Editorial Policies

Focus and Scope

”Annales Universitatis Mariae-Curie Skłodowska, sectio K – Politologia” is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 1994 by the Institute of Political Science and Administration of the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (formerly the Faculty of Political Science). The journal publishes original research articles on broadly understood political sciences, including international relations, media and communication theory, as well as State security. In particular, the Editorial Board is interested in papers in the following fields: theory of politics, political thought, contemporary social and political movements, political doctrines, contemporary political systems, political parties and party systems, national and ethnic minorities, international relations, sociology of politics, human rights, local government and politics, European integration, security studies, media and social communication, journalism studies.

 

Section Policies

Content

Unchecked Open Submissions Unchecked Indexed Unchecked Peer Reviewed

Articles

Checked Open Submissions Checked Indexed Checked Peer Reviewed

Reviews

Checked Open Submissions Checked Indexed Unchecked Peer Reviewed

Reports

Checked Open Submissions Checked Indexed Unchecked Peer Reviewed

Biograms

Checked Open Submissions Checked Indexed Unchecked Peer Reviewed
 

Peer Review Process

The review procedure is based on the recommendations formulated by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in the brochure “Good practices in reviewing procedures in science” (Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Warsaw 2011). Submitting a paper to the Editorial Team is understood as the author(s) agreeing to undergo the review procedure adopted in the journal. The review procedure is as follows:

  1. The Editorial Team verifies the article in terms of its content and form. Texts containing obvious errors (e.g. lack of the ORCID number, non-compliance with formatting rules, lack of structure of the scientific article, content not corresponding to the profile of the journal) will not be admitted into the editorial process.
  2. Articles that have been initially approved are passed to two independent reviewers who are not members of the author’s unit and who:
    • have no conflict of interest with the author(s),
    • have no official relationship with the author(s),
    • are specialists  in a given field and hold at least a PhD degree and the adequate scientific achievements.
  3. Reviewers are not members of the Editorial Team or the Scientific Board of "Annales UMCS, sectio K - Politologia".
  4. Each article is reviewed on a confidential and double anonymous basis (double-blind review).
  5. The review is prepared on the basis of the review form included in the journal's panel
  6. The Editorial Team provides the abstract of the article to the potential reviewer who can take an independent decision on accepting or rejecting the article for review. The decision must be taken within the period determined by the Editorial Team (up to 10 days).
  7. The reviewers are obliged to keep their opinions on the article confidential, and they are not allowed to use their knowledge on the article content before its publication.
  8. The reviewer's duty is to complete the review form which is available by logging into the system. The review ends with a recommendation (selection from the list: “Accept submission”, “Revisions required”, “Resubmit elsewhere”, “Decline submission”, “Recommendations in comments”).
  9. The reviews are presented to the author who is obliged to familiarize him/herself with all the comments, which are binding on him/her. Complying with the deadline (set by the Editorial Team), the author sends the corrected text which contains answers to the reviewers’ comments (in separate file).
  10. The publication decision is made by the Editorial Team. After the technical preparation and editing process, the article is sent to the author for proofreading; without it the article cannot be printed.
  11. The editors publish a general list of reviewers without giving the names of the reviewers of particular issues.

 

Publication Frequency

"Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska, sectio K - Politologia" is a semi-annual journal. The papres are collected continuously. After receiving positive reviews, the article is published online and on paper with a DOI number. There is no article processing charges (APCs) at any stage of editorial process. The journal's issues are published according to the schedule:
1) the First issue - in June;
2) the Second issue - in December.

 

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

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Reviewers

List of Reviewers in 2014:

  • Dr hab. Jakub Potulski, prof. UG (UG)
  • Dr hab. Andrzej Sepkowski, prof. UŁ (UŁ)
  • Dr hab. Radosław Zenderowski, prof. UKSW (UKSW)
  • Dr hab. Krzysztof Zuba, prof. UO (UO)
  • Prof. Chandana Chakrabarti, PhD (Davis and Elkins College, USA)
  • Prof. Kisor Chakrabarti, PhD (Davis and Elkins College, USA)
  • Prof. Teh-Kuang Chang, PhD (Ball State University, USA)
  • Prof. Jane L. Curry, PhD (Santa Clara University, USA)
  • Prof. Rafael Vázquez-García, PhD (University of Granada, Hiszpania)
  • Prof. Hyug-Baeg Im, PhD (Korea University, Korea)
  • Prof. Paul Luif, PhD (Austrian Institute for International Affairs, Austria)
  • Prof. Lars Monsen, PhD (Lilehammer University College, Norwegia)
  • Prof. Chandrakala Padia, PhD (Banaras Hindu University, Indie)

List of Reviewers in 2015:

  • Prof. Dobrinka Peicheva, PhD (South West University „Neofit Rilski”)
  • Prof. Bianca Mitu, PhD (University of Wolverhampton)
  • Prof. Rafael Vázquez-García, PhD (University of Granada, Hiszpania)
  • Dr hab. Krzysztof Zuba, prof. UO (Uniwersytet Opolski)
  • Dr hab. Andrzej Sepkowski, prof. UŁ (Uniwersytet Łódzki)
  • Dr hab. Ryszard Michalak, prof. UZ (Uniwersytet Zielonogórski)
  • Dr hab. Małgorzata Myśliwiec (Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach)
  • Dr hab. Agnieszka Kasińska-Metryka, prof. UJK (Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach)
  • Prof. dr hab. Grzegorz Piwnicki (Uniwersytet Gdański)

List of Reviewers in 2016:

  • Prof. Valentina Marinescu (Bucharest University, Rumunia)
  • Prof. Dobrinka Peicheva, PhD (South-West University „Neofit Rilski”, Bułgaria)
  • Prof. Rafael Vázquez-García, PhD (University of Granada, Hiszpania)
  • Dr hab. Agnieszka Kasińska-Metryka, prof. UJK (Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Ryszard Michalak, prof. UZ (Uniwersytet Zielonogórski, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Małgorzata Myśliwiec (Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Anna Citkowska-Kimla, prof. UJ (Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Polska)
  • Prof. dr hab. Krzysztof Zuba (Uniwersytet Opolski, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Krzysztof Kowalczyk, prof. US (Uniwersytet Szczeciński, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Michał Strzelecki, prof. UMK (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Polska)
  • Prof. dr hab. Grzegorz Piwnicki (Uniwersytet Gdański, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Piotr Kimla, prof. UJ (Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Polska)

List of Reviewers in 2017:

  • Dr hab. Robert Alberski (Uniwersytet Wrocławski)
  • Dr. Ecaterina Balica (Romanian Academy)
  • Dr. Silvia Branea (University of Bucharest)
  • dr hab. Paweł Frankowski (Uniwersytet Jagielloński)
  • prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Kasińska-Metryka (Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach)
  • prof. US. dr hab. Krzysztof Kowalczyk (Uniwersytet w Szczecinie)
  • Dr. Ramona Marinache („Lucian Blaga” University in Sibiu)
  • Conf. dr. Valentina Marinescu (University of Bucharest)
  • prof. UMK. dr hab. Joanna Marszałek-Kawa (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu)
  • prof. UZ. Dr hab. Ryszard Michalak (Uniwersytet Zielonogórski)
  • dr hab. Ewa Marciniak (Uniwersytet Warszawski)
  • dr hab. Małgorzata Myśliwiec (Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach)
  • prof. URz. dr hab. Agnieszka Pawłowska (Uniwersytet Rzeszowski)
  • prof. UZ dr hab. Danuta Plecka (Uniwersytet Zielonogórski)
  • prof. UMK dr hab. Michał Strzelecki (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu)
  • Dr. Laura Toma (University of Bucharest)
  • prof. dr hab. Arkadiusz Żukowski (Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski)
List of Reviewers in 2018:
  • Dr hab. Robert Alberski, prof. UWr (Uniwersytet Wrocławski, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Anna Citkowska-Kimla, prof. UJ (Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Paweł Frankowski (Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie, Polska)
  • Prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Kasińska-Metryka (Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Krzysztof Kowalczyk, prof. US (Uniwersytet w Szczecinie, Polska)
  • Dr. Ramona Marinache („Lucian Blaga” University in Sibiu, Rumunia)
  • Conf. dr. Valentina Marinescu (University of Bucharest, Rumunia)
  • Dr hab. Joanna Marszałek-Kawa, prof. UMK. (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Ryszard Michalak, prof. UZ (Uniwersytet Zielonogórski, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Małgorzata Myśliwiec (Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Agnieszka Pawłowska, prof. URz (Uniwersytet Rzeszowski, Polska)
  • Prof. Dobrinka Peicheva, PhD (South-West University „Neofit Rilski”, Bułgaria)
  • Dr hab. Maciej Potz, prof. UŁ (Uniwersytet Łódzki, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Tomasz Stępniewski, prof. KUL (Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Michał Strzelecki, prof. UMK (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Polska)
  • Prof. dr hab. Arkadiusz Żukowski (Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie, Polska)

List of Reviewers in 2019:

  • Prof. dr hab. Joachim Diec (Jagiellonian University, Poland)
  • Prof. UJ dr hab. Paweł Frankowski (Jagiellonian University, Poland)
  • Prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Kasińska-Metryka (Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Poland)
  • Dr hab. Artur Laska, prof. nadzw. (Kazimierz Wielki University, Poland)
  • Prof. UZ dr hab. Jarosław Macała (University of Zielona Góra, Poland)
  • Dr hab. Ewa Marciniak (University of Warsaw, Poland)
  • Conf. dr. Valentina Marinescu (University of Bucharest, Romania)
  • PhD Alejandro Martinez Relanzon (King Juan Carlos University in Madrid, Spain)
  • Prof. UZ dr hab. Łukasz Młyńczyk (University of Zielona Góra, Poland)
  • Prof. UAM Magdalena Musiał-Karg (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland)
  • Dr hab. Małgorzata Myśliwiec (University of Silesia, Poland)
  • Prof. URz dr hab. Agnieszka Pawłowska (University of Rzeszów, Poland)
  • Prof. Dobrinka Peicheva, PhD (South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Bulgaria)
  • Prof. UŁ dr hab. Maciej Potz (University of Łódź, Poland)
  • Prof. UEK dr hab. Rafał Prostak (Cracow University of Economics, Poland)
  • Prof. UMK dr hab. Michał Strzelecki (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland)
  • PhD Victoria Vdovychenko (Kyiv Borys Grinchenko University, Ukraine)
  • Dr Agnieszka Zaręba (The John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, Poland)
  • Prof. dr hab. Arkadiusz Żukowski (University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland)
Lista recenzentów za rok 2020:
  • Prof. dr hab. Roman Bäcker (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland)
  • Prof. UJ dr hab. Anna Citkowska-Kimla (Jagiellonian University, Poland)
  • Prof. dr hab. Joachim Diec (Jagiellonian University, Poland)
  • Prof. UJ dr hab. Paweł Frankowski (Jagiellonian University, Poland)
  • Prof. UKSW dr hab. Dariusz Góra (Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland)
  • Prof. dr hab. Kasińska-Metryka (Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Poland)
  • Prof. UJ dr hab. Piotr Kimla (Jagiellonian University, Poland)
  • Prof. US dr hab. Krzysztof Kowalczyk (University of Szczecin, Poland)
  • Prof. UJ dr hab. Paweł Kubicki (Jagiellonian University, Poland)  
  • Dr Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik (Institute of Central Europe, Poland)
  • Dr hab. Ewa Marciniak (University of Warsaw, Poland)
  • Conf. dr. Valentina Marinescu (University of Bucharest, Romania)
  • Prof. UZ dr hab. Łukasz Młyńczyk (University of Zielona Góra, Poland)
  • Prof. UG dr hab. Jakub Potulski (University of Gdańsk, Poland)
  • Prof. dr hab. Jan Ryszard Sielezin (University of Wrocław, Poland)
  • Prof. UMK dr hab. Michał Strzelecki (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland)
  • Dr hab. Piotr Tosiek (University of Warsaw, Poland)
  • Prof. UO dr hab. Aleksandra Trzcielińska-Polus (University of Opole, Poland)
  • Dr Agnieszka Zaręba  (The John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, Poland)
  • Prof. dr hab. Zuba (University of Opole, Poland)

List of Reviewers in 2021:

  • Pdh Jakub Bardović (University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Slovakia)
  • Prof. UJ dr hab. Paweł Frankowski (Jagiellonian University, Poland)
  • Prof. dr hab. Krystyna Gomółka (Gdańsk University of Technology)
  • Prof. UKSW dr hab. Dariusz Góra (Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland)
  • Prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Kasińska-Metryka (Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Poland)
  • Prof. US dr hab. Krzysztof Kowalczyk (University of Szczecin, Poland)
  • Prof. UKW dr hab. Artur Laska (Kazimierz Wielki University, Poland)
  • Ks. prof. UKSW dr hab. Rafał Leśniczak (Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland)
  • Prof. Valentina Marinescu (University of Bucharest, Romania)
  • PhD Gergana Markovic (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria) 
  • Dr Maciej Marmola (University of Silesia in Katowice)
  • PhD Jaroslav Mihalik (University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia)
  • Dr hab. Łukasz Młyńczyk (University of Warsaw, Poland)
  • Prof. UG dr hab. Jakub Potulski (University of Gdańsk)
  • Prof. UMK dr hab. Michał Strzelecki (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland)
  • Dr hab. Piotr Tosiek (University of Warsaw, Poland)
  • Dr Agnieszka Zaręba (The John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, Poland)
List of Reviewers in 2022:
  • Prof. dr hab. Roman Bäcker (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Polska)
  • Prof. UJ dr hab. Paweł Frankowski (Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Polska)
  • Prof. dr hab. Krystyna Gomółka (Politechnika Gdańska, Polska)
  • Prof. UKSW dr hab. Dariusz Góra (Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie, Polska)
  • Dr Liana Hurska-Kowalczyk (Uniwersytet Szczeciński, Polska)
  • Prof. US dr hab. Krzysztof Kowalczyk (Uniwersytet Szczeciński, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Artur Laska (Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego w Bydgoszczy, Polska)
  • Ks. prof. UKSW dr hab. Rafał Leśniczak (Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie, Polska)
  • Prof. Valentina Marinescu (University of Bucharest, Romania)
  • Dr Maciej Marmola (Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Łukasz Młyńczyk (Uniwersytet Warszawski, Polska)
  • Prof. dr hab. Magdalena Musiał-Karg (Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, Polska)
  • Prof. UG dr hab. Jakub Potulski (Uniwersytet Gdański, Polska)
  • Prof. UMK dr hab. Michał Strzelecki (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Polska)
  • Dr Agnieszka Zaręba (Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, Polska)

List of Reviewers in 2023:

  • Prof. dr hab. Roman Bäcker (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Polska)
  • Prof. UKSW dr hab. Dariusz Góra (Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie, Polska)
  • Dr Liana Hurska-Kowalczyk (Uniwersytet Szczeciński, Polska)
  • Dr Dagmara Kociuba (Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej w Lublinie, Polska)
  • Prof. US dr hab. Krzysztof Kowalczyk (Uniwersytet Szczeciński, Polska)
  • Ks. Prof. UKSW dr hab. Rafał Leśniczak (Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie, Polska)
  • Prof. UZ dr hab. Jarosław Macała (Uniwersytet Zielonogórski, Polska)
  • Prof. UKW dr hab. Paweł Malendowicz (Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego w Bydgoszczy, Polska)
  • Dr hab. Łukasz Młyńczyk (Uniwersytet Warszawski, Polska)
  • Prof. UG dr hab. Jakub Potulski (Uniwersytet Gdański, Polska)
  • Prof. UMK dr hab. Michał Strzelecki (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Polska)
  • Dr Andrzej Szabaciuk (Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II)
  • Dr Agnieszka Zaręba (Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II)

List of Reviewers in 2024:

  • dr Karol Adamczewski
  • dr hab. Konrad Bobiatyński, prof. UW
  • dr Artur Borzęcki
  • dr Andrzej Buczyło
  • prof. dr hab. Tadeusz Epsztein
  • dr Maria Furtak
  • dr hab. Renata Gałaj-Dempniak, prof. USz
  • dr hab. Edward Gigilewicz
  • dr hab. Piotr Godlewski, prof. AWFiS
  • dr hab. Agnieszka Gut, prof. USz
  • dr hab. Anna Idzikowska-Czubaj, prof. UAM
  • dr hab. Anna Jabłońska, prof. UJK
  • prof. dr hab. Maciej Jońca
  • dr hab. Małgorzata Karkocha, prof. UŁ
  • dr Arkadiusz Kaźmierczak, prof. UŁ
  • prof. dr hab. Jarosław Kita
  • dr hab. Barbara Kowalska, prof. UJD
  • dr hab. Jolanta Kowalska
  • prof. dr hab. Waldemar Kowalski
  • dr Agnieszka Kuczyńska
  • prof. dr hab. Jarosław Nikodem
  • dr hab. Artur Pasko, prof. UwB
  • dr Maciej Pletnia
  • prof. dr hab. Andrzej Rachuba
  • prof. dr hab. Andrzej Rajman
  • prof. dr hab. Mieczysław Ryba
  • dr Michał Sierba
  • dr hab. Arkadiusz Stasiak, prof. KUL
  • dr Dominik Szulc
  • dr hab. Krzysztof Ślusarek
  • dr hab. Agnieszka Teterycz-Puzio, prof. UP
  • dr hab. Adrian Uljasz, prof. URz
  • dr hab. Marek Wójcik, prof. UWr
  • dr Damian Zakrzewski

 

Indexing

 

Policy of Journal “Annales Universitatis Mariae-Curie-Skłodowska, Sectio K: Politology” and Publication Ethics

The journal publishers endorse the principles of transparency and good practice established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties of Editorial Board:

  1. The Editorial Board of the “Annales Universitatis Mariae-Curie-Skłodowska, Sectio K: Politology” is monitoring the ethical standards of papers and takes all possible measures against publication malpractices.
  2. The Editorial Board are accountable for everything published in their Journal.
  3. The Editorial Board is responsible for deciding which of the submitted articles should or should not be published. The decision to accept or reject a paper for publication is based on its importance, originality, clarity, and its relevance to the scope of the journal
  4. Editorial Board decisions are not affected by the origins of the manuscript, including nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, political beliefs, or religion of the authors.
  5. All materials submitted to the journal remain confidential while under review; Unpublished materials disclosed in the submitted manuscript must not be used by the editor and the editorial committee in their own research without written consent of authors.
  6. The Editorial Board reserve the right to collect all information on detected instances of “Ghostwriting” and “Ghost Authorship”
  7. Editorial Board always be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies when needed.

Duties of Reviewers:

  1. Peer reviews assist the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper.
  2. All manuscript received for review must be treated as confidential documents.
  3. Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly and professionally.
  4. Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
  5. Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process.
  6. Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.
  7. Reviewers should not consider evaluating manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relations with any of the authors, companies, or institutions involved in writing a paper.

Duties of Authors:

  1. 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.
  2. An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.
  3. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.
  4. Authors may be asked to provide the raw data for editorial review, should be prepared to provide public access to such data, and should be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication of their paper.
  5. Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.
  6. 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 and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.
More information: https://publicationethics.org/files/Full%20set%20of%20English%20flowcharts_9Nov2016.pdf

 

Journal’s Plagiarism Policy

In order to prevent ghostwriting and guest authorship, the Editorial Team has implemented the following actions:

  • The Authors are required to disclose their contribution to the paper (a template statement is available in the system, under the first step of the process of submitting text for publication). The Author submitting the paper is responsible for the work to the greatest extent.
  • Ghostwriting and guest authorship are situations of academic dishonesty. All unveiled cases will be made public; actions include noticing suitable authorities (institutions employing the authors, scientific associations, academic editorial associations).
  • The editorial office requests information on sources of article financing, contributions of scientific-research institutions, associations, and other parties (financial disclosure).
  • The editorial office will document all cases of academic dishonesty, especially when scholarly rules of ethics are broken or breached.