Publication Ethics

Authorship

The prospective authors of the Journal are Latvian and international scientists who submit articles and research on important, relevant, and current topics in the humanities and arts, and interdisciplinary subjects related to these fields, such as education and social sciences. Articles are published both in Latvian and English.

Prospective authors of the Journal are responsible for ensuring that submitted articles align with the standards and mission of the Journal. This includes the Journal’s formatting requirements, originality of the submitted article, the absence of plagiarism and simultaneous submission [competing] for publication, the accuracy of sources and bibliography, the correct listing of authorship and co-authorship (if applicable), correct disclosure of personal data and information, absence of any conflict of interests, and sound scientific foundational research.

The prospective author who has submitted research to the Journal must include the author or authors named at the beginning of the article who can claim rights to authorship under copyright law. An ‘authorship’ is based on the following criteria:

  • The author(s) have made a significant contribution to creating the research article. This includes research conception or planning, choice of methodology, research, analysis and interpretation of sources, drawing of conclusions;
  • The author(s) are responsible for drafting and reviewing the article, checking and approving it before submission;
  • The author(s) acknowledge and approve the submission of the final version of the article;
  • The author(s) agree that they are responsible for publication, and/or ethical breaches in the article.

The Editorial Board does not discriminate against prospective authors based on their race, religion, national identity, sex, age, disability, or institutional affiliation.

Handling complaints and appeals

Prospective authors of the Journal may express any questions, objections, and/or concerns about their published article, and the preparation of the manuscript for publication by writing a letter addressed to the Editor-in-chief. The Editor-in-chief, in consultation with the Editorial Board, if deemed necessary, will provide a written reply and correct any errors and/or retract the published information.

If, after the blind peer review process, an editor has rejected a submitted manuscript, but the author of the submission considers the rejection to be unjustified or not in accordance with the Journal’s policies and procedures, the author may appeal the decision. Appeals should be addressed to the Editor-in-chief with a detailed response to the reviewer’s and editor’s comments. In consultation with the Editorial Board, the editor will consider them and reply to the author(s). If necessary, a third [blind] reviewer will be invited. If a decision has been made reached by the third reviewer that is consistent with the previous editorial decision, then the previous editorial rejection is final. 

The Journal is guided by the following principles in handling complains and appeals: fairness, transparency, confidentiality, clarity, and speed.

Journal policy on conflicts of interest and competing interests

The Editorial Board is committed to ensure the absence of potential conflict of interest between the author(s), the Editorial Board, and the reviewers.

The author(s) submitting the manuscript, editors and reviewers must declare any possible competing interests that may interfere with the objectivity or integrity of their prospective publication.

The editor and reviewers cannot use unpublished material found in the submitted article without written permission of the author(s). Confidential information or ideas obtained in the evaluation process of the article must be kept confidential and cannot be used for personal gain.

Journal policy on data sharing and reproduction

The aim of the Journal is to broaden public knowledge of current events and latest developments of the highlighted fields.  Thus, making it accessible to students, academia, and the general public. The Journal is an open-access Journal, there is no charge for the publication of articles, and it is available to everyone free of charge.

The sharing and reproduction of data published in the Journal are not restricted by the copyright laws of the Republic of Latvia except where strictly prohibited.

Publications of Journal articles can be made available in non-commercial and commercial repositories or social media sites (e.g. ResearchGate, Academia.edu, SSRN). Authors are encouraged to: 1) share their research data in an appropriate public data repository; 2) include a data availability statement in the article with a link to the shared data (if data cannot be shared, provide the reason); 3) cite the data in their research.

Journal policy on ethical oversight

The Editor-in-chief is responsible for the ethical oversight of the Journal. Suspected ethical breaches are evaluated by the Editorial Board, even if they are discovered several years after the initial publication in the Journal.

The editor and the Editorial Board will not publish, or authorize any publication, where breaches of scientific ethics in research and/or manuscript submissions are discovered. The editor and the Editorial Board will also remain diligent to ensure that all [any] unethical practices by reviewers will be eliminated.

The Editorial Board of the Journal institutes a double anonymous peer review process to ensure confidentiality. The reviewers will objectively evaluate submitted manuscripts and clearly express their views and suggestions in the review form. The submitted manuscripts are examined with the appropriate plagiarism-checking tools. Reviewers are required to inform the Editor-in-chief upon discovering any instances of copyright infringement or plagiarism. This encompasses the improper utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in text generation or the lack of citations for permissible AI tools in text generation, including text editing, correction, translation, corpus data processing, and data visualization. Submitted manuscripts suspected of plagiarism in whole or in part will be rejected. Overlapping publications are not permitted. Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of information related to all submitted manuscripts. 

Intellectual property policy

In executing its intellectual property policy, the Editorial Board complies with the copyright laws of the Republic of Latvia, which establishes the rights, legal duties and protection of intellectual property.

Corrections after publication

All complaints related to the publication process must be addressed to the Editor-in-chief. If it is discovered that an error has been made by the author(s) or the publishers of the Journal, a correction and an explanation will be published. If an ethical violation is found, the previously published material will be retracted.