Code of ethics

Policies and ethics

The editors of the journal place particular emphasis on compliance with the following principles:

The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in writing for Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences Technical Sciences

Where authors use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, these technologies should only be used to improve readability and language of the work, and not to replace key authoring tasks such as producing scientific insights or drawing scientific conclusions. Applying the technology should be done with human oversight and control, and all work should be reviewed and edited carefully, because AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete, or biased. The authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work.

Authors should disclose in their manuscript the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies, and a statement will appear in the published work. Declaring the use of these technologies supports transparency and trust between authors, readers, reviewers, editors, and contributors and facilitates compliance with the terms of use of the relevant tool or technology.

The use of generative AI and AI-assisted tools in figures, images and artwork

Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences Technical Sciences does not permit the use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or alter images in submitted manuscripts. This may include enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or introducing a specific feature within an image or figure. Adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable if they do not obscure or eliminate any information present in the original.

The only exception is when the use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools is integral to the research design or methods. In such cases, the use must be described in a reproducible manner in the methods section, including details of the tool or model, version, and manufacturer.

Ethical Policy of Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences Technical Sciences

The ethical policy follows the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) .

Authors must be honest in presenting their research results and conclusions. Research misconduct is harmful to knowledge.

Research results

Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data is unethical. Research results should be properly recorded, stored, and made available when required, with appropriate exceptions for privacy or legal protection.

Authorship

All individuals who made significant contributions should be listed as authors. Others should be acknowledged. Full institutional affiliations must be provided.

Competing interests

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any competing or conflicting interests that could influence objectivity.

Peer Review

All submissions undergo a rigorous peer-review process. Characteristics include:

  • No simultaneous submissions to other journals.
  • Manuscripts outside the journal scope are not reviewed.
  • Double-blind peer review.
  • At least two independent reviewers.
  • Additional reviews may be requested.
  • Final decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief.
  • All manuscripts are treated as confidential.
  • Conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
  • Personal criticism is inappropriate.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism and self-plagiarism are not tolerated. All submissions are checked using plagiarism detection software (iThenticate / CrossCheck).

Duplicate submission

Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is unethical and will result in rejection.

Corrections and retractions

Authors must cooperate with editors to correct or retract published work when necessary.

  • Findings are unreliable due to error or misconduct
  • Redundant publication
  • Plagiarism
  • Unethical research

Human and Animal Rights

Research involving human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and include informed consent statements.

Animal experiments must comply with ARRIVE guidelines and EU Directive 2010/63/EU.