PUBLICATION ETHICS STATEMENT

The journal “Problemy Prawa Karnego” adheres to the highest standards of publication ethics in accordance with the COPE Core Practices (Committee on Publication Ethics) and internationally recognized best practices in scholarly publishing.

General principles

The journal is committed to maintaining academic integrity, transparency of the editorial process, and preventing all forms of publication misconduct, including plagiarism, ghostwriting, and guest authorship.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The Editorial Board:

• selects reviewers based on their academic expertise, scholarly record, and absence of conflicts of interest,
• ensures that all submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process,
• maintains confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts at every stage of the editorial process,
• does not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to unauthorized persons,
• makes final publication decisions based on reviewers’ reports and editorial assessment.

Peer review process and ethics

• All submissions are subject to double-blind peer review, ensuring anonymity of both authors and reviewers.
• Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent external reviewers holding a minimum of a doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent).
• In cases of divergent reviews, the Editor-in-Chief may appoint an additional independent reviewer.
• Reviews are conducted using a standardized evaluation form provided by the journal.

Responsibilities of reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

• maintain strict confidentiality regarding all materials received for review,
• provide objective, constructive, and unbiased evaluations,
• not use any information obtained through the review process for personal advantage,
• disclose any suspected ethical misconduct, including plagiarism,
• declare any potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment.

Responsibilities of authors

Authors are required to:

• submit only original manuscripts that have not been published previously and are not under consideration elsewhere,
• ensure the accuracy and integrity of research data,
• appropriately acknowledge all contributors and specify authorship contributions,
• disclose any conflicts of interest,
• avoid all forms of ghostwriting and guest authorship,
• promptly notify the Editorial Board of any significant errors identified after publication.

Conflict of interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest that could influence the publication process or the evaluation of manuscripts.

Plagiarism and publication misconduct

• The journal applies procedures to prevent plagiarism, including similarity checking of submitted manuscripts.
• All suspected cases of plagiarism or self-plagiarism are investigated by the Editorial Board.
• In confirmed cases of ethical misconduct, manuscripts may be rejected or retracted
• All submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential documents until publication.
• The journal ensures the integrity, fairness, and independence of the peer review process.

Retraction and corrections

The Editorial Board reserves the right to retract a publication or issue a correction in cases of:

• proven breaches of publication ethics,
• significant errors affecting the reliability of the work,
• issues related to authorship, data integrity, or research misconduct.

Compliance with COPE

The journal follows the COPE Core Practices (Committee on Publication Ethics), particularly in relation to:

• publication integrity,
• peer review processes,
• handling of misconduct cases,
• transparency of editorial procedures.

Transparency

• A list of reviewers is published annually on the journal’s website (without linking reviewers to specific articles).
• The journal does not charge any article processing fees (no APCs).

Policy on the Use of Generative AI

This journal recognizes the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, such as large language models and image generation systems, as part of modern research and writing workflows. However, their use must be transparent, responsible, and consistent with academic integrity standards.

1. Authorship and responsibility

Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT or similar systems) cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship requires accountability, which cannot be assigned to AI systems. All listed authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the submitted work.

2. Permitted use

Authors may use GenAI tools for limited support purposes, including:

• language editing and grammar improvement
• translation assistance
• formatting and structuring of text
• general proofreading

3. Prohibited use

GenAI tools must not be used to:

• generate or fabricate research data
• create or modify results, findings, or conclusions
• replace scientific interpretation or critical analysis
• produce references or citations that are not verified by the authors

4. Disclosure requirement

Any use of generative AI tools in manuscript preparation must be clearly disclosed in the manuscript. A statement should be included in a dedicated section (e.g., Acknowledgements or Methods), specifying:

• which tool was used
• how it was used
• which parts of the manuscript were affected

Example disclosure:

“During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [tool name] for language editing and proofreading. The authors reviewed and edited the output and take full responsibility for the final content.”

5. Editorial and peer review use

Editors and reviewers must not use GenAI tools to process or evaluate manuscripts unless explicitly permitted by the journal. Confidentiality of submitted materials must be strictly maintained.

6. Ethical compliance

All use of GenAI must comply with publication ethics standards, including originality, transparency, and avoidance of plagiarism or data fabrication.