University Economic Bulletin

The Editorial Board of the journal “University Economic Bulletin” adheres to international ethical standards for scientific publications, which include principles of integrity, confidentiality, publication oversight, and conflict of interest management. In its operations, the editorial team follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as well as the Publishing Ethics Resource Kit by Elsevier.

Duties of the Editorial Board

• Ensuring respect for authors and their scientific work while maintaining editorial confidentiality.
• Not modifying the text independently, and agreeing with authors on the final version after editorial revisions.
• Preventing the publication of materials that lack scientific value, do not match the journal's thematic focus, contradict its editorial policy, or contain plagiarism.
• Ensuring the involvement of impartial and competent reviewers by applying a double-blind peer review process.

Duties of reviewers

• Reviewing manuscripts impartially.
• Adhering to the established review deadlines.
• Treating the manuscript as a confidential document and not sharing it with others.
• Not using data from the manuscript without permission.
• Providing an objective, reasoned, and fair evaluation of the research findings.

Reviewers must immediately notify the editorial team of any conflict of interest and inform the team if the article does not fall within their area of expertise.

Duties of authors

• Ensuring the novelty, accuracy, and originality of their research findings.
• Properly citing sources and avoiding plagiarism and self-plagiarism.
• Guaranteeing that the article is exclusive and has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere.

Authors submitting materials to the journal “University Economic Bulletin” agree that, if their work is accepted for publication, it may be included in electronic databases with proper attribution and preservation of authors' rights.

Confidentiality and conflict of interest

1. Confidentiality of manuscripts: manuscripts submitted for review are confidential. Information about the manuscripts must not be disclosed without necessity.
2. Conflict of interest: in cases of conflict of interest, editors and reviewers must refrain from participating in the review and publication process.

Peer review process and decision making

1. Double-blind peer review: all articles undergo a double-blind peer review process, where neither the reviewer nor the authors know each other's personal details.
2. Publication decision: decisions regarding publication are based on the reviews and the academic value of the article, as well as a plagiarism check.

Ethical guidelines for research involving humans

All research involving human subjects must be approved by the relevant ethics committees associated with the institution(s) in which it is conducted. A manuscript presenting the results of surveys or interviews should contain confirmation that the authors have ensured the voluntary participation of respondents, obtained their written informed consent (including consent to the publication of the results), and guaranteed confidentiality, anonymity and the prevention of any form of discrimination or pressure.

The ethics of the research should be duly justified and, if possible, supported by references to international professional standards and codes, including: American Sociological Association’s Code of Ethics (1997), ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics (2016), Guidance Note of the European Commission on Ethics and Data Protection (2021).

When reporting on research involving human subjects, authors should state that the research was conducted in accordance with the following standards. An approval from the local institutional review board (IRB) or other appropriate ethics committee must be obtained before undertaking the research to confirm the study meets national and international guidelines. All participants must be fully informed if the anonymity is assured, why the research is being conducted, how their data will be used and if there are any risks associated. Ethical approval from an appropriate ethics committee must be obtained prior to conducting the study. If ethical approval is not required, authors must either provide an exemption from the ethics committee or are encouraged to cite the local or national legislation that indicates ethics approval is not required for this type of study.

Authorship statement

The editorial team assumes that all authors agree with the content of the article, gave explicit consent for its publication, and obtained approval from relevant authorities at the institution where the research was carried out.

All authors must declare that they made a significant contribution to the development of the work, prepared the material, and approved the final version of the article for publication.

Submission declaration

Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal “University Economic Bulletin” confirm that the research:

• Has not been previously published elsewhere.
• Is not under consideration for publication in another journal.
• Has received approval from all authors and relevant authorities at the institution where the research was conducted.
• If accepted for publication, it will not be published in any other journal in the same form (including in English or other languages).

This ensures the exclusivity of the publication and guarantees that the manuscript does not violate the rights of other journals or authors.

Data sharing policy

The journal supports transparency in scientific research. Data underlying published results may be made available upon request, with the authors' consent.

To access the data, interested parties must submit a request to the editorial office, stating the purpose for using the data. The editorial office will forward the request to the authors for consideration, and if the authors agree, further information regarding the conditions for access will be provided.

Post-publication discussion policy

The journal encourages open and constructive discussions around published articles on the PubPeer platform. Discussions should be professional and adhere to ethical standards.

All articles published in our journal are assigned a DOI, ensuring easy access for discussion on PubPeer. Any valid concerns raised on the platform will be investigated according to the journal’s ethical standards.

Research funding policy

Authors are required to declare the sources of funding for the research presented in the articles, including:

• grants from research institutions or funds;
• funding from government or non-governmental organisations;
• commercial or private sources;
• internal funding from universities, clinics, or other organisations;

If no funding was received, authors must state: "The research did not receive funding".

Advertising policy

The journal does not accept any form of advertising. Its financial model ensures full editorial independence and maintains the highest standards of academic integrity.