Code of Ethics

Guidelines for Authors

Principle of Academic Integrity

Authors are expected to conduct and present their research honestly, objectively, and accurately. All data sources and references must be clearly indicated to allow the results to be verified and reproduced.

Principle of Originality

Manuscripts must be the result of the authors’ own intellectual work. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification of data are strictly prohibited. When the work of others is used, it must be cited properly to avoid any doubt about authorship. Information obtained privately (e.g., through conversations, correspondence, or discussions) may be used only with the written consent of its author.

Principle of Data Availability

The editorial office does not require submission of primary data together with the manuscript; however, such data may be requested during the review process or even after publication to verify the reliability of the results.

Principle of Conflict-of-Interest Prevention

Authors must declare the absence of conflicts of interest that could affect the impartiality of the assessment and provide sufficient information to enable the editorial office to prevent potential conflicts.

Principle of Proper Authorship

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the creation of the article. To avoid cases of “ghost” or “guest” authorship, all participants involved in preparing the publication must be properly credited as co-authors. In a written statement, authors must specify their individual contributions. Those who have contributed only technical or linguistic assistance may be acknowledged in the “Acknowledgements” section. Authors share collective responsibility for the content and must disclose sources of funding and institutional, association, or other forms of support.

Principle of Source Reliability

All publications that have influenced the research must be cited appropriately. Privately obtained information must be used only with the author’s written permission.

Ethical Oversight

If the research involved experiments with humans or animals, authors must provide confirmation of approval from a research ethics committee or other competent authority.

Principle of Error Correction

If authors discover significant errors after publication, they are obliged to inform the editorial office immediately so that corrections, clarifications, or retractions can be issued.

Principle of Publication Uniqueness

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not be under review elsewhere and must not have been previously published, including in electronic form.

Guidelines for the Editorial Board

Responsibility

The editorial board is responsible for deciding which articles will be published, ensuring the scientific quality of the materials, and issuing corrections or retractions when necessary.

Principle of Fairness

Manuscripts are evaluated solely on their scholarly merit and relevance to the journal’s scope, regardless of the authors’ nationality, ethnicity, political views, gender, race, or religion.

Principle of Confidentiality

The editorial board must treat all manuscripts and related data received during the editorial process as confidential.

Handling Complaints and Appeals

Complaints regarding editorial decisions must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief. If the complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief’s own actions, it may be submitted to the journal’s founding organization. Complainants receive a written response within 30 days.

Verification of Published Materials

The editorial office may retract or correct published articles if ethical violations are identified. Unpublished materials must not be used by members of the editorial board without the authors’ consent.

Dialogue and Revisions

The journal uses an electronic peer-review system that enables communication between authors, editors, and reviewers at every stage of the editorial process.

Principle of Academic Integrity

The editorial board must uphold a high level of academic integrity. If violations are detected (plagiarism, data fabrication, result manipulation), the article will be withdrawn and the author, their institution, and relevant bodies will be notified.

Guidelines for Reviewers

  • Collaboration with the Editorial Office: Reviewers participate in the selection process and influence final publication decisions.

  • Timeliness: Reviewers must complete their reviews within the agreed time frame or inform the editorial office if they are unable to do so.

  • Confidentiality: All materials received for review are confidential and must not be used for personal purposes.

  • Objectivity: Reviews should focus solely on the content, scholarly quality, and methodology of the manuscript.

  • Detection of Misconduct: Reviewers should indicate cases of plagiarism or missing key references.

  • Conflict-of-Interest Prevention: If a conflict of interest exists between a reviewer and an author, the reviewer must withdraw from the review process.

Publisher’s Policy

Lex Dogana adheres to the principles of publication ethics recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). To prevent unethical practices (plagiarism, self-plagiarism, ghost or honorary authorship), the journal uses similarity detection tools (iThenticate) as well as the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform to manage the publication process.

In cases of ethical violations, the editorial office will take appropriate measures — ranging from issuing a correction to retracting the article — and notify all relevant parties.