The ethical principles applicable in the journal

The publication ethics principles in the journal comply with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors [1] oraz Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing [2].

In cases not covered by these Publication Ethics Principles, the Editorial Board applies appropriate procedures developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) [3].

The following standards refer to the ethical principles that apply to Authors, Editors, Reviewers, and the Editorial Board at every stage of publication in the journal.

All articles submitted for publication in the 'dot.pl' journal are assessed for compliance with ethical principles, integrity, transparency, scientific value, and usefulness.

Acceptance of a text for publication is excluded if the Author(s) have violated ethical principles in conducting the research used in the publication, particularly in cases where:

• there is no written consent from individuals (participants, researchers, and collaborators) for participation in the research;
  
• there has been a breach of confidentiality towards research participants;
  
• participants were not informed about the risks and dangers (physical, emotional, intellectual, or reputational) arising from the research;
  
• there were omissions in safeguarding against the risks posed by the research;
  
• legal and ethical requirements regarding humans and animals involved in the research, as well as human organs or tissues used in the research and environmental protection, were not adhered to;
  
• due respect was not shown in the presentation of human remains and objects of a religious nature.
  

Principles concerning members of the Editorial Board

The members of the Editorial Board are committed to maintaining the good condition, coherence, regularity, accessibility, and high quality of the journal. Their actions are based on principles of scientific integrity, impartiality, and continuous pursuit of raising scientific, editorial, and ethical standards. Editors should take responsibility for all content published in the journal.

• Monitoring ethical standards
  The editorial team systematically monitors compliance with ethical standards and principles related to the publication of scientific texts and takes actions to prevent practices that are inconsistent with the adopted standards.
• The principle of adherence to legal and professional standards
  All individuals involved in conducting research and producing publications are obligated to comply with the legal norms and professional ethics imposed by professional organizations and research funding bodies, such as the European Commission.
• The principle of fair play
  The texts submitted for publication are primarily assessed by the Editorial Board in terms of content, form and technical aspects. However, editorial decisions must be based on scientific merit, and factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic origin, citizenship, age, marital or parental status, disability and political beliefs of the Authors should in no way influence the evaluation of articles [4].
• Publication decisions
  The editorial team is responsible for the decision on which materials will be published and which will not. The following criteria are key in making decisions: the scientific significance of the work, the originality of the approach to the problem, compliance with the thematic scope of the journal, ethical standards, substantive and formal requirements specified in the Instructions for Authors, and comments expressed by the Reviewer during the peer-review process. The journal's editorial board is obliged to inform the Author(s) of the outcome of the editorial assessment of the submitted text.
• The principle of confidentiality
  Members of the Editorial Team adhere to the principle of confidentiality, meaning they do not disclose any information about the works submitted for publication to unauthorized individuals. Only the Authors themselves, selected Reviewers, authorized Editors, members of the Editorial Board, and the Publisher are authorized to possess this information.
• Prevention of conflicts of interest
  Unpublished articles may not be used by members of the Editorial Team or other individuals involved in publishing procedures without the written consent of the Authors. When appointing a Reviewer, the Editorial Board must consider the principle of preventing conflicts of interest.
  
  In the case of a Reviewer, a conflict of interest may arise when circumstances arise that may undermine their impartiality or influence their actions during the review process, such as professional, financial, legal ties, personal opinions, academic rivalry, or family relationships.
  
  In the event that a member of the Editorial Team or the Scientific Board submits a text to the journal, the Editorial Board makes every effort to maintain impartiality in the editing and review processes. Another Editor of the journal oversees these processes, and the person submitting the text is excluded from them [5].
  
  The Editorial Board informs the Reader about the sources of funding for the publication and institutional support or support from organizations and other individuals or entities (financial disclosure) in the published research.
• Complaints, grievances, appeals
  In the case of submitted complaints, grievances, or appeals, the Editorial Team is obligated to register and archive them. The submission should include a detailed description of the issue and specify the content or actions it pertains to. The Editorial Team is required to maintain the anonymity of the complainant unless the complainant wishes to disclose their identity. The only individuals authorized to have access to this information are the complainant, authorized Editors, and the Publisher. The Editorial Team must provide a written response to submitted complaints, grievances, and appeals within 30 days of their receipt. The Editorial Team's response must include at least an assessment of the issue and a description of the actions taken or planned in relation to the matter.
• The principle of scientific integrity
  Members of the Editorial Team are obliged to take all necessary actions to maintain integrity regarding the scientific accuracy of published works. To this end, they may introduce appropriate corrections and, in cases of suspected dishonest practices (such as plagiarism, falsification of research results, etc.) or unethical behavior, decide to withdraw the text from publication.
  
  All forms of scientific misconduct, especially ghostwriting, guest authorship, plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, data manipulation, the Matilda effect, the Matthew effect [6], erroneous and negligent conduct of research procedures, and violations of ethical principles in science, are unacceptable and must be promptly analyzed and addressed by the Editor-in-Chief and the Scientific Board.
  
  The journal's Editorial Board is obliged to record and archive cases of suspected dishonest practices.
  
  In the event of detecting such practices, the Editorial Board requests reporting. It is suggested that the report include a detailed description of the matter and indicate the content involved. Upon receiving the report, the Editorial Board contacts the Author, requesting clarification, and then gathers and reviews the evidence provided for scientific misconduct. Based on this, the Editorial Board formulates a decision regarding withdrawal, correction, notification of relevant bodies and/or institutions.
• The ghostwriting and guest authorship barrier
  The phenomenon of ghostwriting occurs when someone makes a substantial contribution to the creation of a publication but is not disclosed as one of the authors or is not listed in the acknowledgments of the publication. On the other hand, guest authorship (honorary authorship) is a situation where someone who had minimal involvement in creating the publication or did not participate in its creation at all is nevertheless designated as an Author or Co-author of the publication.
  
  The Editorial Board, in ensuring the scientific integrity of published texts, conducts a selection of submitted articles according to the principles of the ghostwriting and guest authorship barrier.
  
  Ghostwriting and guest authorship are manifestations of scientific misconduct, and any detected cases will be exposed, including notifying the relevant entities (employing institutions of the authors, scientific societies, associations of scientific editors, etc.).
  
  The Editorial Board requires disclosure of information about the sources of funding for publication and institutional support for the research published by organizations and other entities (financial disclosure).
• Text editing
  The Editorial Team, Authors, and Reviewers may make corrections to texts through discussion during the editorial process, prior to publication. An Author can request that the Editorial Team incorporate their proposed corrections into the text. The Editorial Team also reserves the right to make corrections to texts after they have been published without notifying Readers and Authors. This pertains only to minor changes, such as correcting formatting and spelling. These changes do not significantly affect the reception or scope of the presented content.
  
  Significant changes, such as retraction of an article due to an error, adding or removing an Author, or correcting data that affects the interpretation of research results after publication, may be implemented in accordance with procedures indicated by COPE [3].
• Withdrawal of the text
  The editorial team may consider withdrawing the text if:
  
  • there are clear indications of the lack of credibility of research results, data fabrication, and inadvertent errors, such as computational or methodological errors;
  • the research results have been previously published elsewhere without proper reference to the previous sources or without disclosing this information to the Editorial Board, without obtaining permission for republication, or without providing justification (which is a case of redundant publication);
  • it contains materials or data for which appropriate permissions for their use have not been obtained, such as rights to illustrations, image rights, or other licenses or sublicenses, which may encompass an improper scope of exploitation or temporal scope;
  • it violates copyright or related rights;
  • the ethical procedures and regulations at the international, national, or institutional level were not followed during the research;
  • the principle of no conflict of interest between Authors, Reviewers, or the Editorial Board has been violated, which may affect the interpretation of the texts;
  • the work shows signs of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or violates other ethical principles.
  
  A notification of text withdrawal is treated as equivalent to the withdrawal of the article. It should include information about the person (the header should include at least the title(s) and name(s) of the Author(s) of the work) and the reasons for withdrawing the text, in order to distinguish unintentional errors from deliberate abuses. Withdrawn texts are not removed from the published version of the journal; however, the fact and reason for their withdrawal are clearly indicated. An exception is situations in which there is a legitimate legal interest of the Author, Editorial Board, Publisher, or third parties - in such cases, the text may be withdrawn, and the Editorial Board is obliged to publish an explanatory note. The Author has the right to appeal the decision of the Editorial Board.
  In other cases, the Editorial Board adheres to the recommendations contained in COPE. Retraction Guidelines [8] and COPE Flowcharts [3].
• Corrections, explanations, text supplementation, errats
  The editorial team is always ready to publish appropriate corrections, clarifications, or apologies if the need arises. Such materials will be made available on the magazine's website and/or in the published version of the magazine.
  
  In accordance with these Publication Ethics Guidelines and COPE recommendations, if a text does not qualify for retraction or only minor corrections are needed, the editorial team may decide to publish errata, supplements, and/or clarifications. In the case of significant changes that may affect the reception or scope of the presented content, as well as the determination of authorship, any supplement should be preceded by an editorial clarification indicating the extent of the supplement and the reason for its introduction.
  
  The editorial team commits to analyzing and documenting any manifestations of scientific misconduct.
  
  All detected and confirmed cases of scientific misconduct will be disclosed, including notifying relevant entities such as the authors' employing institutions, scientific societies, associations of scientific editors, etc.
• The principle of openness and continuous access
  The editorial team supports an open access policy. The journal is published in open access, meaning that all content is freely available to users and institutions. All texts are published electronically, and the editorial team strives to archive the texts in various databases.
• The principles regarding data sharing and data reproducibility
  The editorial team encourages authors to archive research data in open research data repositories. However, the editorial team does not require authors to include research data. In certain cases, such as when issues with the integrity of presented data arise or data duplication occurs, the editorial team may request authors to provide research data.
• Advertisements
  The editorial team accepts publishing in the journal only advertisements for:
  
  • Scientific conferences, workshops, academic activities, industry conferences, and other events related to the journal's topics.
  • Publishing activities of the journal's publisher.
  • Sponsors or partners of the journal.
  
  Inquiries about advertisements should be directed to the editorial team.
  
  The editorial team clearly informs on the main website of the journal whether it has a sponsor. In the case of publishing advertisements from a partner or sponsor, the editorial team unambiguously indicates their role on the journal's website and/or in the journal's edition. Advertisements must be clearly separated from the content published in the journal. Furthermore, advertisements do not influence the editorial decision-making process by the journal's editorial team.
• Fees for Authors and Reviewers
  The journal's editorial team informs that it does not charge any author fees (APC - article processing charges) for submission, publication, review, or processing of articles, and it does not offer honoraria.

Contact with the editorial team

All questions and doubts regarding scientific integrity and research ethics, should be directed to the editorial team's email address: kontakt@journaldot.pl  
In cases not described in these Publication Ethics Guidelines, the Editorial Board adheres to the recommendations outlined by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Retraction Guidelines [8] and COPE Flowcharts [3].

Rules regarding authors

• Guidelines regarding authorship of the work
  Authorship may apply to both individuals and groups who contribute to the conception or development of a publication disseminating intellectual or creative work [9].
  
  All individuals listed as Authors in the submitted work must have made a substantial and meaningful contribution to the creation of the text, including the design, planning, execution, and interpretation of results. Additionally, all those who have influenced the final shape of the work should be included as Co-authors. The responsibility for ensuring that individuals who contributed to the creation of the article agree to its final form rests with the Author submitting the text for publication.
  
  Other individuals who do not meet the above criteria for Authorship, but whose contribution to the creation of the text was minor (e.g., general mentoring, research coordination, data collection), may consent to being included in the Acknowledgments section.
  
  The order of Authors must be determined and accepted by all Authors of the text. Any changes to authorship or order in unpublished texts require the consent of all Authors of the text, Reviewers, and the Editor-in-Chief, and must be adequately explained. After publication of the text, changes to Author information may be made in accordance with the procedures indicated by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) [3].
  
  Before publication, the Author(s) submit to the Editorial Board a Declaration of Authorship, confirming compliance with the authorship criteria specified in these Publication Ethics. The declaration is in electronic form.
  
  The Author, upon submitting the text for publication, commits to making editorial corrections and responding to reviews within the timeframe specified by the Editorial Board. Additionally, the Author declares that upon the request of the Editorial Board, they will fulfill the obligation to respond to any discussions or criticisms raised. The Author also has the right to request the Editorial Board to incorporate any corrections they have submitted to the text.
  The authorship of scientific texts may only be attributed to a human. AI tools cannot be recognized as authors or co-authors.
• The principle of fair play
  Articles submitted for publication are primarily evaluated by the Editorial Board in terms of content, formality, and technical aspects. Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly values, and factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic origin, citizenship, age, marital or parental status, disability and political beliefs of the authors cannot influence the assessment of articles [4]. In the event that an author suspects that the principle of fair play has not been upheld, they may file a complaint or appeal to the Editor-in-Chief of the journal. More information on this matter can be found in the section: Editorial Members' Guidelines: Publication Decisions and Complaints, Appeals, Grievances.
• The principle of scientific integrity
  Authors of submitted texts for publication are obligated to provide a thorough description of the research conducted and an objective interpretation of the results. Papers should include a sufficient amount of information enabling the identification of data sources and replication of the research. Presenting and interpreting data and research results in a manner inconsistent with ethical principles is unacceptable and may result in the withdrawal of the text.
  
  Any manifestations of scientific misconduct, particularly: ghostwriting; guest authorship; plagiarism; fabrication or falsification of data; data manipulation; the Matilda effect; the Matthew effect [6]; erroneous and negligent conduct of research procedures; and violations of ethics in science are unacceptable and must be promptly analyzed and addressed by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board. The journal's editorial office is obliged to record and archive such cases.
  
  Texts that do not adhere to the principles of scientific integrity will not be accepted for publication. In the event that misconduct is reported or detected after the publication of a text, the Editorial Board, upon receiving such notification, contacts the author, requests an explanation, gathers and reviews the evidence provided regarding scientific misconduct, and then makes a decision regarding withdrawal, correction, informing relevant authorities and/or institutions. The author has the right to appeal the decision of the Editorial Board.
• The principle of source reliability
  Authors of submitted works are always obliged to indicate publications and other sources they have utilized in creating the article.
• The principles of originality of work
  Authors may submit for publication only their own original texts. These texts cannot be simultaneously submitted to other journals/publications or be part of already published journals/publications. In special and justified cases, the Editor-in-Chief may grant permission for the republication of a previously published text, provided that the text includes a bibliographic reference to the original. Authors should use appropriate citation marks when using research, data, or words of others. Plagiarism or data fabrication is unacceptable.
• The principle of preventing conflicts of interest among authors
  Unpublished articles cannot be used by members of the Editorial Team or any other individuals involved in publishing procedures without written consent from the authors.
  
  Authors, when submitting a text, are required to provide information regarding the sources of funding for the publication and support provided to the research by institutions, organizations, or other individuals and entities (financial disclosure). The editorial board may request authors to submit the text in an anonymized version to maintain data confidentiality during the review process.
• The principle of data sharing
  Authors may be asked to provide raw research data, so they should be prepared to grant access to this data. It is not required to include research data in articles. Instead, it is possible to archive this data in open data repositories, and then cite them properly in publications, particularly by providing the DOI number or another identifier.
• The principles regarding errors in published works
  If an author discovers significant errors or inaccuracies in their text, they are obligated to promptly notify the journal's editorial office to either withdraw the text, prepare an erratum, or correct the errors.
  
  By submitting an article for publication, the author also declares that they will fulfill the obligation to respond to the editorial office's request for explanations regarding any complaints, grievances, or allegations of scientific misconduct concerning the published text.
• Text corrections, additions
  Authors, the Editorial Board, and Reviewers may collectively engage in text editing through discussions during the editorial process, prior to publication. By submitting a text for publication, the author commits to actively participating in discussions with the journal's Editorial Board.
  
  The editorial board reserves the right to make corrections to the text after its publication without the need to inform the authors, but this applies only to minor changes. Minor changes include, for example, formatting and spelling corrections. These are not significant corrections that affect the reception or scope of the presented content.
  
  Significant changes, such as withdrawing an article due to an error, adding or removing an author, or correcting data that affect the interpretation of research results after publication, may be implemented in accordance with the procedures outlined by COPE [3].
  
  Authors are obligated to promptly report and correct any errors, inaccuracies, or misleading statements they become aware of.
• Text withdrawal by the Author
  The author has the right to withdraw the submitted text from the Editorial Board in case of gross negligence on the part of the Editorial Board during editorial work. In the event of significant delays in editorial work, authors should be informed of the reason for the delay, and the Editorial Board should provide the author with information about the expected maximum processing time for the article. Complaints and grievances regarding negligence on the part of the Editorial Board, as well as requests to withdraw an article, should be directed directly to the Editor-in-Chief.
• The principles of ethical oversight compliance
  If the text describes research conducted on humans, animals, embryos, dual-use products, or contains confidential data or discusses topics that may have harmful effects on the environment and living organisms, the author is obligated to provide the Editorial Board with declarations and attestations regarding compliance with all procedures and regulations, both international, national, and institutional (e.g., NCN, CDBI - Steering Committee on Bioethics).
• The principles of personal data protection
  In the case of processing personal data for scientific purposes in a text, it is necessary to ensure the protection of the rights of the person to whom the data pertains or to obtain appropriate consent for the processing of such data, taking into account international and national law, with an emphasis on Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). If necessary, the author should provide the editorial office with a data processing agreement or relevant authorizations.
• The principle of respecting intellectual property rights
  The author submitting a text for publication must declare that the article is original, does not infringe upon the rights or personal interests of third parties. Additionally, the author is obligated to obtain consent from individuals whose images, statements, artistic works, or photographs have been used in the text for their publication online and in print.
• Basic formal requirements for publication
  By submitting a text for publication, the Author commits to providing the statements and declarations required by the Editorial Team and/or the Publisher, including but not limited to the following:
  
  1. A statement that the article is original, authored by me, and does not infringe on the rights of third parties, and that it has been prepared with respect for the copyrights of other creators (i.e., no part of the work has been created by appropriating the whole or part of someone else's work and signing it with the Author's name).
  2. A statement that there are no occurrences of guest writing or ghost authorship.
  3. A statement that the submitted article has not been previously published anywhere.
  4. A statement of having acquainted oneself with the editorial requirements for authors and the reviewing principles specified by the Editorial Team of the journal, and giving consent for the Publisher to make necessary editorial changes and corrections to the work prior to publication – to an extent that does not deprive the Author of their copyrights to the work.
  5. Expressing consent to not receive any remuneration from the Publisher for the publication of the work and granting the Publisher a non-exclusive license.
  6. I grant the Publisher a non-exclusive license to use the work under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
  7. Granting the Publisher permission to use the work worldwide for an unlimited period in all fields of exploitation, including but not limited to: reproduction and duplication of the work using printing and digital techniques (digitization), dissemination of the work online on the terms of the agreed license, translation into languages other than Polish, as well as reproduction of the translated work using printing and digital techniques, and dissemination of the translated work online on the terms of the agreed license.
  8. Information clause for Authors:
     The administrator of your personal data is Naukowa Akademicka Sieć Komputerowa Naukowa i Akademicka Sieć Komputerowa – Państwowy Instytut Badawczy, located in Warsaw at 01-045, ul. Kolska 12, whose registration files are kept by the District Court for the Capital City of Warsaw, XIII Economic Division of the National Court Register, under the number 0000012938, REGON: 010464542, NIP: 521-04-17-157. A Data Protection Officer has been appointed at NASK PIB, who can be contacted for any matters regarding the processing of personal data.
     Contact with the Data Protection Officer is possible at the following address:
     
     iod@nask.pl.
     or 01-045 Warszawa, ul. Kolska 12.
     
     Recipient(s) of your personal data may include authorized employees of the personal data administrator. We inform you that the personal data provided by you will be processed based on Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation / GDPR) for the following purposes: carrying out the publishing process pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR; handling complaints and claims pursuant to Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR; archiving documentation pursuant to Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR; processing inquiries pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, which also constitutes a legitimate interest of the data administrator. Your personal data will be processed for the period necessary to achieve the aforementioned processing purposes. To fulfill legal obligations incumbent on the data administrator, your personal data will be processed until these obligations are fulfilled. You have the right to access your personal data, the right to rectify data, the right to request deletion of data, the right to request restriction of data processing, the right to data portability, and the right to object. You have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority, i.e., the President of the Personal Data Protection Office, if the processing of your personal data violates GDPR provisions. Providing data is voluntary but necessary to achieve the aforementioned purposes. The consequence of not providing personal data will be the inability to publish texts. We also inform you that your data will not be profiled.
  
  
  All required statements and declarations in electronic form can be found on the journal's website. In cases not described in these Ethics Guidelines, the Editorial Board adheres to the recommendations outlined in COPE; Retraction Guidelines [8] and COPE Flowcharts [3].

Principles regarding reviewers

• The review process
  Reviewers actively participate in the work of the editorial team and have a significant influence on the decisions made by the Editorial Board. They can also, in collaboration with the Authors, influence the final shape and improvement of the published works. The review process is conducted in a double-blind mode, which means that the identity of the Authors and Reviewers is mutually concealed. The identity of the Authors is unknown to the Reviewer, but known to the Editorial Board.
  
  The names of reviewers for individual issues of the journal are not disclosed in the publication. Once a year, the journal publishes a list of collaborating reviewers.
  
  All scientific texts undergo peer review (excluding: non-scientific reviews, reports, announcements, popular science articles, editorials). The review takes place before the publication of the text, after the Author submits the text for evaluation by the Editorial Board.
  
  The Editorial Board appoints at least two independent Reviewers from outside the scientific unit affiliated with the Author of the publication (external reviews) to evaluate each publication. Texts in a foreign language are reviewed by at least one Reviewer affiliated with a foreign institution different from the Author of the reviewed work. The selection of Reviewers is the responsibility of the Editorial Board, guided particularly by the research interests, scientific achievements, and expertise of the Reviewer in the field of science to which the discussed text belongs.
  
  A Reviewer may refuse to conduct a review for formal reasons (e.g., conflict of interest, inability to meet review deadlines) or informal reasons (research interests do not align with the topic addressed in the text). In such cases, the Reviewer is obliged to promptly notify the Editorial Board.
  
  It is not permissible to appoint a member of the Editorial Board or a member of the Scientific Council as a Reviewer.
  
  The Editorial Board does not utilize reviews from other journals, commercial review platforms, internet forums, etc.
  
  The selection of Reviewers is made by the Editorial Board. External Reviewers for review are suggested and chosen by editors, other Reviewers, and other Editorial Boards with similar topics.
  
  When the author of the text is a member of the Editorial Board or the Scientific Council, the selection of the Reviewer is the responsibility of another member of the Editorial Board who is not the Author. Such a person is subject to the rules and obligations of an Author, but does not enjoy the privileges of being a member of the Editorial Board or the Scientific Council related to participation in editorial work, the review process, and decision-making related to the text.
  
  The review must be in written form. Reviewers may supplement their reviews using an appropriate online form. The review must contain a clear assessment regarding the acceptance of the article for publication or its rejection.
  
  Only texts that undergo the review process and receive two positive reviews can be approved by the Editorial Board for publication. The review is prepared within 30 days, starting from the day the reviewer agrees to write it.
  
  Texts that receive one negative review, where the Reviewer suggests the possibility of accepting the text for publication after revisions, may be returned along with recommendations to the Author. The Author makes the necessary corrections, after which the text is sent for re-review (second round of review). The second Reviewer is informed about the results of the first round of review. However, texts that receive one negative review may be rejected by the Editorial Board without the need for a second round of review.
  
  The evaluation criteria considered during the review process are specified in the review form.
  
  The Editorial Board provides the Reviewer with an online review form, which is the primary document for expressing the Reviewer's recommendations. The content of the review is not disclosed publicly. Review reports are made available to the Editorial Board and may be provided to the Authors (after anonymization).
  
  Any direct interaction between Authors and Reviewers is not permissible. Contact is anonymized. Recommendations and review reports, as well as Author responses, are conveyed through the Editorial Board or using an appropriate system ensuring data anonymization in double-blind review mode.
  
• The principle of confidentiality
  All reviewed works are considered confidential, meaning that disclosing them to third parties is not permissible (except for authorized individuals).
• The principle of maintaining standards of objectivity
  Reviews should be based on objective criteria. Personal criticism of the Authors' work is inappropriate. All comments and observations by the Reviewer should be adequately justified.
• The principle of scientific integrity
  Reviewers are obligated to make every effort to adhere to the standards and ethical principles associated with the publication of scientific texts and to counteract practices inconsistent with these standards. In cases of suspected misconduct, such as plagiarism or falsification of research results, Reviewers may make appropriate corrections or decide not to allow the text to be published.
• The principle of source reliability
  Reviewers, if deemed necessary, should identify relevant works not cited by the Author. Additionally, they should report to the Editorial Board any significant similarities to other works.
• The principle of fair play
  Issues such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic origin, citizenship, age, marital or parental status, disability and political beliefs of the Authors must not in any way influence the outcome of the review. Texts submitted for publication are primarily evaluated in terms of their content, formality, and technical aspects. Reviewers' decisions must be based on scientific values [4].
• The principle of preventing conflicts of interest among Reviewers
  Reviewers must not use reviewed works for their personal benefit or needs. Additionally, they should not review texts that may lead to a conflict of interest with the Author(s).
  
  A conflict of interest for a Reviewer can arise in situations where there are circumstances that may undermine their impartiality or influence their actions during the review process. These may include professional, financial, legal, personal opinions of the Reviewer, academic rivalry, or even family relationships.
• The principle of timeliness
  Reviewers should provide reviews within the agreed-upon timeframe. If, for any reason (meritorious, lack of time), they are unable to meet the deadline or undertake the review, they should promptly inform the Editorial Team of this fact.

In cases not described in these Publication Ethics Guidelines, the Editorial Board adheres to the recommendations outlined in COPE Retraction Guidelines [8] and COPE Flowcharts [3].

Rules regarding members of the Scientific Council

Members of the Scientific Council should be recognized experts in the field consistent with the thematic scope of the journal. Their names, surnames, and affiliations are published on the journal's website. The Editorial Board commits to regularly updating information about the composition of the Scientific Council.

Duties of members of the Scientific Council include:

• Supervising compliance with standards and ethical principles in the journal at every stage of publication, with particular emphasis on scientific integrity, transparency of procedures, and presentation of valuable scientific texts.
• Setting and updating the goals and mission of the journal, monitoring their implementation.
• Implementing best editorial and scientific practices and adapting to recommendations and requirements in these areas.
• Identification and selection of Editorial members and evaluation of their work.
• Defining the target audience of the journal.
• Promoting the journal.
• Periodic evaluation of solutions and practices employed by the journal.
• Encouraging Authors and Reviewers to collaborate with the journal.
• Collaborating with other members of the Scientific Council.
• Mentoring and establishing the journal's development policy.
• Collaborating with the journal's Editorial Board and Publisher.
• Resolving disputes and misunderstandings, liaising with external bodies, e.g., COPE.
• Supporting Editorial actions upon request, especially in cases of violations.

Rules regarding readers

• Open Access
  The journal is published in open access, which means that all content is freely available to users and institutions at their chosen time and place. Access to the content published online in the journal does not require logging in.
  
  All articles published in the journal are available electronically under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means that these works can be copied and distributed in any medium and format, modified, remixed, and adapted while appropriately crediting the author. More information on this can be found on the website: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.pl
• Detecting manifestations of scientific misconduct
  The Editorial Board requests notification in case any manifestations of scientific misconduct are detected, including: ghostwriting, guest authorship, plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, data manipulation, the Matthew effect, the Saint Matthew effect, erroneous and negligent conduct of research proceedings, and violation of ethics in science. The journal's Editorial Board is obliged to record and archive such cases. It is suggested that the report contain a detailed description of the matter and specify the content to which it pertains.
  
  Such reports will be promptly analyzed and considered by the Editor-in-Chief and the Scientific Council.
  
  After receiving the report, the Editorial Board contacts the Author, requests an explanation of the matter, and reviews the evidence gathered and provided regarding scientific misconduct. Subsequently, a decision is made regarding the withdrawal of the text, its correction, or rectification, and the relevant authorities and/or institutions are informed. The Editorial Board also contacts the reporting individual and/or publicly announces the decision made.

Contacting the Journal's Editorial Team:

Questions regarding scientific integrity should be directed to the following address: kontakt@journaldot.pl

[1] COPE Council, Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, https://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_Mar11.pdf, dostęp: 14.02.2023.

[2] The Committee on Publication Ethics, DOAJ, the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association, the World Association of Medical Editors, Principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing, https://doaj.org/apply/transparency/, dostęp: 14.02.2023.

[3] COPE Council, Polish: all flowcharts, https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts/polish-all-flowcharts, DOI: https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.2.36, dostęp: 14.02.2023.

[4] The Committee on Publication Ethics, DOAJ, the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association, the World Association of Medical Editors, Principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing, https://doaj.org/apply/transparency/, dostęp: 14.02.2023.

[5] COPE Council, Editor as author in own journal, https://publicationethics.org/case/editor-author-own-journal, dostęp: 14.02.2023.

[6] Examples of scientific misconduct:

• Plagiarism - it involves "appropriating authorship or misleading as to the authorship of all or part of someone else's work or artistic performance" (Journal of Laws 2018 item 1668, art. 287).
• The Matilda Effect - the phenomenon of discrimination against women in science (more: A. Derra, Silenced and Forgotten. On the Matilda Effect, or the Systemic Diminishing of Women's Role in Science, "Ethos. Quarterly of the John Paul II Institute KUL" 2016, Volume 29, no. 1 (113), pp. 203–220)., https://czasopisma.kul.pl/ethos/article/view/5314).
• The Matthew Effect - occurs when "certain psychosocial processes influence the allocation of rewards to scientists for their contributions - rewards that in turn influence the flow of ideas and discoveries in the communication networks of science" (R.K. Merton, The Matthew effect in science: The reward and communication systems of science are considered, "Science" 1968, 159 (3810), p. 56)., https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1723414.pdf).

[7] The list of required documents is presented in the section "Rules for Authors" The basic formal requirements for publication.

[8] COPE Council, COPE Guidelines: Retraction Guidelines, DOI: https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.4, dostęp: 14.02.2023.

[9] COPE, Authorship, https://publicationethics.org/resources/discussion-documents/what-constitutes-authorship-english-june-2014, dostęp: 14.02.2023.

[10] CRediT, https://credit.niso.org/, dostęp: 14.02.2023.

[11] The necessary documents are described in the section "Rules for Authors." Basic formal requirements for publication.

[12] "Conflict of interest in an Author occurs when the Author has specific financial interests or relationships, direct or indirect, or there are other situations that may raise doubts about their impartiality or influence their actions", for example, when the validity of the research depends on the Author's personal relationships, their private opinions, scientific rivalry, etc. Quoted from: Oxford Academic., Conflicts of interest, https://academic.oup.com/pages/authoring/journals/preparing_your_manuscript/conflicts_of_interest , dostep 03.04.2023.