CODE OF ETHICS

Studia Litteraria Serdicensia

The publishing ethics and rules for avoiding abuse of the scientific journal Studia Litteraria Serdicensia adhere to internationally recognized standards and norms of conduct established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Publication ethics aims to ensure the legitimacy of publications, the quality of scientific research and the observance of good practices for ethical behavior at all stages of the publishing process. The publication does not accept materials that have already been published in other publications in the same form or have been proposed for publication elsewhere. Plagiarism and the use of false information are not allowed.

Responsibilities of the Editors

The editors accept and evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of their scholarly, linguistic and stylistic merits and their academic value (originality, novelty, relevance, clarity).

The editorial team determines the content of the relevant thematic issue and the publication date of the approved texts. It is its duty to ensure an impartial and competent anonymous review process, as well as to inform authors in advance of the professional and technical requirements of the journal (published on its website), according to which the reviewer-approved texts are edited. The editors preserve the anonymity of the authors and reviewers and maintain confidentiality regarding the manuscripts and do not disclose information about them without the written consent of the authors.

The editors undertake to select two anonymous reviewers - in addition to its members, independent Bulgarian and foreign experts, specialists in the relevant field, for each submitted text, without allowing a conflict of interest between reviewer and author. The editors submit the received manuscripts for review, provide them with reviewer cards for assessing the articles, and inform authors of reviewer ratings and recommendations. In case of possible violations of the professional code of ethics by the authors, the editors have the right to reject the corresponding text.

Responsibilities of the Authors

The authors declare that the manuscripts submitted to Studia Litteraria Serdicensia are their original research, unpublished and not offered in the same form for publication in other editions. In cases where already published texts, excerpts from them or expanded versions are provided, the previous edition should be indicated. When republishing an article published in Studia Litteraria Serdicensia or part of it, the author must indicate the first edition.

The authors guarantee the authenticity of their manuscripts, the correct and precise citation of the sources used, and are obliged to comply with the specified citation rules. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are viewed as unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

The authors prepare their scientific research in accordance with the technical and editorial requirements for formatting the manuscripts adopted by the editors. The authors are responsible for the scientific value of the conception and the interpretation of data. 

The authors are obliged to adequately cooperate and answer the editors' questions in a timely manner, as well as to provide the editors with the necessary clarifications on their texts. The authors are encouraged to consider the reviewers' recommendations as long as they do not seriously conflict with their own ideas and statements. (However, in case of refusal, the editors reserve the right to reject the proposed manuscript.) They are obliged to comply with the edition's requirements for confidentiality of contacts, anonymity of texts, and anonymity of reviewers.

Responsibilities of the Reviewers

All submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential copyright documents and submitted for double anonymous review. The reviewers are selected in view of their competence in the field of the specific articles, avoiding a conflict of interest with the authors. The reviewers should be informed in advance by the editors about the professional and formal requirements of the edition.

The reviewers should receive uniform review cards to indicate their evaluation of the articles. The reviewers undertake to objectively evaluate with clearly formulated conclusions and arguments the scientific value of the received materials and to point out their possible shortcomings in order to support the authors in improving their manuscripts. They undertake to notify the editors if plagiarism or overlap of the text with other publications known to them is detected. The reviewers shall notify the Editor-in-Chief when he/she declines to review the proposed manuscript in cases where he/she does not feel sufficiently qualified, due to inability to complete the review on time or due to a conflict of interest.