Publishing Ethics
One of the ways of achieving the goals of the Balkan Scientific Centre is publishing books, journals, proceedings, manuals and other publications. We follow ethical norms accepted by the international scientific community and make all efforts to prevent any infringements of the norms. Our publishing ethics is based on standards developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Plagiarism: We are committed to publishing only original material, i.e., material that has neither been published elsewhere nor is under review elsewhere. Plagiarism, where someone assumes another's ideas, words or other creative expressions as one's own, is a clear violation of scientific ethics. Plagiarism includes: word for word or almost word for word copying; purposely paraphrasing portions of another author's work without clearly indicating the source; copying equations, figures or tables from someone else's paper without properly citing the source and/or without permission from the original author or the copyright holder.
Duplicate and redundant publication: Publications that are found to have been published elsewhere will be retracted in accordance with our retraction policy which is based on standards developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and its retraction guidelines. If authors have used their own previously published study, or study that is currently under review, as the basis for a submitted publication, they are required to cite the previous work and indicate how their new work offers novel contributions beyond those of the previous work. Redundant publications involve an inappropriate division of study outcomes into several publications and this is not acceptable.
Citation manipulation: Submitted publications that are found to include citations whose primary purpose is to increase the number of citations to a given author's work, or works published in a particular publication, will incur sanctions.
Data fabrication and falsification: Publications that are found to have either fabricated or falsified results, including the manipulation of images, will be retracted in accordance with our retraction policy. Regarding image manipulation, it is allowed to technically improve images for readability. Proper technical manipulation refers to adjusting the contrast and/or brightness or colour balance if it is applied to complete a digital image.
Authorship and acknowledgement: All listed authors must have made a significant scientific contribution to the research in the publication and approved all its claims. It is important to list everyone who made a significant scientific contribution to the research. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the publication and have agreed to its submission for publication. Proper acknowledgement of the work of others must always be given. Authors should properly cite sources that have significantly influenced their research and their publication.
Hazards and human or animal subjects: If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that has any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the author must clearly identify these in the publication. Publications containing information related to human or animal use should clearly state that the research has complied with all relevant international guidelines and institutional policies.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest: All authors should, at the earliest stage possible, disclose any financial or non-financial conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their publication. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted publication must not be used by anyone who has a view of the publication while handling it without the express written consent of the author.