Ethical Aspects of Publishing

The journal Pedagogika is committed to ethical standards common in publishing. According to the ethical standards, the journal requires that all authors, who submit their papers for publication as original studies, a bona fide declaration that their work is truly original and was not published before (see Journal Statutes, Section II, Point 3b). A declaration in the manuscript must be included that, “The paper submitted has not been published before. It is an original text and it is not being concurrently submitted to another journal for publication”. If a different version of the text has already been published or is being prepared for publication, the author is required to state the extent of the similarity between this version and the submitted one, and to provide details of when and where the text has been published, or when and where its publication is planned.

The journal requires the authors to also state at the end of the manuscript whether there is any potential conflict of interests regarding the text (either as a result of the author’s contractual obligations to a particular institution, or its relationship to sponsored research, or in view of the content of the text and the information published). In so doing, the journal seeks to prevent cases in which the same text has already been published in a different journal or has been submitted for publication in another journal by the author. The journal also strives to prevent against plagiarism (e.i.the copying of a whole text, or of parts of a text from the work of other authors without indication of the original source).

The journal Pedagogika is committed to ensure that all submitted papers are evaluated through double-blind peer review: the author is not informed about the names of the reviewer and the reviewer is not informed about the name(s) of the author(s). Original texts received by the journal are assessed by at least two experts in a given field, who may not be from the workplace of the author(s) or members of the executive editorial team of the journal. The executive editorial team keeps a database of reviewers and monitors their performance to ensure a) that they observe the criteria stipulated for the evaluation of manuscripts received, and b) that they uphold the necessary academic standards.

1. Ethical Expectations

Responsibilities of the Executive Team and Editors

  • They are responsible for texts that are published in the journal Pedagogika.
  • Their decisions about texts received are made without regard to commercial, resort, political or group interests.
  • They maintain both transparency and fairness of review procedure in such a way so as to ensure that the evaluation of texts received is professionally correct, that it takes account of all stipulated criteria, and that the resulting recommendations are grounded in demonstrable evidence and argument.
  • They conduct editorial policy and review procedure in such a way so as to avoid any reasonable doubts or suspicion of lack of professionalism.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

  • Their acceptance of texts for evaluation entails an undertaking to observe the agreed deadline for the submission of a reviewer opinion.
  • They accept texts for evaluation only if there is no risk of a conflict of interests.
  • If they become aware of a potential conflict of interest regarding, a text they will inform the editor of the issue or executive team of the journal without delay.
  • They will always write their review in an unbiased way, and to the best of their professional knowledge and conscience in accordance with the stipulated requirements of the journal for the type of manuscript concerned.

Responsibilities of the Authors

  • They will submit only those manuscripts for publication, which have been created in an ethically correct way and in accordance with all relevant legal provisions.
  • They will present their results and conclusions in a professionally correct manner, clearly and unambiguously, without invented data, manipulated results, or plagiarism.
  • In the case of empirical research studies, the authors will state that the respondents took part in the study in full knowledge and were given the chance to refuse to participate in the study. Where relevant, they should also state how participants were motivated to take part in the study.
  • They will describe their methods with sufficient detail and precision; i.e. in a way that make the studies replicable and the results tested by further independent research. They will state the procedures by which the data were obtained and processed.  If any data have been excluded, the authors will state the extent of the data and the reasons for the exclusion.
  • If the authors of a text take an illustration or a table from another work and include it in their study, they will state that they have the agreement of the author/publisher for this reproduction.
  • The authors will avoid selective citation of literary sources so that t a correct overview of the whole spectrum of views on a research theme is presented without any inappropriate bias.
  • They will state which institution or grant funded their work.
  • If the text  a collaborative project of more than one author, there will be a statement that all authors have approved the final version of the text and all accept responsibility for both the form and the content of the manuscript
  • If authors contributed to the final text in various extent, it should, be reflected by the order of listing of authors.. This could be also made clear by a published note on their partial contribution in different parts of manuscript.
  • They will state any circumstances that might indicate a potential conflict of interests.

Responsibilities of the Publisher

  • It will create the conditions for the activity of the editorial board and executive team of the journal in accordance with the Statutes of the journal.
  • It will ensure that the members of the editorial board and editorial team are respected professionals in the field and that in both bodies of the journal the members drawn from the workplace of the publisher will constitute less than half the membership of those bodies.
  • It will not interfere in the process of evaluation of the texts.
  • It will create conditions for the publishing of the journal in printed and electronic form.

2. Tackling Unethical Behaviour

Identification of Unethical Behaviour

  • Complaints of unethical behaviour should be made promptly and without regard to the position of the person alleged to have behaved unethically.
  • A proposal for the investigation of unethical behaviour may be submitted by any author of an article, reviewer or member of the executive team, or by the publisher or any reader of the journal.
  • Evidence of unethical behaviour is accumulated by the executive team of the journal. In the case of alleged unethical behaviour by the executive team it is accumulated by the publisher.
  • Evidence of unethical behaviour is archived.

Investigation of Unethical Behaviour

  • The executive team is responsible for the investigation of unethical behaviour.
  • Investigation of unethical behaviour by the executive team is the responsibility of the publisher of the journal.

Minor Irregularities

  • In the case of minor irregularities, the person concerned will receive a written notification from the executive team, or as the case may be the publisher.
  • The person concerned will be given the opportunity to remedy the irregularity and required to provide a written explanation of the irregularity.

Serious Allegations

  • The executive team, or as the case may be the publisher, will accumulate and archive evidence about the alleged unethical behaviour.
  • Decision on the credibility of the evidence and the results of the unethical behaviour will be taken by the editorial board of the journal.

 Consequences of Unethical Behaviour

  • In the case of serious substantiated doubts concerning the integrity of the editor or member of the editorial staff, the person concerned may be removed from this position in accordance with the Statutes of the journal Pedagogika.
  • In the case of serious substantiated doubts concerned the integrity of the publisher, the professional community will be informed of this via the web pages of the journal. At the same time information about steps taken to deal with the situation will be published.
  • In the case of serious substantiated doubts concerning the integrity of authors or referees, co-operation with them will be suspended for a stipulated period corresponding to the seriousness of the doubts. The persons concerned will be informed of this in writing.
  • If doubt is cast on the integrity of an author with reference to a manuscript that has just been sent for publication, the editorial team will refuse to publish the manuscript and return it to the author with appropriate negative commentary.
  • If serious doubt is cast on the integrity of an author when the study concerned has already been published and the violations have been discovered only later, the editorial team will inform the author about the findings. The negative viewpoint of the executive team regarding the study will be published in the journal and on the journal’s web pages.