The ethical standards adopted by the editors of “Seminare” are based on the Committee on Publication Ethics Code of Conduct (COPE), as we believe that ensuring the highest ethical standards is essential for conducting sound scientific research.

Responsibilities of the Editors

The editors take responsibility for all materials published in “Seminare”, in particular:

• respond to the expectations of readers and authors;
• constantly strive for the formal and scientific excellence of “Seminare”;
• promote the spirit of pluralism and freedom of scientific research;
• care for the integrity of scientific output;
• protect scientific research standards from unauthorized interference of business;
• if necessary, publish corrections, clarifications, cancellations, and apologies.

Responsibilities of the Scientific Council

Members of the Scientific Council support the editors in all matters related to the publication of the journal, in particular:

• promote the journal in their academic communities;
• strive for the scientific excellence of the journal;
• support the editors of “Seminare” in defining the journal’s scope and profile;
• support the editors in all matters raised by it to the Scientific Council.

Relationships with Readers

• The editors strive to facilitate reader access to published materials by introducing the open access policy and increasing the number of scientific platforms and repositories hosting “Seminare” publications.
• They provide readers with information on the funders of research the findings of which are published in the journal.
• The editors maintain contact with readers and contributors by direct mailing and via social media.

Relationships with Authors

• The editors strive to ensure that materials published in the journal match the highest scientific standards.
• Decisions on the publication of submitted materials or their rejection are based on objective criteria, such as scientific quality, originality, clarity, and compliance with the journal’s profile.
• The editors provide information on the review process.
• Authors are entitled to the appeals procedure against the decisions of the editors of “Seminare”.
• The editors clearly formulate expectations for authors.
• Accepted submissions are not withdrawn without valid reasons.

Relationships with Reviewers

• The editors inform reviewers of the criteria for evaluating submitted manuscripts and regularly evaluate these criteria and the pool of reviewers.
• The editors adopt the double-blind form of review, in order to preserve reviewer anonymity.
• The editors ensuree confidentiality of materials received from reviewers.

Appeals

• The editors efficiently resolve complaints and provide appeals procedure against its decisions.
• The appeals procedure against the editors’ decision is as follows: in case of allegations made against the material published in “Seminare”, the editors consider them and responds to those concerned by e-mail to the address provided by authors on the submission of manuscripts. In case of allegations concerning the editors of “Seminare,” the Editor-in-Chief, on behalf of the editors and after presenting his opinion regarding the allegations, forwards them to the president of the Francis de Sales Scientific Society for consideration. If the president deems it appropriate, he may turn to the TNFS Board of Directors for an opinion. The president is the ordinary appellate authority, and his decisions are final.

Opennes to Polemics

• The editors are open to polemics with articles published in “Seminare.” They also provide authors with the opportunity to respond to it.
• Such polemic can be presented on the journal’s social media profiles or in the form of polemical articles which are published at the earliest possible date.
• If the publication raises justified, well-founded criticism, the editors enable the author to withdraw or correct the article in an electronic version available on the journal’s website.

Supporting Good Academic Practices

• The editors ensure that the publication of submitted materials is conducted in accordance with international ethical standards.
• They request the authors to provide information on the decisions of competent authorities (e.g., ethics committees) in the event when the published materials relate to research requiring such permits.
• The person submitting a manuscript confirms that he or she is the author of the manuscript, that the text is original, i.e., has not been previously published in another language and has not been simultaneously submitted to any other publisher. If the manuscript is co-authored, then all authors submit a declaration in which they specify the percentage of their contribution to the preparation of the manuscript and indicate the scope of the work performed by each team member.
• The editors strongly oppose reprehensible practices violating the ethical principles of scientific research such as guest authorship, ghostwriting, and plagiarism.
• Materials submitted to the editors are verified for originality via the Uniform Anti-Plagiarism System (JSA).

Personal Data Protection

• The editors of “Seminare” attach great importance to respect of ethical principles, especially those related to the respect of privacy and dignity of every human being. In addition, the editors ensure that research on humans and animals, the findings of which are published in “Seminare,” is conducted with respect for ethical principles. Therefore, in cases where the opinion of the relevant ethics committee is required, the authors are obliged to submit it to the editors. In cases of doubt, the editors may consult a committee capable of evaluating a particular case.
• The editors of “Seminare” also comply with the privacy policy and protect the personal data of persons cooperating with it. This data is used only for the purposes of the publishing process. The editors protect personal data in accordance with the relevant regulations in force in the European Union (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 27, 2016).
• Violations of personal data protection can be reported to the following address: redakcja(at)seminare.pl or sekretarz(at)tnfs.pl.

Combating Unethical Practices

• The editors take action against persons who give rise to suspicion of violating ethical principles of scientific research throughout the editorial process. This applies to both published and unpublished material.
• In doubtful cases, the editors may ask the persons concerned to respond to the allegations. If the explanations are not satisfactory, they ask employers or the relevant authority to investigate the matter further.
• The editors make every effort to clarify problematic issues in the atmosphere of friendliness, transparency, and fairness

Ensuring the Integrity of Research Output

• In the event of publishing significant inaccuracies misleading the readers, false statements or research data, the editors shall immediately report the case and make the necessary corrections or additions.
• If, after clarification, it turns out that the misdemeanor significantly alters the results of the published research, the editors shall withdraw the published article. Information about the fact is then made available to readers and platforms indexing scientific journals.

Relationships with the Publisher

• The editors of “Seminare” are independent of the publisher in their decisions on the publication of submitted materials. Decisions on the publication of materials are made based on their quality and validity for readers, regardless of economic, political, or world-view factors.
• The editors allow publishing advertisements, but always ensure their reliability and high ethical standards. Funds raised in this way are used for expenses related to the publication of the journal.

Conflict of Interest

• The editors ensure that no conflicts of interest arise at any stage of the editorial process. This includes conflicts between the editors, reviewers, and authors, as well as authors and research sponsors.
• The editors strive to make the review process of submitted articles as objective as possible by employing a double-blind review, which means that the identity of the reviewer and the author is concealed. There is also no business, family, friendship, etc. dependence between them. In addition, the editors grant the authors the right to exclude a potential reviewer. Such a request should be adequately justified.
• If the author submitting the article is a member of the editorial team of “Seminare” or has a relationship of dependence to any member of the editorial team then such a member of the editorial team is excluded from the editorial process of the submitted manuscript.
• In order to avoid conflicts of interest, the author is required to make a declaration about the sources of funding for the research the findings of which he or she has submitted for publication in “Seminare”. This information is published in the article.
• All allegations regarding conflict of interest both before and after publication should be reported to the editors, which review them and inform the submitter of the decisions made. Parties may appeal against the decision of the editors to the president of TNFS, whose decisions are final.