Ethical norms
Ethics guidelines of the Editorial Board of "South Ukrainian Art Studios"
Ethics guidelines of the editorial board are based on the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics, as well as the principles of DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment).
Ethical guidelines for editors
▶ editors take responsibility for everything they publish and thus, all submitted materials are subject to careful selection and peer review. Editors reserve the right to reject an article or send back for improving;
▶ editors should make fair and unbiased decisions independent from commercial consideration and ensure a fair and appropriate peer review process within a reasonable time;
▶ editors are entitled to reject a manuscript without peer-reviewing if it doesn’t meet the editorial policy, ethics and requirements for manuscripts;
▶ editors shall not provide information related to the content of a manuscript under consideration to other persons, except ones involved in the professional evaluation of this manuscript;
▶ editors are authorized to withdraw the electronic version of the article published in the printed version of the journal, if someone’s rights or generally accepted rules of scientific ethics are violated. The editors inform the author who provided the article and the organization where the work was performed about the fact of withdrawal of the article. Editors also publish a notice of the fact of withdrawal of the article in the next issue of the journal;
▶ editors allow distributing any articles or extracts from the journal in electronic social networks, but reference to the original source is mandatory. The third parties or organizations are prohibited to publish and / or distribute the journal materials in paper form and data storage devices.
Ethical guidelines for authors
▶ the research being reported should have been conducted in an ethical and responsible manner and should comply with all relevant legislation. Authors should mention dangerous manifestations and risks associated with the research;
▶ researchers should present their results clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification or inappropriate data manipulation.
▶ researchers should adhere to publication requirements that submitted work is original, is not plagiarised, and has not been published elsewhere;
▶ a manuscript can involve scientifically grounded criticism of a paper of another researcher. The personal comments are not regarded as relevant;
▶ funding sources and relevant conflicts of interest should be disclosed. Authors should guarantee a lack of the contractual relations or property considerations, which could influence the publication of information contained in a manuscript;
▶ authors should indicate the sources of cited information, which should be properly acknowledged and referenced.
Ethical principles for reviewers
▶ Manuscripts subject to review must be treated as a confidential document that cannot be transferred for review or discussion of the third parties who do not have that authority from the publisher;
▶ Reviewer is obliged to give an objective and reasoned assessment of the findings of the study;
▶ Unpublished data from manuscripts submitted for consideration should not be used for reviewer’s personal purposes;
▶ Reviewer who is not, in his opinion, so qualified to assess the manuscript, or cannot be objective, should notify the editor with a request to exclude him from the review process of this manuscript.
Research Integrity Policy
The Editorial Board recognizes research integrity as a fundamental basis of scholarly activity and does not tolerate any forms of misconduct that may affect the reliability, objectivity, and transparency of scientific results.
Research misconduct includes, in particular:
Fabrication of data
Inventing data, research results, or experiments and presenting them as real.
Falsification
Manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, or altering or selectively omitting data with the purpose of distorting research results.
Citation manipulation
Artificially increasing the number of references to specific sources, journals, or authors in order to enhance scientometric indicators; including irrelevant references; or deliberately ignoring significant sources.
Guest/Gift authorship (Artificial authorship)
Including as authors individuals who have not made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research, or excluding those who have made such a contribution.
Other violations
Plagiarism, self-plagiarism without proper disclosure, failure to disclose conflicts of interest, duplicate publication, and deliberate violation of peer review procedures.
In accordance with the principles of DORA, the Journal:
- evaluates manuscripts solely on the basis of their scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, and contribution to the advancement of knowledge;
- does not use journal-based metrics (including the Impact Factor) as a criterion for assessing individual articles or the scientific quality of an author;
- does not encourage artificial inflation of citation metrics;
- supports the responsible use of scientometric indicators.
Plagiarism Policy
The journal considers only original manuscripts that have not been previously published (in whole or in part) and are not under consideration elsewhere.
Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. All submissions are screened using StrikePlagiarism.com software provided by Plagiat.pl.
Conflict of Interest Policy
A conflict of interest refers to any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that may influence or appear to influence editorial decisions or manuscript content.
Disclosure is mandatory for:
- authors (financial and non-financial relationships);
- reviewers (potential competing interests);
- editors (when handling manuscripts involving their institution or colleagues).
If a potential conflict is identified:
- the editor or reviewer must recuse themselves;
- an independent handling editor is appointed;
- independent reviewers are assigned;
- decisions and justifications are documented.
Submissions by Editors or Editorial Board Members
Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief or editorial board members:
- are handled by an independent editor;
- undergo standard double-blind peer review;
- exclude author involvement in editorial decisions;
- include a published COI disclosure statement.
Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scientific Publications
The journal supports innovative technologies, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the preparation of scientific publications. At the same time, we emphasize the necessity of adhering to principles of academic integrity, transparency, and responsibility when using AI tools.
Authors are required to clearly indicate in the publication text where and how AI tools have been used (e.g., for text generation, data analysis, preparation of illustrations, etc.). Submissions fully generated by AI without significant author contribution to the scientific content and its interpretation are prohibited. Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and quality of the materials, even if part of the work was performed with the help of AI.
The editorial office may use AI tools to assist in plagiarism detection, text preparation, fact-checking, and other aspects of the editorial process. Decisions regarding acceptance or rejection of articles remain solely with the editors and reviewers, regardless of the results obtained through the use of AI.
The use of AI must not violate copyright, confidentiality, or lead to data manipulation. Concealing the fact of AI use or misleading readers about the origin of the text or research results is prohibited.
Authors, reviewers, and editors are responsible for complying with this policy. In case of violations, corrections, rejection of publication, or retraction of articles may be applied in accordance with the editorial policy.
Retraction Policy
The Editorial Board adheres to the principles of academic integrity, publication ethics, and international standards of scholarly communication, in particular the recommendations of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics). Retraction of an article is considered an exceptional measure applied to ensure the reliability of the scholarly record and to inform readers about substantial violations that affect the results or conclusions of the research.
Grounds for retraction may include confirmed cases of plagiarism or self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, significant errors that render the findings unreliable, duplicate publication, copyright infringement, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or other serious violations of the journal’s editorial policies and ethical standards. The procedure may be initiated by authors, members of the editorial board, reviewers, readers, or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.
Upon receiving such information, the Editorial Board conducts a preliminary assessment and, where necessary, carries out an internal investigation involving members of the editorial board or independent experts. The authors of the article are informed of the concerns raised and are given the opportunity to provide explanations. Following the review, the Editorial Board may decide that no action is required, issue a correction, publish an expression of concern, or retract the article.
If a decision to retract is made, the journal publishes an official retraction notice indicating the reasons for the retraction and the date of the decision. The retracted article is not removed from the journal’s electronic archive; however, it is clearly marked as retracted to ensure transparency and preserve the integrity of the scholarly record. All decisions are made in accordance with the principles of fairness, confidentiality, and respect for the rights of all parties involved in the publication process.
Ethical Requirements for Research Involving Humans, Animals, Biomaterials, and Personal Data
The editorial board of the scientific journal Olympicus adheres to the principles of research ethics and academic integrity in the review and publication of research results.
In cases where submitted manuscripts present the results of research involving human participants, animals, biological materials, personal or confidential data, authors must confirm that such research was conducted in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine, internationally recognized ethical standards, and the regulations of the institutions where the research was carried out.
If the research involved human participants (including athletes, pupils, students, coaches, or other individuals), the authors must indicate in the manuscript that:
- the study was approved by the relevant institutional ethics committee or research ethics board of the educational or scientific institution;
- all participants were properly informed about the purpose and conditions of the research;
- voluntary informed consent was obtained from the participants for their participation in the study and for the use of the collected data for scientific purposes.
When personal or confidential data are used, authors must ensure that their processing complies with the legislation on personal data protection and must guarantee the anonymity and confidentiality of research participants.
If the research involved animals, the authors must confirm that all procedures were carried out in accordance with ethical standards for the treatment of laboratory and other animals and in compliance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
The editorial office may request that authors provide a copy of the ethics committee approval or other documentary evidence confirming compliance with ethical standards for conducting the research.
