Publication Ethics

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal is a main building block of a scientific developed knowledge. It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved: the author, the journal editor, and the peer reviewer. We are following the Elsevier’s guidelines concerning the publishing ethics and related questions (cf. https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/publishing-ethics):

Ethics topics to consider when publishing:

Authorship of the paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study.
Originality and plagiarism: The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others, that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.
Data access and retention: Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data.
Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication: An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication.
Acknowledgement of sources: Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest: All submissions must include disclosure of all relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest.
Fundamental errors in published works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

Please, take time to read Elsevier's set up (a brochure and a number of individual factsheets) on the topics presented (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/publishing-ethics ).

Principle of Editorial Independence (cf. https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/editorial-independence):

We keep the editorial decision making processes of our publications completely separate from any commercial interests.
All editorial decisions, or concerns or complaints about editorial decisions, are dealt strictly within the Journal’s editorial crew.
No one can get involved in, interfere with, or even comment on editorial decisions under any circumstances.