Code of ethics

PRINCIPLES OF PUBLISHING ETHICS

that the editors of "Studies in Theological Sciences" apply, are in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics):

- https://publicationethics.org/

- https://publicationethics.org/files/Full%20set%20of%20Polish%20flowcharts.pdf

According to these guidelines, not only the authors, but all those involved in the publication process are required to respect ethical standards in the publication of the article.

1. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES APPLICABLE TO THE AUTHOR

Authorship of publications: The author of a publication is the person who made a significant contribution to its conception, execution and final interpretation of the data. Anyone who influenced these elements of the work should be listed among the authors.
Scientific integrity: The publication should be prepared meticulously according to the guidelines of the Editorial Board. It must contain data to identify sources and a clear, transparent presentation of information. The bibliography should present all publications used in writing the article.
Originality and plagiarism: the author is obliged to conduct, present and interpret scientific research honestly and objectively. The author may submit only his own and original work for publication. Submission of an article for publication is understood as a declaration that the text has not been published anywhere before, including in electronic form, and that it is not submitted to the editorial boards of other journals or is not an excerpt from a compact publication, such as a monograph (the rule of exclusion of multiple or simultaneous publication). Plagiarism, self-plagiarism or falsification of data in a scientific article is unacceptable. The editors use the iThenticate anti-plagiarism program to check the originality of texts submitted for publication http://www.ithenticate.com/ Information about errors in published texts: The author should immediately notify the editor-in-chief of the journal if he notices significant errors in his publication. In cooperation with the editor-in-chief and the publisher, an errata, an addendum, a correction should be published or the publication should be withdrawn.

2. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES APPLICABLE TO EDITORS

Monitoring of ethical standards: The editors are responsible for adhering to the highest ethical standards of the journal's publication process. To this end, it keeps a constant check on all activities at every stage of publication, and prevents abuses if necessary.

Transparency and openness (principle fair play): Submitted articles are evaluated by the Editorial Board only on their merits. The evaluation is not affected by such factors as race, sex, religion, origin, citizenship, political views of the authors, etc.

Publication decisions: The editors, after reviewing the reviews, make the final decision on whether to accept or reject the article. In making its decision, it takes into account such factors as the scientific value of the paper, the originality of the treatment of the problem, clarity and compliance with the scope of the journal.

Principle of confidentiality: The editors are obliged to maintain confidentiality with regard to data on papers submitted for publication and their authors. Only the author, reviewers (with a double blind review procedure in place), the editor-in-chief, the editor in charge of the issue or responsible for the article, and the publisher have information about the article.

Exclusion of conflicts of interest: Articles not intended for publication may not be used by the editors in any way and for any purpose that infringes the author's intellectual property. Authors should inform the Editor about the sources of funding for publication, contributions from scientific research institutions, associations and other entities (financial disclosure).

Scientific integrity: The editors are responsible for the ethical and substantive level of the journal and therefore have the right to verify the data in the submitted article and make corrections, if necessary.

A barrage ghost writing i guest autorship: The Editorial Board conducts the selection of submitted articles in accordance with the principles of preventing cases of scientific dishonesty, such as ghost authorship, courtesy authorship, guest authorship, etc. In order to counteract similar cases, the Editorial Board requires authors to present the authors' contribution to the publication (with additional affiliation and attribution of authorship to different parts of the publication); the main responsibility for the content lies with the author submitting the article.

Text withdrawal: In the case of suspected fraudulent practices, the Editorial Board is obliged to withdraw the text from publication and take clarification and corrective steps. Detection of ethical malpractice (plagiarism, falsification of research results, manipulation of research results, method, fabrication of research results, etc.) should be reported in writing to the editor-in-chief of the journal (marian.machinek@gmail.com) or to the secretary of the journal (mateusz.krawczyk@pan.pl). A report can be made by a member of the editorial board, a reviewer, a reader of the journal or any other person who has suspicions about the integrity of the text. In the case of an ethical violation in a text already published, the editors will withdraw the article from the website, posting information about the reasons for the withdrawal, and in the case of a printed text, the editors will include an appropriate statement in the next issue of the journal. The editors will inform the author, the affiliated institution, the reviewers, the aggrieved persons, and, if necessary, other ethical regulators of the case. If the ethical malpractice in the text is insignificant, the corrected text will be allowed to be republished. If there is a conflict of interest within the Editorial Board, a report should be submitted to the Publisher (wydawca.snt@gmail.com).

Complaints and appeals: Complaints against the Journal and/or the Editorial Board should be in writing and, when they concern the Journal or the conduct of members of the Editorial Board, they should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief; when they concern the conduct of the Editor-in-Chief, they should be addressed to the Publisher - the Committee on Theological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences (wydawca.snt@gmail.com) and brought to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief. Supervision of the Publisher is exercised by the Dean of the Division I of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences (wydzial_1@pan.pl). The subject of the complaint may be, for example: violated interests of the complainant, negligence, protraction or inaction in the case by the Editorial Board. The complainant should receive written notification of the handling of the case within 30 days from the date of the complaint.

3. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES APPLICABLE TO THE REVIEWER

Text evaluation criteria: The reviewer assesses the compatibility of the subject matter covered with the profile of the journal, whether the title reflects the content of the article, and whether the article is an original text. The reviewer evaluates the article in terms of form (linguistic correctness, structure of the argument, correctness in the formulation of footnotes) and content (methodological correctness, completeness of the theses presented, factual correctness, timeliness of the bibliography used). The reviewer should briefly justify his assessment. The review must contain a clear conclusion including a recommendation for publication of the article.

Principle of confidentiality: The reviewer is obliged to treat the reviewed article as a confidential document. He can inform only those authorized to do so about it. The review procedure is done anonymously, which means that the author and reviewers do not know each other's identity (double blind review).

The principle of objectivity: The reviewer pays attention only to the merits of the publication. He does not judge or criticize the author. In the review he tries to be objective. He presents the evaluation of the article with clear arguments.

The principle of responsibility for the timeliness of the review process: A reviewer who agrees to review an article is responsible for completing his or her work by the deadline agreed upon with the Editor.

Exclusion of conflicts of interest: Conflicts of interest may be relationships of professional subordination, economic dependence, and such forms of social relations that may affect the impartial evaluation of the value of the text. All information and scientific concepts obtained as a result of the review procedure may not be used for the personal benefit of the reviewer. The reviewer may not be a person directly involved in the creation of the publication.

Code of ethics [download PDF]