Peer review procedure and editorial ethics

Peer Review Procedure and Editorial Ethics

The Collection “Dorogi i Mosti” (Roads and Bridges) adheres to internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and follows the principles and recommendations of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), WAME (World Association of Medical Editors), and DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment), insofar as they are relevant to the scope and editorial practice of the publication.

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review. Each article is evaluated by at least two independent reviewers. Authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the entire review process.

The review procedure includes an initial editorial screening for compliance with the scope of the collection and formal requirements, anonymization of the manuscript, review by independent experts, and an editorial decision based on the review results.

Following the review, a manuscript may be accepted for publication, returned to the authors for revision, or rejected.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject a manuscript without peer review if it does not comply with the scope, profile, or editorial policy of the collection.

Reviewers are selected from among experts in the relevant scientific field who have publications related to the subject of the manuscript (including those indexed in Scopus or Web of Science) and who have no conflict of interest with the authors.

The average review period is 2 to 4 weeks. The total manuscript processing time may vary depending on the nature of reviewers’ comments and the time required for revisions by the authors.

Peer review is conducted in written (electronic) form. Review reports are stored by the Editorial Board in accordance with internal procedures.

The final decision on the publication of a manuscript is made by the Editorial Board based on the reviewers’ reports.

Publication Ethics

The collection adheres to the principles of publication ethics, transparency of editorial processes, integrity of peer review, and responsible assessment of research outputs.

Authors retain copyright to their works and bear full responsibility for the content of their articles, the accuracy of the data presented, the correctness of citations, the proper attribution of authorship, and the submission of the material for publication.

If violations of copyright, publication ethics, or other circumstances that cast doubt on the integrity of the publication are identified, the Editorial Board reserves the right to reject the manuscript or retract an already published article. The author or authors shall be informed of such a decision.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors shall submit only original scholarly materials that comply with the scope of the collection and the submission requirements.

Authors must avoid plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication, falsification of data, and other forms of unethical research practice, properly cite all sources used, indicate all persons who made a significant contribution to the research, and disclose any real or potential conflict of interest.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors shall ensure objective and impartial consideration of manuscripts, maintain confidentiality, avoid conflicts of interest, and make publication decisions solely on the basis of scientific quality, relevance, and compliance of the material with the profile of the collection.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers shall provide objective, impartial, and reasoned peer review, maintain the confidentiality of submitted materials, disclose any potential conflict of interest, and draw attention to cases of plagiarism, improper borrowing, or other signs of publication ethics violations.

Originality and Academic Integrity

The Editorial Board checks submitted manuscripts for compliance with originality and academic integrity requirements. Detailed provisions regarding the originality of submissions, similarity checking, and authors’ responsibility are set out in the section “Submission Guidelines and Manuscript Preparation Requirements”.

If signs of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, improper borrowing, or other violations of academic integrity are identified, the manuscript may be rejected at any stage of the editorial review process. If such a violation is discovered after publication, the article may be retracted.

Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any real or potential conflict of interest that may affect the preparation, review, editorial consideration, or publication of the material.

Procedure for Considering Complaints Regarding Ethical Violations

The Editorial Board considers complaints regarding possible violations of publication ethics, academic integrity, conflicts of interest, unethical peer review, copyright infringement, as well as other actions that may affect the scientific reliability and integrity of a publication.

A complaint shall be submitted to the Editorial Board in writing and must contain the essence of the complaint, its justification, and, where available, supporting materials.

Upon receipt of a complaint, the Editorial Board conducts a preliminary review, may request explanations from the author, reviewer, or other persons involved, and makes a decision in accordance with the editorial policy of the publication and the recommendations of COPE.

Following the consideration of a complaint, the Editorial Board may dismiss it, request corrections from the authors, reject the manuscript, initiate the publication of a correction, retract the article, or take other measures necessary to ensure compliance with ethical standards.

The Editorial Board ensures the confidentiality of such proceedings, the impartiality of the assessment, and informs the complainant and the persons concerned of the decision within a reasonable time.

Artificial Intelligence Policy

The collection allows the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools only as auxiliary means in manuscript preparation.

AI tools may be used for language and stylistic editing, reference formatting, translation, and preparation or editing of figures based on the authors’ own research data.

AI tools must not be used to generate scientific results, conclusions, or interpretations without author verification, to produce the main content of the manuscript without substantial author involvement, or to present AI-generated content as original research results.

If AI tools are used, authors must include a corresponding note after the Conclusions section, indicating the name of the tool, its version where available, and the nature of its use. AI tools must not be listed as co-authors.

Authors bear full responsibility for the content of the manuscript, the accuracy of the data, the conclusions, and the proper presentation of the submitted materials.

Retraction Policy

The Editorial Board follows COPE recommendations regarding the retraction of published materials.

An article may be retracted in cases of plagiarism, falsification or fabrication of data, significant errors, duplicate publication, copyright infringement, or other violations of publication ethics.

The retraction procedure may include consideration of the circumstances of the case, requesting explanations from the author or authors, adoption of a decision by the Editorial Board, and publication of a retraction notice.

A retracted article remains available in the archive of the publication but is accompanied by an appropriate indication that it has been retracted.

Archiving and Long-Term Preservation Policy

The Collection “Dorogi i Mosti” (Roads and Bridges) ensures long-term preservation and open access to published materials through the electronic archive available on the official website of the publication.

All published articles are stored in the archive of the collection with publication details, DOI, online publication date and, where available, print publication date.

DOIs are assigned to articles starting from Issue 17. Submission, acceptance and online publication dates are indicated in articles starting from Issue 34.

Access to the archive is open and free of charge for users.

Technical preservation of materials is ensured through the official website of the collection and digital identification of articles via DOI. In the event of website updates or changes to its technical platform, the Editorial Board ensures continued access to the archive of published materials.

Peer review procedure and editorial ethics