The editorial board of Science Studies is guided by the Recommendations on Fair Practice of Scientific Publications issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics.
Science Studies is an open-access journal: all issues are freely available online on the journal’s website. Manuscript processing and publication are free of charge.
Responsibilities of the authors:
1.1. Authors are responsible for the content of their articles and must ensure that the submitted manuscript is original. In cases where words and/or materials of other authors are used, proper references must be provided in accordance with the journal’s guidelines. Reviews must adhere to accuracy and objectivity and clearly indicate the authors’ personal point of view.
1.2. Authors should be prepared to provide access to the original research data and ensure its preservation for a reasonable period of time after publication.
1.3. Authors guarantee that the manuscript submitted to the journal has not been previously published and is not under consideration by the editorial board of another journal.
1.4. Authors must cite all publications that have influenced their work. Any form of plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, is unacceptable. Unauthorized borrowing or reproduction of any elements (text, graphics, data, etc.) from other works is prohibited. Any elements reproduced with the permission of a copyright holder must be properly formatted and accompanied by a full bibliographic reference. It is unacceptable to use information obtained during the review of manuscripts, grant applications, or in other confidential contexts without explicit written permission.
1.5. Only those individuals who have made a significant contribution to one of the following aspects of the work may be recognized as authors of the article: the development of the research idea, its planning, conducting experiments, or analyzing the results. All persons who have made such contributions must be included in the list of co-authors. The author submitting the manuscript guarantees that no individuals unrelated to the work are included among the co-authors and confirms that all co-authors have reviewed the final version of the article, approved it, and consented to its publication.
1.6. Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that may influence the results or interpretation of their research. They are also responsible for indicating all sources of funding for the work.
1.7. Authors are obliged to immediately notify the editorial board of any significant error or inaccuracy discovered in their published work and to assist in its correction. This obligation applies in two cases: 1) upon self-discovery, the author personally informs the editorial board and cooperates in publishing corrections or retractions; 2) upon receiving a request from the editorial board when an error has been reported by third parties, the author must promptly respond to the request and facilitate the publication of corrections or retractions.
1.8. Artificial intelligence cannot be listed as an author or co-author of a scientific article. Any text fragments generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence must be accompanied by appropriate references.
Responsibilities of the editorial board and editorial office:
2.1. The decision to publish materials in the Science Studies journal is made by the Editorial Board on the basis of peer reviews. The criteria include the scientific value of the article, its relevance to the field, the quality of the text, compliance with copyright law, and the absence of plagiarism.
2.2. Before sending the article to press, the Editorial Board agrees the final version with the author.
2.3. All information regarding submitted manuscripts is strictly confidential. Reviewers and editorial staff are not permitted to disclose this information to third parties. The Editorial Board ensures that the review process is conducted anonymously in order to preserve objectivity. It is prohibited to use unpublished data from a manuscript in the research of Editorial Board members, editorial staff, or reviewers without the author’s written permission.
2.4. Upon receiving convincing evidence of errors in the content or conclusions of a published article, the Editorial Board promptly notifies the publisher and arranges for the timely publication of corrections, retractions, or other official statements.
2.5. The Editorial Board of the journal, together with the publisher, is obliged to respond appropriately to all complaints concerning the ethics of submitted or published works. Adequate response measures include requesting explanations from the author, conducting an objective review of the received complaint, and, in some cases, contacting relevant scientific or expert organizations.
Responsibilities of reviewers:
3.1. All articles undergo a double-blind peer review procedure. Information about manuscripts and reviews is strictly confidential and must not be disclosed by reviewers to third parties.
3.2. Reviewers must respect copyright. Manuscripts submitted to the journal, as well as any of their parts, may not be used by reviewers for personal or professional purposes.
3.3. Reviewers must comply with the review deadlines established by the Editorial Board. If a reviewer is unable to meet the deadline or does not consider themselves sufficiently competent to evaluate the research, they must immediately notify the Editorial Board.
3.4. Reviewers are required to evaluate the work as objectively as possible, based solely on its scientific merit. Personal preferences, bias, or criticism of the author are unacceptable. All comments should be clearly formulated and well-founded. In the case of any conflict of interest, the reviewer must immediately notify the Editorial Board and decline the review.
3.5. Reviewers must inform the Editorial Board of any identified instances of using previously published texts without proper citation. Any statement regarding previously published data must be supported by a reference to the source. The editors should be notified of any significant similarities with other works.
3.6. Peer review in the journal is conducted on a non-commercial basis.
Conflict of interest
The Editorial Board organizes the processes of manuscript handling and peer review in a manner that excludes the influence of personal or business relationships on the objectivity of evaluation and decision-making. All participants are required to avoid conflicts of interest and immediately inform the Editorial Board of any potential conflicts or other ethical violations. A conflict of interest refers to any personal, competitive, or partnership relationship with authors or organizations involved in the publication process.
Borrowing and plagiarism
The Editorial Board of the Science Studies journal checks manuscripts using the Anti-Plagiarism system. In cases of detected extensive borrowing or plagiarism, the Editorial Board acts in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Procedure for retraction of articles
The procedure for reviewing an article is initiated upon the discovery of significant violations, such as plagiarism or inconsistency of the submitted data with the legislation of the Russian Federation. The procedure begins after receiving a written statement detailing the violation. When deciding to review an article, the Editorial Board sends the author an official notification explaining the reasons for the review. Information about the review, including the reasons, is published in the next issue of both the printed and electronic versions of the journal. The Editorial Board ensures that the article is removed from all citation databases and electronic resources.