Ethical norms

Ethics guidelines of the editorial board are based on the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics, as well as the principles of DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment).

Ethical obligations of the editors of the journal "Medicine and pharmacy: educational discourses":

  • all materials submitted for publication are carefully selected and reviewed. The editorial board reserves the right to reject the article or send it back for revision. The author is obliged to improve the article following the comments of reviewers or the editorial board;
  • the editorial board should render fair and impartial decisions, independent of commercial or other interests and ensure a fair review process;
  • the editorial board may reject the manuscript without review if the work does not meet the journal’s scope;
  • the editorial board has the right to retract a published article if it transpires a violation of someone’s rights or common rules of research ethics. The editorial office notifies the author and the organization where research was carried out about the article’s retraction;
  • the editorial board allows distribution of any articles or their pieces but with appropriate credit to the original source;
  • according to international copyright legislation, the journal’s materials not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form (electronic or printed) without the prior written consent of the authors and the editors. When using the published materials in the context of other documents, a reference to the original source is obligatory.

Ethical obligations of authors:

  • research published in the journal should be conducted in accordance with current legislation and ethical standards;
  • authors should present their research findings clearly and unambiguously, so that their conclusions can be confirmed by other scientists, without falsifying the data obtained or manipulation;
  • authors are responsible for the article’s content and the very fact of their publication;
  • authors should adhere to the publication guidelines. Submission of plagiarism as an original manuscript and a previously published article is not permissible;
  • sources of funding and relevant conflicts of interest must be disclosed. Authors should guarantee that there are no contractual relations or proprietary reasons that could affect the publication of the information available in the manuscript;
  • authors should refer to the sources of all data cited or presented and compile references to literary sources used in the work, meeting the journal’s requirements. The editorial board has the right to refuse publication of an article if the specified requirements are violated.

Ethical obligations of peer reviewers:

  • a peer reviewer should follow Committee on Publication Ethics and be impartial and objective;
  • a peer reviewer should objectively evaluate the quality of the manuscript, its experimental and theoretical parts and their interpretation and presentation, as well as whether it corresponds to scientific standards and design requirements. The reviewer should respect the intellectual independence of the authors;
  • any manuscripts and additional materials subject to review should be treated as confidential documents. They may not be displayed or discussed with third parties, except as permitted by the editor.

The Editorial Board recognizes research integrity as a fundamental basis of scholarly activity and does not tolerate any forms of misconduct that may affect the reliability, objectivity, and transparency of scientific results.

Research misconduct includes, in particular:

Fabrication of data
Inventing data, research results, or experiments and presenting them as real.

Falsification
Manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, or altering or selectively omitting data with the purpose of distorting research results.

Citation manipulation
Artificially increasing the number of references to specific sources, journals, or authors in order to enhance scientometric indicators; including irrelevant references; or deliberately ignoring significant sources.

Guest/Gift authorship (Artificial authorship)
Including as authors individuals who have not made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research, or excluding those who have made such a contribution.

Other violations
Plagiarism, self-plagiarism without proper disclosure, failure to disclose conflicts of interest, duplicate publication, and deliberate violation of peer review procedures.

 

In accordance with the principles of DORA, the Journal:

  • evaluates manuscripts solely on the basis of their scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, and contribution to the advancement of knowledge;

  • does not use journal-based metrics (including the Impact Factor) as a criterion for assessing individual articles or the scientific quality of an author;

  • does not encourage artificial inflation of citation metrics;

  • supports the responsible use of scientometric indicators.

 

Conflict of Interest Policy

A conflict of interest refers to any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that may influence or appear to influence editorial decisions or manuscript content.

Disclosure is mandatory for:

authors (financial and non-financial relationships);

reviewers (potential competing interests);

editors (when handling manuscripts involving their institution or colleagues).

If a potential conflict is identified:

the editor or reviewer must recuse themselves;

an independent handling editor is appointed;

independent reviewers are assigned;

decisions and justifications are documented.

Submissions by Editors or Editorial Board Members

Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief or editorial board members:

are handled by an independent editor;

undergo standard double-blind peer review;

exclude author involvement in editorial decisions;

include a published COI disclosure statement.

 

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scientific Publications

The journal supports innovative technologies, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the preparation of scientific publications. At the same time, we emphasize the necessity of adhering to principles of academic integrity, transparency, and responsibility when using AI tools.

Authors are required to clearly indicate in the publication text where and how AI tools have been used (e.g., for text generation, data analysis, preparation of illustrations, etc.). Submissions fully generated by AI without significant author contribution to the scientific content and its interpretation are prohibited. Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and quality of the materials, even if part of the work was performed with the help of AI.

The editorial office may use AI tools to assist in plagiarism detection, text preparation, fact-checking, and other aspects of the editorial process. Decisions regarding acceptance or rejection of articles remain solely with the editors and reviewers, regardless of the results obtained through the use of AI.

The use of AI must not violate copyright, confidentiality, or lead to data manipulation. Concealing the fact of AI use or misleading readers about the origin of the text or research results is prohibited.

Authors, reviewers, and editors are responsible for complying with this policy. In case of violations, corrections, rejection of publication, or retraction of articles may be applied in accordance with the editorial policy.

 

Retraction Policy

The Editorial Board adheres to the principles of academic integrity, publication ethics, and international standards of scholarly communication, in particular the recommendations of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics). Retraction of an article is considered an exceptional measure applied to ensure the reliability of the scholarly record and to inform readers about substantial violations that affect the results or conclusions of the research.

Grounds for retraction may include confirmed cases of plagiarism or self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, significant errors that render the findings unreliable, duplicate publication, copyright infringement, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or other serious violations of the journal’s editorial policies and ethical standards. The procedure may be initiated by authors, members of the editorial board, reviewers, readers, or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.

Upon receiving such information, the Editorial Board conducts a preliminary assessment and, where necessary, carries out an internal investigation involving members of the editorial board or independent experts. The authors of the article are informed of the concerns raised and are given the opportunity to provide explanations. Following the review, the Editorial Board may decide that no action is required, issue a correction, publish an expression of concern, or retract the article.

If a decision to retract is made, the journal publishes an official retraction notice indicating the reasons for the retraction and the date of the decision. The retracted article is not removed from the journal’s electronic archive; however, it is clearly marked as retracted to ensure transparency and preserve the integrity of the scholarly record. All decisions are made in accordance with the principles of fairness, confidentiality, and respect for the rights of all parties involved in the publication process.

 

Ethical Requirements for Research Involving Humans

All research involving human subjects must be approved by the relevant ethics committees associated with the institution(s) in which it is conducted. A manuscript presenting the results of surveys or interviews should contain confirmation that the authors have ensured the voluntary participation of respondents, obtained their written informed consent (including consent to the publication of the results), and guaranteed confidentiality, anonymity and the prevention of any form of discrimination or pressure. The ethics of the research should be duly justified and, if possible, supported by references to international professional standards and codes, including: American Sociological Association’s Code of Ethics, ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics, Guidance Note of the European Commission On Ethics and Data Protection.