Academic Integrity and Publication Ethics Policy

1. General Provisions

The journal «Economic Paradigm» adheres to the principles of academic integrity and high standards of publication ethics at all stages of the editorial process, including manuscript submission, peer review, editorial evaluation, and publication.

The editorial policy of the journal is based on internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing, in particular the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Core Principles of Academic Integrity

  • honesty and responsibility in conducting research;
  • accuracy and transparency of research results;
  • respect for intellectual property;
  • objectivity and impartiality in the peer review process;
  • prevention of all forms of academic misconduct.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

  • submit only original scholarly work;
  • properly cite all sources used in the research;
  • not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously;
  • include as authors only those who have made a substantial contribution to the research;
  • disclose any potential conflicts of interest;
  • ensure the accuracy and reliability of research results.

4. Plagiarism Screening

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened for textual similarity using plagiarism detection software such as iThenticate.

The journal does not tolerate the following forms of academic misconduct:

  • plagiarism;
  • self-plagiarism;
  • data falsification;
  • data fabrication;
  • inappropriate authorship.

5. Citation Manipulation Policy

The journal strictly prohibits any form of citation manipulation by authors, editors, or reviewers.

  • artificial inflation of citation metrics of authors or journals;
  • inclusion of irrelevant references;
  • excessive or unjustified self-citation;
  • coordinated or reciprocal citation practices between authors or journals.

6. Internal Monitoring of Citation Patterns

The Editorial Board conducts internal monitoring of potential anomalous citation patterns, including:

  • excessive self-citation;
  • disproportionate citation of specific authors or journals;
  • dominance of a limited group of authors in publications;
  • reciprocal or coordinated citation practices across journals.

7. Reviewer Citation Manipulation

The journal does not allow reviewer citation manipulation practices, where reviewers request the addition of citations to their own work without valid scholarly justification.

The Editorial Board evaluates such recommendations and may reject unjustified requests for additional references.

8. Responsibilities of Reviewers

  • provide objective, reasoned, and constructive evaluations;
  • maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
  • disclose any conflicts of interest;
  • inform the Editorial Board about potential cases of plagiarism.

9. Handling Plagiarism Complaints

Authors, readers, or other interested parties may submit a complaint regarding suspected plagiarism to the Editorial Board via email.

The complaint must include:

  • a description of the alleged violation;
  • a reference to the relevant article;
  • the source of the original text;
  • text fragments indicating potential plagiarism.

10. Complaint Review Procedure

Complaints are handled in accordance with COPE principles.

  • the Editorial Board conducts a preliminary assessment;
  • if necessary, an additional check is performed using iThenticate;
  • authors are requested to provide explanations;
  • after evaluation, the Editorial Board makes a final decision.

The Editorial Board may take the following actions:

  • no violation confirmed;
  • request corrections to the article;
  • publish a correction notice;
  • retract the article.

11. Lack of Author Response

In the absence of a response from the author within a specified timeframe or in case of an unsatisfactory explanation, the Editorial Board may decide to retract the article.

12. Disclaimer

Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their publications. The Editorial Board and the publisher are not responsible for any consequences arising from the use of the information published in the journal.