Publication ethics and malpractice statement

PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

Libellarium: journal for research in the field of information and related sciences is a diamond open access scientific journal that has been published jointly by the Department of Information Sciences of the University of Zadar and the Department of Information Sciences of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, Croatia. It is a double-blind peer-reviewed journal.
Publication ethics pertains to all actors: authors, reviewers, and editors who are involved in scholarly publishing. It is aimed at enhancing the quality of the journal and assisting authors, reviewers, and editors in dealing with ethical issues. Its sole purpose is to guide better scholarly publication practices.
The following duties outlined for authors, reviewers, and editors of Libellarium are based on the COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Editors.

DUTIES OF AUTHORS
1. Reporting Standards
Authors should present an accurate account of their original research as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Contributions will follow the journal’s submission guidelines available at journal’s website (Submissions Preparation Checklist and Author Guidelines).

2. Originality
Authors must ensure that the work they submitted to Libellarium is entirely original and the result of their own work.

3. Concurrent Publications
Libellarium does not accept simultaneous submissions and the authors should not concurrently submit the same work to journals other than Libellarium. By submitting the manuscript, the authors confirm that the submitted manuscript is not being considered for publication elsewhere. It is also expected that the author will not publish works describing the same research in more than one journal.

4. Ethical Conduct in Research and Acknowledgement of Sources
By submitting the manuscript, the authors certify that the research for the study has been carried out in accordance with the ethical principles of research with respect to the research participants, and that professional standards were adhered to in its presentation. Authors should acknowledge all sources of data used in the research and cite publications that have been influential in their research work. All sources should be cited according to the Chicago Manual of Style, Author-Date System standards of citing and listing bibliography as outlined in the journal’s submission guidelines (Author Guidelines – Citation Guide).

5. Authorship
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. Others who have made significant contributions must be listed as co-authors. Where others have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be named in an Acknowledgement section. Authors also ensure that all the authors have seen and agreed to the submitted version of the work and their inclusion of names as co-authors.

6. Fundamental Errors in Published Works
If at any point in time, authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in the work submitted to and published by Libellarium, the error or inaccuracy must be reported to the editors.

DUTIES OF REVIEWERS
1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review assists the editors in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper. The reviewers do not know the authors' identity, as any identifying information will be taken from the document before review. Reviewers’ comments to the editors are confidential and before passing on to the author will be made anonymous. The names of the reviewers remain strictly confidential, with their identities known only to the Editor-In-Chief and Deputy Editor-In-Chief.

2. Timelines
Any invited reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its timely review will be impossible should immediately notify the editors so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.

3. Confidentiality
Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except if authorized by the editors.

4. Standards of Objectivity
All submissions must be reviewed objectively and the reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.

5. Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers must ensure that authors have acknowledged and properly cited all sources of data used in the research. Any kind of similarity or overlap between the submissions under consideration or with any other published paper of which the reviewer has personal knowledge must be immediately brought to the notice of the journal’s editors.

6. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers

DUTIES OF EDITORS
1. Reviewing
Each submission is initially evaluated by the journal’s editors (Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor-in-Chief) who decide whether or not it is suitable to be considered for publication in Libellarium. After the initial evaluation, all manuscripts are checked for originality, using appropriate channels to do so (Turnitin, an Internet-based similarity detection service). After that, manuscripts are forwarded to two independent external reviewers for two separate blind peer reviews. Each reviewer makes a recommendation to accept, slightly modify, significantly modify, or reject the manuscript. The review period lasts for about 3 - 4 weeks (up to 30 days).

2. Fair Play
The editors make sure that each received submission is reviewed for its intellectual content without regard to the sex, gender, race, religion, citizenship, political philosophy, etc. of the authors.

3. Confidentiality
The editors must ensure that information regarding authors’ submissions is kept confidential. They will not disclose any information about a manuscript under consideration to anyone other than the authors, reviewers, and potential reviewers, and in some instances the editorial board members, as appropriate.

4. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interests
The journal’s editors will not use unpublished materials disclosed in submitted contributions for their research without the written consent of the author.

5. Measures against misconduct and unethical behaviour

In case of ethical complaints or conflicts, the Editor-in-Chief will act following the rules of the journal and provide the authors with the opportunity to comment on all complaints. All complaints should be investigated regardless of when the original publication was approved for publishing. Documentation related to complaints should be preserved. Depending on the level of misconduct and unethical behaviour, appropriate measures should be applied. When the misconduct is confirmed, a retraction notice will be issued, and all instances involved will be notified.