The editorial board of the scientific journal Research and Educational Studies adheres to international standards of research publication ethics, which encompass the principles of integrity, confidentiality, quality control of publications, and the prevention of conflicts of interest. In its work, the editorial board adheres to the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), in particular the provisions of the Publishing Ethics Resource Kit prepared by Elsevier.

The editorial board of the journal adheres to the following key principles of ensuring publication ethics:

- adherence to the principles of scientific rigour,
- objectivity, professionalism and support for the most significant innovative research;
- respect and fair treatment of all participants in the scientific and publishing process;
- the application of a double-blind peer review procedure involving independent and competent experts;
- providing advisory support to authors to ensure compliance with the requirements of international scientometric databases regarding the structure, formatting and content of scientific materials.

Decision-making regarding publication:

The decision to publish articles submitted to the journal is made by the editor. In the decision-making process, the editor is guided by the journal’s editorial policy, which is based exclusively on the scientific value of the material and the reviewers’ conclusions. In doing so, the editor adheres to the provisions of the law and ethical rules concerning the prevention of defamation, copyright infringement and plagiarism.

Unpublished materials or information obtained during the review of manuscripts may not be used by the editor in their own scientific research without the author’s written consent. The editor is also obliged to respond appropriately to ethical concerns or complaints relating to materials submitted to the journal.

Manuscripts are evaluated solely on the basis of their scientific content and are not influenced by the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality or political views.

Confidentiality

The editor and members of the editorial board ensure the confidentiality of information regarding manuscripts submitted to the journal, in particular details about the authors, the subject matter of the research and the content of the materials. Every manuscript received for review is treated as a confidential document.

Information about submitted materials shall not be disclosed to third parties without due necessity. Access to such information is restricted to authors, reviewers, scientific advisors and the publisher within the scope of their professional duties.

Conflict of Interest

Unpublished manuscript materials may not be used by editors, reviewers or other persons in their own research without the prior written consent of the authors.

Editors, reviewers and scientific advisors are obliged to withdraw from the review of a manuscript in the event of a potential conflict of interest that may be related to professional, scientific, financial or other relationships with the authors, institutions or organisations associated with the submitted material.

The editorial board takes the necessary measures to resolve any potential conflicts or complaints relating to submitted or already published material. The journal’s editorial board also reserves the right to consider appeals from readers, reviewers or other interested parties regarding possible breaches of academic integrity in research or publications. Where necessary, the editorial board reserves the right to inform the readership of the outcomes of such investigations and the decisions taken.

Ethical requirements for research

Scientific research involving human participants must be approved by the relevant ethics committees of the institutions within which it is conducted. Manuscripts containing the results of surveys, questionnaires or interviews must confirm that the respondents’ participation was voluntary, that the authors obtained their written informed consent (including consent to the publication of the results), and that they ensured compliance with the principles of confidentiality, anonymity and the prevention of any form of discrimination or pressure.

The ethical aspects of the research must be adequately justified and, where possible, supported by references to international professional standards and codes, in particular: the Code of Ethics of the American Sociological Association (1997), the European Commission’s guidelines on ethics and data protection (2021), and the ICC/ESOMAR International Code of Conduct for Market, Social and Public Research and Data Analysis (2025).

When presenting the results of research involving human subjects, authors must state that the research was conducted in accordance with international and national ethical standards. Prior to the commencement of such research, approval must be obtained from a local Institutional Review Board (IRB) or other competent ethics body, confirming that the research complies with established standards.

Research participants must be fully informed of the study’s objectives, conditions of participation, the intended use of the data collected, guarantees of anonymity (where applicable) and potential risks. If ethical approval is not mandatory for a particular type of study, authors must provide appropriate official confirmation from an ethics committee or refer to applicable local or national regulations governing such cases.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The journal’s editorial board undertakes to adhere to the principles of academic ethics and professional responsibility in the process of preparing materials for publication. In particular, members of the editorial board must:

- ensure respectful and fair treatment of authors and their scientific positions, maintain the confidentiality of editorial information, and prevent any unethical conduct during the processing of submitted materials;
- not make changes to the author’s text without the authors’ consent and agree on the final version of the manuscript after editorial editing;
- not accept for publication materials that lack sufficient scientific value, do not correspond to the journal’s thematic focus, contradict its editorial policy, contain signs of plagiarism, or have already been published in other journals;
- ensure the objectivity and impartiality of the peer-review process by engaging competent experts and using a double-blind peer-review mechanism.

Responsibilities of reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in ensuring the scientific quality of publications and must adhere to the following principles:

- to conduct an expert assessment of manuscripts impartially and independently;
- adhere to the deadlines set by the editorial board for the preparation of reviews;
- treat materials received for review as confidential documents and not disclose them to third parties;
- reviews must also be confidential; not to use information or data from the manuscript in their own research until it has been officially published;
- to provide a balanced, reasoned and fair assessment of the research results presented in the manuscript.

If a potential conflict of interest arises, related to the author’s identity or other circumstances, the reviewer must immediately inform the editorial board. If the subject matter of the manuscript falls outside the reviewer’s academic expertise, they must also inform the editorial board and decline to review the manuscript.

Furthermore, reviewers must inform the editorial board of any suspicions regarding breaches of academic integrity, possible instances of scientific misconduct, or other violations of ethical standards in publishing.

Responsibilities of article authors:

Authors of scientific articles are responsible for the quality and accuracy of the materials submitted to the journal and must adhere to the principles of academic integrity. In particular, authors are obliged to:

- ensure the scientific novelty, reliability and originality of the research results obtained;
- properly cite materials used from other researchers, accurately indicating the sources;
- avoid any form of plagiarism, excessive borrowing or reuse of their own previously published material without appropriate citation (self-plagiarism);
- guarantee that the submitted article is an original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration by other academic publications.

By submitting materials to the journal Research and Educational Studies, authors confirm their agreement that, once an article has been accepted for publication, it may be included in electronic databases, provided that authorship is clearly indicated and all copyright is retained.

The text of the article must include sources of the information used in the form of a bibliography, comprising both the works of other researchers and the authors’ own previous publications. All borrowings must be properly formatted as quotations or references.

If, after publication, the author discovers significant errors or inaccuracies in their work, they must promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with the editorial board to correct them as soon as possible. If information regarding the presence of significant errors is provided by a third party, the author is obliged either to make the necessary corrections or to withdraw the publication as soon as possible.

Declaration of Authorship

The Editorial Board of the journal Research and Educational Studies assumes that all authors listed in the article are familiar with its content, agree with the submitted materials, and have consented to their publication. It is also assumed that the authors have obtained the necessary permission from the institution or organisation where the research was conducted prior to submitting the manuscript to the journal.

Each of the listed authors confirms that he:

- made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the study, as well as to the collection, analysis or interpretation of the data;
- participated in the drafting of the article or in its critical scientific editing;
- has approved the final version of the manuscript prepared for publication;
- is prepared to take responsibility for the content of the work and to assist in resolving any issues regarding the accuracy or integrity of the results presented.

The Editorial Board supports scientific collaboration between researchers and recommends including as co-authors all individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conduct of the research and meet the criteria for authorship. Individuals whose contribution does not meet the full requirements for authorship may be acknowledged in a separate ‘Acknowledgements’ section of the article.

Declaration regarding manuscript submission

The submitted manuscript has not been previously published and is not under consideration by other scientific publications. Its submission and possible publication have been agreed upon by all authors, as well as, where necessary, by the relevant institutions or organisations within which the research was conducted. Should the article be accepted for publication, the authors confirm that it will not be republished in another publication in the same form, regardless of the language of publication.

Policy on the sharing of scientific data

The journal upholds the principles of openness and transparency in scientific research, whilst ensuring respect for authors’ rights and ethical standards.

In accordance with editorial policy, the data on which the published results are based may only be provided upon an official request via the journal’s editorial office and subject to the consent of the author or authors of the research.

Persons wishing to access the relevant materials must submit a request to the editorial office, specifying the purpose of the data’s use. The editorial office forwards the request to the authors for consideration. If they agree, the applicant is provided with information on the further conditions of access, which may include signing a confidentiality agreement and a commitment to adhere to ethical principles regarding data use.

The editorial board does not oblige authors to make research data available and takes into account possible restrictions related to confidentiality, legal regulations or ethical considerations. If the authors refuse to provide the data, the editorial board will inform the applicant.

All requests for access to research materials should be sent to the journal’s official email address. This procedure ensures a transparent and regulated mechanism for data access, whilst protecting authors’ rights and promoting the ethical use of scientific information.

Post-publication discussion policy

The journal supports open scientific dialogue and encourages constructive discussion of research results following their publication. To this end, readers and authors may participate in discussions regarding published articles on the PubPeer platform, which is a well-known international resource for post-publication commentary on scientific works.

All articles in the journal are assigned a DOI, ensuring their accessibility and the possibility of discussion on the PubPeer platform. Comments and discussions must be professional in nature, relate directly to the content of the research, and comply with generally accepted ethical standards of scientific communication.

If, during the discussion, well-founded comments or doubts arise regarding the content of an article, the editorial board will consider them in accordance with its own ethical policy and procedures relating to the correction or retraction of publications. Further information on how the platform works can be found on the PubPeer.com website.

The journal strives to foster a culture of open, reasoned and mutually respectful scholarly discussion following the publication of materials. Advertising policy The journal does not publish advertising material. This approach is designed to ensure complete editorial independence and adherence to high standards of academic integrity in publishing.