Publication ethics

The Wojciech Ketrzynski Northern Institute in Olsztyn implements publication ethics rules to counteract unfair publishing practices in accordance with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE; Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors).
According to those principles, the Editorial Board, reviewers and authors are bound by the following rules:

THE EDITORIAL BOARD

“Fair play” rule
The Editorial Board evaluates the content of the submitted manuscripts, regardless of the author’s gender, sexual orientation, faith, ethnicity, citizenship or political beliefs.

Confidentiality
The circulation of information on submitted manuscripts concerns only the Editorial Board, authors and reviewers.

Information disclosure and conflict of interest
Unpublished materials from the submitted manuscripts shall not be used by the Editorial Board for its own research without the author’s written consent.

Decision on publication
The Editor-in-Chief may consult secretaries and thematic editors while taking the decision on the manuscript publication. The Editorial Board is bound by the applicable legal requirements concerning defamation, copyright infringement and plagiarism.

REVIEWERS

Taking part in the publication decision-making process
The reviewer assists the Editorial Board in the publication decision-making process and contacts the author about remarks on the manuscript.

Punctuality
The reviewer undertakes to complete the review within the agreed deadline, and if any obstacles occur, the reviewer shall notify the Editorial Board so that another reviewer may be selected.

Confidentiality
All manuscripts submitted for review are kept in confidentiality. Disclosing their content to third parties is forbidden.

Objectivity standards
All reviews shall be objective, straightforward and use appropriate argumentation with no personal criticism.

Reliable sources
The reviewer may point out other publications on similar subject that were not quoted in the manuscript to the author. All excerpts from other publications shall be accompanied by an appropriate quote. The reviewer shall notify the Editorial Board about any significant similarities between the reviewed manuscript and other publications, also when the submitted manuscript coincides with other published materials known to the Reviewer.

Information disclosure and conflict of interest
All information which comprise official secret and all ideas acquired during the review process shall be kept in confidentiality and shall not be used for personal benefit. The reviewer shall not review submitted manuscripts if a conflict of interest resulting from competition, cooperation or any other relationship with any of the authors occurs. The reviewer affirms that in writing by signing an appropriate declaration.

AUTHORS

Reporting standards
Authors presenting the results of their original studies shall provide a reliable description of performed research work, detailed data, and references to sources that will enable other researches to repeat this process and will show its significance. False or intentionally inaccurate descriptions are treated as unacceptable unethical acts.

Originality, plagiarism, reliable sources
Authors shall submit manuscripts which are in whole original, and any information derived from the other researchers’ work shall be properly cited or quoted. Authors shall also cite every publication that had an influence on the nature of the manuscript.

Multiplied, redundant and analogous publications
Authors shall not repeatedly publish manuscripts describing essentially the same study or primary data publications. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one publisher at one time is considered unethical.

Authorship of the manuscript
Authorship and co-authorship shall only be attributed to persons who significantly contributed to conception, planning, implementation or interpretation of the results of the presented study. Other persons involved in the research project shall be listed in the “Acknowledgements” section.
Corresponding Author confirms that all authorized co-authors (as defined above) are included on the list of authors and there is no unauthorized author on the list. All co-authors should familiarize themselves with the final version of the manuscript, approve it and agree to submit it for print.

Information disclosure and conflict of interest
Authors shall provide information about the sources of the project financing and about any conflict of interest that could affect the results of the study or their interpretation in the manuscript.

Fundamental errors in published manuscripts
If the author finds a fundamental error or an inaccuracy in the published manuscript, he/she shall immediately notify the Editorial Board and cooperate with the Board to correct the error or to withdraw the manuscript.

Declaration of the Editorial Board
The Editorial Board undertakes to take all necessary actions to clarify all instances of alleged or confirmed acts of non-compliance with the scientific ethics, false publication or plagiarism. These actions consist of the immediate publication of an erratum or even of the permanent withdrawal of the manuscript.