Publication Ethics

General Principles and Ethical Standards

The Editorial Board of the journal “Pedagogical Sciences” operates in accordance with internationally recognised standards of publication ethics, including principles of integrity, confidentiality, editorial responsibility, and the proper management of potential conflicts of interest.

In its activities, the journal follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as well as the Publishing Ethics Resource Kit developed by Elsevier.

The core principles of the journal’s editorial policy include:

  • ensuring academic quality, objectivity, and professionalism;
  • supporting and disseminating significant and innovative research;
  • maintaining a fair, respectful, and unbiased attitude towards all participants in the publication process;
  • applying a double-blind peer review procedure involving qualified and independent experts;
  • providing ongoing guidance to authors to ensure compliance with international academic publishing standards.

 

Ethics of Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must be approved by the appropriate ethics committees affiliated with the institution(s) where the research is conducted.

Manuscripts reporting surveys or interviews must confirm that:

  • participation was voluntary;
  • informed written consent was obtained (including consent for publication);
  • confidentiality, anonymity, and protection from any form of coercion or discrimination were ensured.

Authors are required to demonstrate that their research complies with internationally recognised ethical standards, including:

Prior to conducting research, approval must be obtained from a local Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee. If such approval is not required, authors must provide a formal exemption or cite the relevant legal provisions.

 

Editorial Decision-Making

Decisions regarding publication are made by the Editor based on:

  • the academic merit of the manuscript;
  • its compliance with the journal’s scope and policies;
  • the recommendations of independent reviewers.

The Editor adheres to standards concerning defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

The Editor:

  • does not use unpublished materials without the author’s written consent;
  • addresses ethical complaints related to submitted manuscripts;
  • evaluates submissions solely on their intellectual content, regardless of authors’ personal characteristics (such as race, gender, religion, nationality, or political views).

 

Confidentiality

The Editor and members of the Editorial Board ensure strict confidentiality of all submitted materials. Information about manuscripts (including authorship, content, and subject matter) must not be disclosed to third parties, except:

  • authors;
  • reviewers;
  • the publisher.

All manuscripts are treated as confidential documents.

 

Conflict of Interest

Unpublished materials must not be used by editors, reviewers, or any other parties without the authors’ explicit written consent.

Editors, reviewers, and editorial advisers are required to:

  • declare any conflicts of interest;
  • withdraw from the review process where such conflicts exist.

The Editorial Board undertakes appropriate measures to resolve conflicts and address claims related to both submitted and published materials. The journal reserves the right to inform readers about the outcomes of such cases.

 

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The Editorial Board is responsible for:

  • maintaining respectful and professional communication with authors;
  • preserving editorial confidentiality;
  • agreeing all editorial revisions with authors;
  • rejecting manuscripts that lack scientific merit, fall outside the journal’s scope, or contain plagiarism or prior publication;
  • engaging qualified and independent reviewers;
  • ensuring the implementation of double-blind peer review.

 

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

  • provide objective and unbiased evaluations;
  • adhere to established review timelines;
  • treat all manuscripts as confidential documents;
  • refrain from using manuscript content for personal purposes;
  • deliver clear, reasoned, and constructive feedback.

Reviewers must:

  • promptly disclose any conflicts of interest;
  • decline review assignments outside their area of expertise;
  • report any suspected academic misconduct or ethical violations.

 

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for:

  • ensuring the originality, accuracy, and novelty of their research;
  • properly citing all sources;
  • avoiding plagiarism and self-plagiarism;
  • confirming that the manuscript is submitted exclusively and has not been published elsewhere.

By submitting a manuscript, authors agree that, if accepted, it may be included in electronic databases with full attribution while retaining their copyright.

Authors must:

  • include complete references to all sources used;
  • notify the Editor of any significant errors;
  • cooperate with the Editorial Board in correcting or retracting publications when necessary.

 

Authorship Statement

The Editorial Board assumes that all listed authors:

  • have approved the content of the manuscript;
  • have agreed to its submission and publication;
  • have obtained the necessary institutional permissions.

All authors confirm that they:

  • have made a substantial contribution to the research;
  • have participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript;
  • have approved the final version;
  • accept responsibility for all aspects of the work.

Individuals who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the “Acknowledgements” section.

The journal encourages collaboration with local researchers involved in the study, who should be included as co-authors if they meet the authorship criteria.

 

Submission Declaration

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

  • the work has not been previously published;
  • it is not under consideration elsewhere;
  • it has been approved by all authors and relevant institutions.

Once accepted, the manuscript must not be published elsewhere in the same form, in any language.

 

Data Sharing Policy

The journal supports transparency and openness in research while safeguarding authors’ rights and ethical standards.

Access to underlying data is granted:

  • upon formal request submitted to the Editorial Office;
  • subject to the consent of the author(s).

The Editorial Board:

  • forwards requests to the authors;
  • coordinates further steps, including confidentiality agreements where necessary;
  • respects legal and ethical restrictions on data sharing.

If authors decline to share data, the requester will be informed accordingly.

 

Post-Publication Discussion Policy

The journal encourages constructive academic discussion of published research and supports post-publication review via the PubPeer platform.

All discussions must remain:

  • professional;
  • evidence-based;
  • ethically appropriate.

Any substantiated concerns raised will be investigated in accordance with the journal’s ethical policies and retraction procedures.

 

Advertising Policy

The journal does not accept any form of advertising. This ensures full editorial independence and adherence to the highest standards of academic integrity.

 

Funding Policy

Authors are required to disclose all sources of research funding, including:

  • research grants;
  • governmental or non-governmental funding;
  • commercial or private support;
  • institutional funding.

If no funding was received, authors must state: “This research received no external funding.”