The journal follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The requirements apply equally to authors, reviewers and the editorial office.
Authors
- Submissions must be original, previously unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere.
- Data must be reported accurately and honestly; fabrication and falsification are prohibited.
- Ideas, data and text of others must be properly cited.
- Only persons who made a substantial contribution are listed as co-authors.
- Funding sources and conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
- Authors must promptly notify the editors of any significant error found in a published paper.
Reviewers
- Treat manuscripts as confidential documents.
- Provide objective, well-reasoned and constructive assessments.
- Decline to review in case of a conflict of interest or lack of expertise.
- Submit their reports on time.
Editors
- Decide solely on the basis of scientific merit, relevance and fit with the journal's scope.
- Treat all authors equally regardless of nationality, gender, religion, political views or position.
- Keep information about manuscripts and reviewers confidential.
- Investigate any reported ethical concerns.
Misconduct
Plagiarism, data falsification, duplicate publication or improper authorship lead to rejection; published papers are retracted with an official notice.
