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Archive of Criminology and Forensic Sciences

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ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PUBLICATION ETHICS POLICY AND POLICY ON OBTAINING MANDATORY ETHICAL APPROVAL FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMANS, ANIMALS, OR THEIR BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS, PERSONAL OR CONFIDENTIAL DATA

The Editorial Board of the scientific journal "Archive of Criminology and Forensic Sciences" encourages and urges authors of scientific articles to adhere to the appropriate level of formal and ethical requirements for the preparation and publication of scientific articles submitted to the Editorial Board. These requirements are driven by the quality standards of scientific works and their publication accepted in the global scientific community (https://osvita.kpi.ua/files/downloads/Standart_EPVO.pdf), in particular: the publication principles of the Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK) https://www.elsevier.com/editor/perk; recommendations of Elsevier https://www.elsevier.com/editor/editorial-boards and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) https://publicationethics.org/; the Ethical Code of the Scientist of Ukraine https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/rada/show/v0002550-09#Text, as well as the experience of foreign and Ukrainian professional communities, scientific institutions, editorial boards, and editorial offices.

The Editorial Board of the scientific journal "Archive of Criminology and Forensic Sciences" strictly adheres to the recommendations established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing; it is guided in its activities by the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) and the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, and does not tolerate a merely formal approach to their declaration.

The fundamental principles ensuring effective cooperation among authors, the Editorial Board, and reviewers are academic integrity, objective evaluation of submitted materials, and the assurance of high-quality scientific research. The provisions below are aimed at the most objective evaluation of the content of a scientific article, determining its compliance with the requirements of the scientific journal, and involve a comprehensive analysis of its advantages and disadvantages. They will also provide substantial assistance in the preparation of scientific publications for scientists, teachers, graduate students, university students, law enforcement officers, judges, forensic experts, and other practitioners.

Ethical Principles of the Editorial Board

The Editorial Board of the scientific journal has adopted measures to ensure high ethical and professional standards based on the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

Within its editorial policy, the scientific journal "Archive of Criminology and Forensic Sciences" consistently adheres to publishing standards and implements generally recognized provisions and principles of publishing ethics, in particular:

For the Editorial Board of the scientific journal "Archive of Criminology and Forensic Sciences", the ethical aspects of publication are an essential part of editorial work. The Editorial Board is responsible for ensuring compliance with ethical standards and managing conflicts of interest during the publication of articles based on the relevant provisions approved by the Editorial Board. In particular, the Editorial Board: is responsible for making decisions regarding scientific articles submitted to the journal and their potential publication; strives to meet the needs of readers and authors; continuously improves the quality of the journal; ensures the professional selection of modern scientific material to be published; guarantees openness in reflecting the scientific issues of researchers from Ukraine and other countries. The Editorial Board publishes article submission guidelines, which are regularly updated on the journal's website.

All information regarding a scientific article (content, reviews, decisions) is strictly confidential. Proper names and email addresses obtained as a result of editorial and publishing activities may only be used by the Editorial Board to fulfill the goals and objectives of the scientific journal.

When making a decision to publish an article, the Editorial Board is guided by the positive conclusions of reviewers who are recognized experts in the relevant field of knowledge (holding an academic degree and publications on the topic of the scientific article) and who have no conflict of interest with the author of the manuscript. If the submitted materials comply with the goals, objectives, and editorial policy of the scientific journal, the Editorial Board publishes the scientific articles, usually in the author's edition; otherwise, the material is rejected.

The Editorial Board is not responsible for the professional, substantive, and methodological correctness of the published materials, nor for the accuracy of references to internet resources and literature sources contained in the text of the scientific article. Manuscripts are not published in the scientific journal if there are grounds to believe they contain plagiarism: the percentage of academic integrity must be 88% or higher, and also if a conflict of interest is identified.

The Editorial Board ensures: the detection of academic fraud, fake reviewers, purchased authorship, citation manipulation, undeclared use of artificial intelligence technologies, and the dependency of reviewers and Editorial Board members; the prevention of commercial influence on the scientific content of the journal.

The Editorial Board does not alter decisions regarding accepted materials unless there is appropriate justification to do so. The Editorial Board does not leave unanswered any claims concerning reviewed manuscripts or published scientific articles, and in the event of a conflict situation, takes all necessary measures to restore violated rights.

In accordance with the principles of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), WAME (World Association of Medical Editors), DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment), and ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors), the Editorial Board engages in a scientifically grounded discussion with authors in case of manuscript rejection or reviewer comments, which is conducted through the Executive Secretary of the scientific journal.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

A conflict of interest arises when an individual has a private interest in the area where they perform their official or representative duties, which may affect the objectivity or impartiality of their decision-making, or the performance or non-performance of actions during the execution of these duties. This includes situations that may interfere with a full, proper, and objective procedure for reviewing and making decisions regarding the publication of scientific articles or other materials.

A conflict of interest is considered to exist if individuals involved in the editorial process have relationships with each other—personal or otherwise—that could potentially compromise them, hinder objectivity, or influence the resolution of issues related to publication.

All authors must disclose in their scientific works any financial and other significant conflicts of interest that might influence the results of the research or their interpretation. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include: employer information, informational consultations, stock ownership, honoraria, patent applications/registrations, as well as grants and other types of funding. All potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed at the earliest possible stage.

When submitting a scientific article, the author must inform the Editorial Board members of the "Archive of Criminology and Forensic Sciences" about all possible conflicts of interest.

A conflict of interest may also be related to employment, funding sources, personal financial interests, membership in relevant organizations, or other circumstances that could cause bias and influence decision-making by responsible persons.

Members of the Editorial Board must not review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the research.

Any declarations of conflicts of interest made by authors, reviewers, or the editor are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and/or the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal. In the case of substantiated claims regarding a conflict of interest involving the Editor-in-Chief, such claims are reviewed with the participation of two members of the Editorial Board.

The Editorial Board adheres to the requirements and positions of COPE "Submissions by the editor-in-chief and editorial board members of a journal" and COPE "Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing", and also takes into account the ICMJE approach regarding the disclosure of financial and non-financial relationships and conflicts of interest (section "Disclosure of Financial and Non-Financial Relationships and Activities, and Conflicts of Interest").

We also emphasize: approved policies and procedures are not only published but also ensure their actual and consistent application by Editorial Board members and reviewers.

Ethical Principles for Reviewers

The reviewer conducts peer review of author materials to objectively evaluate the quality of the submitted manuscript and determine its compliance with scientific, literary, and ethical standards. The reviewer performs a scientific expert assessment of the author's materials, and therefore their actions must be impartial and adhere to the following ethical principles:

  • the manuscript should be treated as a confidential document that cannot be passed on for familiarization or discussion to third parties who are not authorized by the Editorial Board;
  • the reviewer is obliged to conduct an objective evaluation and provide a reasoned assessment of the research results presented in the article;
  • personal criticism of the author is unacceptable;
  • unpublished data obtained from submitted manuscripts must not be used by the reviewer for personal purposes;
  • a reviewer who believes they lack sufficient qualifications to evaluate the manuscript, or who cannot be objective—for example, due to a conflict of interest with the author or organization—must inform the Editor-in-Chief and request to be excluded from the review process for that manuscript.

By submitting a manuscript for review, authors entrust reviewers with the results of their scientific research and creative efforts, upon which their reputation and career may depend. Disclosing confidential details of the manuscript review violates the author's rights. A breach of confidentiality is only permissible when there is an allegation of unreliability or falsification of materials; in all other cases, maintaining confidentiality is mandatory.

The reviewer must conduct the review within a timeframe that ensures the timely publication of research results. If the reviewer is unable to provide (prepare) the review within the specified timeframe, they must inform the Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal.

The reviewer must not consider manuscripts if there is a conflict of interest caused by competition, collaboration, or other relationships with any authors or institutions associated with the manuscript.

Reviewers must adequately explain and justify their judgments so that authors and editors can understand the basis of their comments. Any statement that an observation, conclusion, or argument has been previously published must be accompanied by the relevant citation.

If the review contains recommendations for revising the scientific article, the Executive Secretary of the Editorial Board sends the text of the review to the author, suggesting they take these comments into account when preparing a new version of the article or provide a reasoned rebuttal. The revised scientific article is then sent for a second round of peer review.

The Editor-in-Chief may decide to involve one or more reviewers whose participation is contested by the authors if the opinions of these reviewers are crucial for an impartial consideration of the manuscript. Such a decision may be made, for example, if there are serious contradictions between the submitted manuscript and the potential reviewer's previous work.

In the event of irresolvable contradictions regarding the manuscript of a scientific article, the Editor-in-Chief may send the manuscript for additional peer review.

Ethical Principles for Authors

The Editorial Board protects the reputation of the scientific journal, the rights of authors, and investigates reports of plagiarism or inappropriate use of scientific articles published in the journal. Submitted materials may be checked for duplication of already published texts. If plagiarism is detected, or if text fragments are used without the permission of copyright holders or proper citation, or if there are doubts regarding the authorship of the article, the Editorial Board reserves the right to take the following measures: publish corrections, retract the article from the journal, and pursue other appropriate legal actions.

Authors of materials submitted to the scientific journal bear full responsibility for the accuracy of the information presented therein, as well as for the materials' compliance with legal, moral, and ethical standards, taking into account any conflicts of interest. The scientific article must meet the formatting requirements of the journal. The author(s) of the submitted manuscript guarantee(s) and undertake(s) to:

  • bear responsibility for the accuracy of facts, proper names, photo documents, other data, and the overall content of the article;
  • provide only reliable and correct results of the conducted research;
  • eliminate all shortcomings in the scientific article (if there are comments from the reviewer);
  • not submit an article for publication that describes essentially the same research to more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting an article to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable;
  • ensure the originality of the article's content, which must not contain borrowings without appropriate citation or prior agreement;
  • submit articles that do not contain materials prohibited from open publication in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine, ensuring that its publication will not lead to the disclosure of restricted information (confidential information, state secrets);
  • correctly cite the scientific works of other authors;
  • guarantee that the names of all co-authors of the scientific article are listed in its text, that no individual who is not a co-author is included, and that all co-authors have reviewed the final version of the article, approved it, and given their consent for publication.

Authors must be aware that they bear primary responsibility for the novelty, reliability, and correctness of the scientific research results, as well as for any conflict of interest, which implies adherence to the following principles:

  • authors must provide reliable and correct results of the conducted research; knowingly false or fabricated statements are unacceptable;
  • authors must guarantee that the research results presented in the submitted materials are entirely original. Borrowed fragments or statements must be formatted with mandatory indication of the author and the original source. Excessive borrowing, as well as plagiarism in any form—including unformatted quotes, paraphrasing, or claiming rights to the results of others' research—are unethical and unacceptable;
  • the contribution of all individuals who influenced the course of the research must be acknowledged; in particular, the article must include references to works that were significant during the research;
  • authors must not submit a manuscript to the journal that has been sent to another journal and is under consideration, nor an article already published in another journal;
  • all individuals who made a significant contribution to the research must be listed as co-authors. It is unacceptable to include individuals who did not participate in the research as co-authors;
  • if an author discovers significant errors or inaccuracies in the article during its review or after its publication, they must notify the Editorial Board of the scientific journal as soon as possible.

Authors bear full responsibility for obtaining all necessary copyrights (permissions) to reproduce any illustrations, tables, and figures borrowed from other sources. Submitting an article to the Editorial Board guarantees that the author's work does not violate the existing copyrights of third parties. By submitting materials for publication, authors agree that if the materials are accepted for printing, they may be placed in electronic databases with mandatory indication of authorship and full retention of copyrights.

Authorship of the Manuscript

Authorship is limited to those who have been involved in the preparation of the scientific article and have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. Such individuals are listed in the scientific article as co-authors, and they bear responsibility for the obtained results. The contributions of other individuals are noted in footnotes or in the text in the form of acknowledgments. The author submitting the manuscript for publication is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate co-authors are included in the author list. In a multi-authored article, the corresponding author who provides contact details, documents, and communicates with the Editorial Board assumes responsibility for obtaining the consent of the other authors for its publication. The author(s) must guarantee that the names of all co-authors are listed, no non-authors are included, and all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the article.

Ethical Obligations of Readers

In accordance with international copyright law, materials from the scientific journal's website may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form (electronic or printed) without the prior written consent of the authors (or, in the event of their death, the permission of the Editorial Board). When using published materials in the context of other documents, a reference to the original publication source is required. The distribution of any scientific articles from the journal or extracts from them via electronic networks is permitted, provided that a link to the original source is mandatory. The publication and/or distribution of the journal's materials by third parties or institutions on paper or hard electronic media is prohibited.

Website users—readers of the scientific journal and authors—may send their comments, questions regarding publications, etc., by mail to the Editorial Board, adhering to generally accepted ethical norms.

Data Access and Retention

The Editorial Board may request authors to provide additional raw data for editorial review. Authors should be prepared to provide open access to such data.

Academic Integrity Policy

Only original, previously unpublished materials are accepted for publication in the scientific journal "Archive of Criminology and Forensic Sciences". The author is responsible for ensuring and providing a plagiarism check report. The journal relies on COPE, which considers citation manipulation a violation of publication ethics, particularly when references lack scientific relevance and are added primarily to artificially inflate metrics or for personal gain. Such manipulations include:

The academic integrity and publication ethics policy of the scientific journal provides for:

Authors/co-authors of scientific articles must submit only entirely original works, and if they have used the scientific works and/or statements of other scientists, these must be properly formatted as quotes/references. Plagiarism is unacceptable—this is the publication of a scientific work or part of it in an unchanged or modified form, including the publication of a translation of a foreign-language scientific work or its part, under the name of a person who is not its author.

In combating plagiarism, the Editorial Board is guided by the relevant Laws of Ukraine and regulatory acts, in particular Art. 50 of the Law of Ukraine "On Copyright and Related Rights" as amended on 01.01.2023 No. 2811-IX, to prevent borrowings in written or electronic form, published in whole or in part under one's own name without reference to the author (Art. 69 of the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education" as amended on 24.03.2024 No. 3482-IX), Letter of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine No. 111-8681 dated 15.08.2018 "Recommendations on preventing academic plagiarism and its detection in scientific works", and Elsevier recommendations (https://www.elsevier.com/connect/7-ways-to-avoid-academic-plagiarism).

There are various forms of plagiarism, including: "passing off" someone else's scientific article as one's own; copying or paraphrasing a significant part of someone else's text (without referencing the original source and indicating authorship); appropriating the results of research conducted by other scientists, etc. Plagiarism in all its forms is considered unethical behavior and is unacceptable. If plagiarism is detected, the authors of the submitted materials bear responsibility.

The formulation of the main theses and conclusions by the authors must be clear and unambiguous, without falsifying the obtained data or improperly manipulating them. To guarantee academic integrity and avoid plagiarism when citing, a number of rules must be followed, in particular:

In general, it is recommended to limit the use of direct quotes, giving preference to paraphrasing and analysis.

Complaint Handling Procedure for Violations

The procedure for handling complaints regarding violations of academic integrity and publication ethics fully complies with COPE recommendations. This process covers necessary actions taken both during the peer review of submitted materials and after their publication in the journal.

Detection of violations is carried out at the manuscript submission stage (initial screening)—the author is obliged to attach a plagiarism check report. The Editorial Board conducts preliminary control and has the right to reject the article without peer review if it does not meet the ethical or technical requirements of the scientific journal.

Editorial Board's response to plagiarism/self-plagiarism:

  • Plagiarism: manuscripts containing unlawful borrowing of text or ideas without proper citation will be rejected;
  • Self-plagiarism: if it is discovered that an author has used their own previously published text to an extent that casts doubt on the originality of the new contribution, the manuscript is also rejected;
  • Opportunity for correction: in certain cases, the author may be asked to revise the material—rewrite borrowed parts or add necessary references to eliminate the violation;
  • Authorship violations: any unauthorized changes to the list of authors or improper inclusion/exclusion of individuals may be grounds for rejecting the article.
  • Ethical role of the reviewer: reviewers must immediately inform the editor of any suspicions regarding plagiarism, copying, using the manuscript's ideas for personal gain, or other violations of ethical standards.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence tools in the preparation of scientific articles has become highly relevant today. The Editorial Board does not object to authors using AI tools in their research and manuscript preparation. However, maintaining transparency and accountability in scientific articles is essential. Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies should only be used to improve the readability and language of your work. Authors bear full responsibility and are accountable for the content of their scientific article. Therefore, the Editorial Board requires authors to provide disclosures specifying the AI tools used. Authors should refrain from using AI tools to make decisions regarding the generalization of obtained results, the formulation of conclusions, etc.

If the use of AI is detected without proper disclosure, the scientific article may be retracted. By following these recommendations, authors can ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI tools during the preparation of scientific articles, preserving the integrity of their research and strengthening the scientific community's trust in the obtained results.

Policy on Obtaining Mandatory Review for Research Involving Humans, Animals, or Their Biological Materials, Personal or Confidential Data

The Editorial Board of the Journal takes into account the recommendations of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and the provisions of current Ukrainian legislation regarding the procedure for publishing the results of scientific research involving humans, animals, their biological materials, or the use of personal or confidential data.

If the author’s manuscript contains information that includes personal, confidential (including medical), or other sensitive data that identifies or makes it possible to identify participants in the experimental study, the author(s) must provide a positive opinion from the ethics committee (or other authorized body) of the institution where the experimental study was conducted, confirming compliance with relevant international and national ethical standards.

Given the journal’s focus, the editorial board considers it appropriate to give special attention to studies involving individuals from vulnerable groups (including suspects, defendants, convicted persons, individuals exempt from criminal liability or punishment, victims, or other participants in criminal proceedings), whose personal data must be anonymized during the author’s preparation of the manuscript prior to submission.

Authors must also adhere to the principles of investigative confidentiality, privacy, and personal data protection, as well as the requirements of Ukraine’s current criminal procedure legislation, since their research may draw upon materials from pre-trial investigations, criminal proceedings, or forensic examinations.

The editorial board does not accept for publication materials that directly or indirectly justify cruelty to humans or animals, condone violations of research ethics standards, or contain calls to commit unlawful acts, even if the author(s) have provided a relevant opinion from an ethics committee.

Since the journal’s scope permits legal analysis of violations of current legislation (including descriptions of violence, abuse, crimes, or other socially sensitive issues), the editorial board may include the following disclaimer with the publication: “This article contains descriptions of unlawful acts or sensitive content and is presented solely for academic purposes for specialists in the fields of law, criminology, medicine, psychiatry, and related disciplines.”