Ethical Principles of the journal Politické vedy (Political Sciences)
Publication ethics and publication malpractice statement
The mentioned ethical standards are binding for all subjects involved in the publication of the journal Political Science.
The main objective of ethical standards is to define the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved in publication process, which are authors of the journal (journal publisher, journal editorial bodies) and reviewers, so maximum quality, neutrality, objectivity and transparency in the journal Political Science is ensured.
These ethical standards are processed according to the standards of good publication manners proposed by the international forum Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and contained in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.
Duties of authors
The author is obliged to become familiar with the instructions for authors, as well as the ethical standards of the journal Political Science.
By submitting a manuscript to the redaction office author declares that the submitted work is original, authentic and written exclusively for the journal. Further he/ she declares that he/she has full and unrestricted copyright on work, and that this work has not been and will not be offered for publication until a final decision of journal Political Science will be released about its publication/ non-publication.
The author is responsible for the content of the work, any plagiarism is unacceptable. In this context, the author also declares that his contribution was written in accordance with the standards of scientific work, while respecting the proper and full citation of used authors and their works, as well as the citation standards in relation to foreign ideas, which are correctly stated in the references. The author confirms all this by signing the journal license agreement.
In case that the work was processed with financial support or with the participation of another person, it is essential to clearly indicate these facts, including disclosure of financial support sources of the project, the sponsor, the grant. The author is obliged to avoid offensive statements that could harm other people or the reputation of the journal. In case that the author finds a fatal error in the published work, he/ she is also obliged to immediately inform the journal and collaborate during correction process.
Duties of journal (publisher and editorial bodies)
The journal and its sections - journal publisher and editorial bodies of journal (members of the Editorial Board and the Scientific Board) – bind themselves to act and approach everyone involved in the publication process in accordance with the ethical standards of the journal Political Science, with morality and exclusion of any racial, sexual, religious, ethnic or political discrimination.
The journal accepts instruments that allow authors and others to draw attention to violations of ethical standards, as well as measures to prevent its violations. The journal binds itself to promptly resolve any complaints, archive them and take remedial action in collaboration with the complainant.
The editorial office accept manuscripts of scientific texts and original theoretical and research studies which are corresponding with the content of the journal. The journal focuses on political science, modern history, international relations and security studies. Manuscripts are reviewed in anonymous reviewing procedure by at least two reviewers. As long as their opinions substantially differ, the editorial office determines a third reviewer.
The editorial office makes the decision about the publication of text upon results of anonymous reviewing procedure, which focuses on the assessment of academic value of manuscript. Manuscript review process is always executed regardless to the author. Without reviewed procedure the journal publishes only informative manuscripts, news and reviews. Editors or editorial office members who publish their own journal cannot abuse their position. The journal maintains the anonymity and prevents origins of conflicts of interest between authors, journal and its managing components and reviewers.
Duties of reviewers
The reviewer is obliged to become familiar with the ethical standards of the journal Political Science, with the review form and method of its execution.
Results of the reviews procedure form the basis for editor’s office decision-making about the publication / non-publication of the reviewed manuscript.
The reviewer approaches to an assessment of the text objectively, impartially and responsibly. Reviewer binds himself to process the review in a time with the required quality. In the case of a conflict of interest, time constraints, lack of expertise or the inability to make the review, he/ she will inform the editorial office at the deadline. Reviewer preserves anonymity and concurrently binds himself not to abuse the acquired information and ideas in connection with the conduction of the review in self-benefit. In case of discovering any content match with already published papers, reviewer will notify the editor office.
Procedure for dealing with cases of unethical acts
Any violation or suspected violation of ethical standards of the journal Political Science, or unethical conduct must be reported to the journal. It is inevitable to provide all the information and evidence to start an investigation of the matter in question.
The journal and all its sections will make an effort to investigate the matter in question and to draw a final decision. The process of investigation in the journal is impartial on the basis of gathering all the relevant evidence. In case of violation of the principles by the journal, an impartial expert is invited.
Minor mistakes are handled internally, or directly with the aggrieved person. Major mistakes are dealt by the journal and it is possible to invite other experts. The employer of the accused may be informed about the ongoing investigation process of ethical standards and behaviour violation. The final decision depends on the seriousness of ethical principles violation or unethical behaviour violation.
The result of the investigation can have the form of informing and advising the aggrieved person, written warning (formal reprimand with an alert notice) or withdrawal of the text or the whole copy of the journal. By the decision the aggrieved person can be prohibited to publish or review contributions or take part in any activity in the journal Political Science. In addition, the final results of the investigation may be reported to a professional organization or to an employer or provided to the superior governing organ for further investigation and the imposition of measures by the nature of the offense.