Publication Ethics
The ethics of scientific publications is a system of norms of professional behavior in the relationship between authors, reviewers, editors, publishers and readers in the process of creating, disseminating and using scientific publications. «Audit» journal’s publication ethics policy is based on recommendations and standards of The Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE.
Ethical Guidelines for the Publisher– in-Chief-the role of the editor-in-chief is to assess whether the articles submitted for the journal correspond to the following sections:
- the quality of the article
- whether the article corresponds to the purpose of the journal
- originality of the article.
The editor-in-chief does not report any information about the submitted article to anyone other than reviewers and members of the editorial board. The editor-in-chief ensures that the feedback process is carried out quickly. The editor must bear in mind that it is important to evaluate the main scientific content of the articles without conforming to any type of race, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Articles included in the main editorial office are reviewed by the editorial board. The principle of mutual secrecy applies in providing reviews to manuscripts submitted to the Journal, which means that authors and reviewers are anonymous to each other during the review process. Articles that meet the requirements of the Journal are sent by the editorial board to at least 2 secret reviews. Reviews are then submitted to the journal with a recommendation to accept (without changes, minor corrections, significant corrections) or refuse. The editor-in-chief reviews the feedback provided before making a general decision. If the reviews differ significantly from each other (or if one is positive and the other is negative), the editor can send the manuscript to a third reviewer or review the reviews and make the final decision. The editor makes a decision on the publication of articles, taking into account the reviews, the scientific significance of the article and the recommendations of the members of the editorial board. The names of the reviewers remain confidential, and the reviews are kept in the archive for five years.
The opinion of reviewers is formed in conclusion as follows:
– To accept the article for publication;
– The article requires minor corrections;
– The article requires significant corrections;
– To refuse the publication of the article.
The editorial board communicates with the author of the article only by e-mail. The author receives the decision of the editorial board about the article by e-mail.
Ethical Guidelines for the Author of a Scientific Publication
Author (or a team of authors) when submitting materials to a scientific journal «Acta Botanica Caucasica» t» realizes that he bears primary responsibility for the novelty and reliability of the results of scientific research, which implies observance of the following principles:
- The authors of the article should provide reliable results of the research. Statements known to be forged or falsified are unacceptable.
- The authors must ensure that the results of the research described in the provided manuscript are completely original. Borrowed fragments or statements shall contain a mandatory indication of the author and the original source. Excessive borrowings, as well as plagiarism in any form, including unformulated quotes, paraphrasing or assigning rights to the results of the research of other people are unethical and unacceptable. The existence of a borrowing without reference will be considered as plagiarism by the editorial board.
- Authors are obligated to provide only genuine facts and information in the manuscript; give sufficient information to check and repeat experiments of other researchers; not to use information obtained in private, without open written permission; prevent fabrication and falsification of data.
- Do not allow duplication of publications (in the cover letter, the author must indicate that the work is published for the first time). If individual elements of the manuscript were previously published, the author is obliged to refer to earlier work and indicate the differences of the new work from the previous one.
- Authors are not to provide a journal with a manuscript that has been sent to another journal and is on approval, as well as an article already published in another journal.
- It is necessary to recognize the contribution of all persons who in one way or another influenced the course of the research, in particular the article must contain references to the works that were relevant to the study.
- Authors are to comply with ethical standards when criticizing or commenting on third-party research.
- The co-authors of the article are obliged to indicate all persons who have made a significant contribution to the research. It is inadmissible to indicate among co-authors persons who did not participate in the study research.
- Authors are to respect the work of the editorial board and reviewers and follow peer reviewer’s comments or reasonably dismiss them.
- Authors are obliged to present and prepare the manuscript according to the rules adopted in the journal.
- If the author finds significant errors or inaccuracies in the article at the stage of its consideration or after its publication, he must immediately notify the editorial board.
- Authors must provide the editorial board or publisher with proof of the accuracy of the original article or correct significant errors if the editorial board or the publisher has learned about them from third parties.
Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers
Peer reviewer provides scientific expertise of copyrighted material therefore his actions are to be impartial in nature and apply the following principles:
- The manuscript received for review is considered to be a confidential document that cannot be passed on for review or discussion to third parties without authorization from the editorial office.
- Peer reviewers are required to know that the submitted manuscripts are the intellectual property of the authors and present information that could not be divulged. Violation of confidentiality is possible only in case of a peer reviewer’s statement about unreliability or falsification of the materials stated in the article.
- The peer reviewer is to pay attention of the editor-in-chief to the substantial or partial similarity of the reviewed manuscript to any other work, as well as the facts of absence of references to the provisions, conclusions or arguments previously published in other works of this or other authors.
- The peer reviewer is obliged to note relevant published works that are not cited (in the article).
- The peer reviewer is obliged to give an objective and reasoned assessment of the results of the research and clearly grounded recommendations. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable.
- The comments of the peer reviewer are to be objective and fundamental, aimed at increasing the scientific level of the manuscript.
- The peer reviewer is to make decisions guided by specific facts and produce testimony to his decision.
- Peer reviewers are not allowed to make copies of manuscripts for their own needs.
- Peer reviewers are not allowed to take advantage of knowledge about the content of the work before it is published.
- The peer reviewer who does not possess, in his opinion, sufficient qualification for the evaluation of the manuscript, or cannot be objective, for example, in the case of a conflict of interest with the author or organization, is to notify the editor with the request to exclude him from the process of reviewing the given manuscript.
- Feedback on the article is confidential. Full name of the peer reviewer is known by the responsible secretary and the editor-in-chief of the journal. This information could not be divulged.
The role of publishing
If any false information, cases of manipulation and such misrepresentation are confirmed in the published scientific article, the publisher, together with the members of the editorial board, clarifying the situation, must either publish official information about the error or return the article.
Originality of the article
When submitting an article to the Journal, it is initially understood that it is an original article and has not been published anywhere. If the plaqiat state, the monopoly state of the article is found, the editorial board of the journal will take the necessary measures and will not turn a blind eye to it. Before submitting the article to the journal, anti-plagiarism programs are used.
Ethical rules for publishing articles
* Compliance with the rules of ethics of the editorial board
* Compliance with the rules of rejection of articles.
* Maintaining the integrity of academic writing.
* Prevention of damage to intellectual and ethical standards in the presence of commercial interests.
* Be ready to publish corrections, clarifications, refusals and apologies when necessary.
* Prevention of plagiarism and dissemination of false information.
Main errors in published works
When the author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his published work, it is the author’s duty to immediately notify the magazine editor or publisher about this and cooperate with the editor to withdraw or correct the article.
Disclosure and conflict of interest
All authors must disclose in their manuscripts any financial or other significant conflict of interest that may affect the results or interpretation of their manuscripts. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed.
Authors must comply with all publishing rules established under the requirements of the”Committee on publishing ethics ” (COPE).
Cases of falsification, manipulation and such distortion of information in the article are not consistent with publication ethics.
“Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines” for the magazine
http://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_Mar11.pdf
It was compiled based on the website. The abuses that occur in this area will be taken into account very seriously and resolved in accordance with the rules of the “Committee on publishing ethics”(COPE).
