Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement. The journal publishes high-quality content and expects its editors, reviewers and authors to follow the standards of ethical behaviour. The statement is based on the recommendations and guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices.
Duties of editors
Fair play and responsibility
The editor determines which submissions are published. Submissions are chosen solely on intellectual merit and relevance to the journal, without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, religious belief or political affiliation of the authors.
Confidentiality
No information about a submitted manuscript is revealed to anyone except the corresponding author, editorial board members or the publisher, as required or appropriate.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest
Without the author’s explicit written consent, editors and board members may not use a submitted manuscript for their own research or personal advantage. In case of a conflict of interest, an editor withdraws and asks another board member to handle the submission.
Publication decisions
The editor-in-chief decides which manuscripts are published, based on their importance to researchers and readers, the reviewers’ comments, legal requirements and validation of the work, and may be guided by the policies of the editorial board.
Duties of reviewers
Purpose of review
Peer review helps the editor-in-chief and the editorial board decide, and helps the authors improve their submission.
Promptness
A reviewer who feels unable or unqualified to review a manuscript notifies the editor-in-chief as soon as possible, so that other reviewers can be contacted.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must not be discussed with or shown to others.
Standards of objectivity
Reviews are objective and contain no personal criticism of the author. Reviewers state their views clearly, with supporting arguments, so that authors can improve the manuscript.
Acknowledgement of sources
Reviewers point out relevant published work the authors have not cited, and any substantial overlap between the manuscript and other published work they are aware of.
Conflict of interest
Reviewers notify the editors of any conflict of interest and do not review such manuscripts. Ideas or information obtained through peer review are kept confidential and are not used for personal advantage.
Duties of authors
Reporting standards
Authors present their work accurately, objectively and with sufficient detail. Inaccurate or fraudulent statements are unacceptable.
Data access and retention
Authors may be asked to provide the raw data of their study for editorial review and should keep such data accessible to other professionals.
Originality and plagiarism
Authors submit only entirely original work and properly cite the work of others. Any form of plagiarism, including presenting another’s paper as one’s own or paraphrasing substantial parts without citation, is unethical and unacceptable.
Multiple or concurrent publication
The same research is not published in more than one journal, and a manuscript is not submitted to several journals at once. A secondary publication is possible only with the agreement of authors and editors, with the same data and a citation of the primary publication.
Authorship
Only persons who made a significant contribution to the study, revised the manuscript and approved the final version are listed as authors. Others who contributed (technical support, writing assistance) are named in the acknowledgements.
Conflicts of interest
Authors disclose any conflict of interest that could influence the interpretation of their work as early as possible, preferably at submission.
Acknowledgement of sources
Authors cite all sources and the publications that influenced the reported work. Private communication is not cited without explicit permission of the source.
Hazards and human or animal subjects
Authors identify any unusual hazards of chemicals or procedures, state that work with human or animal participants followed the relevant laws, institutional guidelines and committees, and confirm informed consent of human participants.