1. Editorial and Publishing Policies
1.1 Initial Submission
- All manuscripts must be submitted exclusively via the official online submission system. Submissions by email or postal mail are not accepted.
- Manuscripts must not have been previously published, accepted for publication, or under simultaneous consideration elsewhere.
- Authors are required to disclose any related or overlapping manuscripts under review in other journals.
1.2 Plagiarism Screening
- All submissions undergo plagiarism detection using antiplagiat.ru software.
- A similarity index of up to 15–20% may be considered acceptable; however, direct copying of text at the sentence or paragraph level is strictly prohibited.
- Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be returned for revision or rejected at the editors’ discretion.
1.3 Assignment to Editors
- Following submission, manuscripts are assigned to an Editorial Board Member who performs an initial assessment of scope, scientific quality, and compliance with journal standards.
- Suitable manuscripts are sent to a minimum of two independent external reviewers with relevant expertise.
2. Peer Review Process
2.1 Double-Blind Review
- Identities of both authors and reviewers remain confidential to ensure impartiality.
2.2 Reviewer Selection
- Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise, research background, and independence.
- Authors may suggest potential reviewers or request exclusions, but final selection rests with the editors.
2.3 Reviewer Reports
- Reviewers evaluate manuscripts for originality, validity of methodology, accuracy of analysis, relevance, and overall contribution to the field.
2.4 Editorial Decisions
After review, the Editorial Board Member issues one of the following decisions:
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1. Accept – manuscript requires no changes.
2. Minor Revision – authors must address specific reviewer/editorial concerns.
3. Major Revision – substantial modifications and possibly additional analyses are required.
4. Reject – manuscript is unsuitable for publication
3. Revisions
3.1 Author Responsibilities
• Authors invited to revise must submit:
- a revised manuscript with all modifications clearly highlighted, and
- a point-by-point response letter addressing each reviewer comment.
3.2 Review of Revisions
- Revised manuscripts may be reassessed by the original reviewers or, when necessary, by new reviewers.
- The journal aims to limit manuscripts to a single major revision round before a final decision is made.
4. Final Submission and Acceptance
4.1 Acceptance Criteria
- Once all editorial and reviewer concerns are resolved, the manuscript is formally accepted.
4.2 Page Proofs
- Authors receive page proofs prior to publication.
- Proof corrections must be returned within 72 hours (3 days). Only corrections of factual or technical errors (e.g., author list, title, scientific accuracy) will be permitted.
- The editorial office retains the right to make final adjustments regarding formatting, style, and figure presentation.
5. Appeals and Complaints
5.1 Appeals
- Authors may appeal a rejection only once per manuscript and only after peer review.
- Appeals are considered if there is evidence of factual error or reviewer/editor bias that may have influenced the decision.
- Appeals may result in re-review but will be upheld only in cases of clear editorial error.
5.2 Complaints
- Complaints related to ethical concerns, editorial handling, or publication processes must be submitted to the editorial office.
- All complaints will be investigated and resolved in line with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.