Ethical Principles for Authors

Publication Ethics

Ethical Principles for Authors, Editors, and Reviewers

Best Practices

The Editorial Office has adopted and implements the best practices outlined in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (available in the downloadable files below).

The entire submission process – starting with the second issue of "Czytania Dwudziestolecia" – is conducted through the journal's platform (an online publishing management system). Authors must register online at: http://www.cd.whum.ujd.edu.pl/

The Editorial Office accepts only original, previously unpublished texts for publication; these may include scholarly dissertations, review and methodological articles, reports, translations, and reviews. The Editorial Office classifies submitted material into the appropriate sections of the journal. Texts of a popular science, journalistic (memoirs, interviews), reporting, or informational nature are not subject to the peer-review process. Submitting an article to the editors constitutes consent to its publication in both traditional form (on paper) and as a PDF file on the journal's website (along with the publication of the print version). Articles for publication may be submitted in Polish and English. Publications in Polish must include an English abstract, while publications in English must include a Polish abstract. Submitted scientific articles are initially reviewed by the editor-in-chief and other members of the editorial board.

Articles may be rejected at this stage if:

- they do not fit the journal's thematic profile;
- they lack originality;
- they do not meet formal requirements (e.g., non-compliance with the instructions for authors), they violate the principles of publication ethics.

Articles that meet specific criteria for originality and scholarly merit (high quality of the text, relevance of the topic to the journal's profile, and linguistic accuracy) are sent to two independent reviewers. However, publication takes place only after receiving two positive reviews and signing an agreement with the Scientific Publishing House of the Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa.

The editors reserve the right to make necessary edits and changes related to the editorial and technical aspects of the text. Texts that do not meet the formal requirements, upon the decision of the editor-in-chief – after consultation with the editorial board – may also be rejected without submitting the text for review.

The reviewer primarily assesses the value and scientific accuracy of the text under review. Articles that receive two clearly negative reviews are rejected. If unfair practices (plagiarism, falsification of research results, etc.) or unethical conduct are identified, the editors decide not to accept the text for publication. The review is conducted in a double-blind format, meaning that the authors and reviewers do not know each other's identities. The evaluation criteria considered during the review process are indicated in the review form.

- The author confirms that the submitted work was prepared independently and that, in using the work of others, he or she complied with the principles of copyright and scientific integrity. He or she declares that his or her article does not infringe upon the rights of third parties.
- The author complies with all publishing regulations, particularly ethical ones, and completes all formalities in a timely manner.
- The author is required to provide information about the sources of funding for their research if the submitted article was funded by a grant or other form of research funding. Authors submitting texts for publication are requested to comply with the publication preparation guidelines set forth by the UJD Publishing House (see the Editorial Guidelines).

The editor oversees the proper conduct of the publishing process, monitors it, and responds to any abuses of scientific integrity and ethics, thereby also taking responsibility for the texts published in the journal. The editor selects reviewers based on the criteria of transparency in the review process and the high quality of the published texts, preventing any conflicts of interest in this regard. The editor reviews submitted texts for their thematic and substantive content, taking into account accepted ethical standards and good anti-plagiarism practices. Decisions regarding publication are made independently and impartially. The editor ensures confidentiality and objectivity at every stage of the review process. He systematically expands and updates his knowledge of ethical standards applicable in the publishing process, procedures to be followed in the event of detection of abuse and counteracting unethical behavior in this area.