conflicts of interest, reviewers and authors remain anonymous to one another.
  

• Materials received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Unless the Editorial Board gives its consent, it is prohibited to share the submitted materials with persons not involved in the review process.
  

• Without the Author’s written consent, an unpublished text may not be used in the Reviewer’s own research.
  

VII. Use of artificial intelligence tools

• Authors are required to disclose the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools in the manuscript preparation process if their use had a significant impact on the content, data analysis, translation or editing of the text.
  

 

• Artificial intelligence tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors of the publication. Responsibility for the content of the article lies solely with its authors.
  
• The editorial board may request further information from the authors regarding the extent to which AI tools were used during the preparation of the publication.