Ethics

I. Core Ethical Principles

We comply with the provisions of the Polish Copyright Act (Journal of Laws, consolidated text Dz. U. 2025, 24).

We accept only original works, whose authors guarantee in the publishing agreement that the work does not infringe upon the copyrights of third parties.

We follow the guidance and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding detection and disclosure of undesirable publishing practices, such as: redundant (duplicate or secondary) publication, plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, image manipulation, changes to the list of authors (adding or removing an author), ghost authorship, guest or honorary authorship and conflict of interest.

II. Ethical Principles for Authors

1. Manuscript Preparation Stage

Ethics approval and informed consent: Research involving humans or animals must include the name of the ethics committee that approved the study, approval number/ID (if available), and a statement of informed consent from participants not only for participation but also for publication of data, photos, or other personal information. Where local regulations differ, authors must explain why approval was not required and confirm adherence to international standards (e.g., Declaration of Helsinki, ARRIVE guidelines).

Anonymisation and confidentiality: Authors must ensure that data are presented in a way that protects participants’ privacy, unless explicit informed consent for disclosure is provided.

2. Submission Stage

Conflicts of Interest: Authors must declare all potential conflicts (financial, institutional, or personal). 

Funding: Authors must disclose all sources of funding, including the name of the funder, grant number, and role of the funder. A funding statement will be published in every article.

Authorship of a Manuscript: authorship must be limited to those who made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All individuals who contributed substantially should be listed as co-authors. Others who contributed to specific aspects (e.g., technical assistance, data collection) should be acknowledged in a separate section. The corresponding author must ensure that only appropriate co-authors are included, that all co-authors have approved the final manuscript, and that they consent to submission.

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that the submitted work is entirely original. If ideas, data, or text from others are used, these must be properly cited or quoted. Authors must also clearly declare whether and how AI tools were used in preparing the manuscript.

Acknowledgement of Sources: Proper credit must always be given to the work of others. Authors should cite publications that have significantly influenced the reported research.

3. After Publication

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions: When errors or ethical concerns are identified post-publication, the journal will publish corrections (errata), expressions of concern, or retractions, following COPE guidance. Post-publication discussion is welcomed and considered part of the scientific process.

III. Ethical Principles for Reviewers

We consider the following to be essential features of an ethical review: competence and impartiality of the reviewer, objectivity and substantive evaluation, justification of both criticism and positive assessment, timeliness, confidentiality and refraining from using the content prior to publication and reporting suspected copyright infringement or plagiarism.

Peer Review Model: REF applies double-anonymised peer review. The process includes assignment of at least two independent reviewers by the Editorial Board. 

Confidentiality: Reviewers may not disclose the content prior to publication.

IV. Ethical Principles for Editors

Editors are responsible for fair and unbiased evaluation of submissions, avoiding conflicts of interest, and ensuring that decisions are based solely on academic merit.

Manuscripts submitted by members of the Editorial Board are handled independently to avoid conflicts of interest.

In cases of suspected misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, unethical research practices), the Editorial Board follows COPE flowcharts and guidelines. Allegations are investigated promptly, authors are given the opportunity to respond, and decisions may include rejection, correction, or retraction of the article.

V. Complaints and Appeals

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief at ref@ue.poznan.pl with justification.

Complaints regarding journal policies, procedures, or content can be submitted to the Publishing House of Poznań University of Economics and Business at wydawnictwo@ue.poznan.pl. All complaints are handled promptly and transparently, in accordance with COPE guidelines.