Publication Ethics

The journal Pro-Fil is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. The following responsibilities apply to authors, editors, reviewers, and the editorial board.

Authors’ Responsibilities

Originality and Exclusivity: Only articles and other contributions that have not been published or submitted to another journal may be submitted. Authors must follow the Pro-Fil author guidelines.

Accuracy and Integrity: By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that all data and arguments are accurate, authentic, and free from fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.

Authorship: Submission confirms that all listed authors have made a significant scholarly contribution. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors, as they do not meet international authorship criteria. Any use of AI (e.g., for language editing, summarization, data analysis, or figure generation) must be transparently disclosed in the manuscript. Authors remain fully responsible for the content, regardless of AI use.

Revisions and Appeals: When revisions are requested, authors are obliged to respond to reviewers’ comments and make the necessary modifications. In disputable cases, they may appeal to the editor or retract the paper.

Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or personal conflicts of interest.

Corrections and Retractions: If errors or inaccuracies are discovered after publication, authors are required to promptly inform the editor so that corrections, retractions, or other appropriate measures can be taken.

Editorial Responsibilities

Decision-Making: The editor has full authority and responsibility for deciding which articles will be published, based solely on academic merit, relevance to the scope of the journal, and quality.

Objectivity and Fairness: Editorial decisions are made without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, or political beliefs.

Confidentiality: The editor preserves the anonymity of both authors and reviewers in the peer review process and ensures confidentiality of all submissions.

Conflict of Interest: The editor avoids conflicts of interest in relation to submitted manuscripts.

Integrity of the Record: The editor, in cooperation with the editorial board, ensures the integrity of the scholarly record and addresses appeals, complaints, and suspected misconduct.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Objectivity: Reviewers must provide objective, constructive, and timely assessments of manuscripts.

Confidentiality: Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential and not used for personal or professional gain.

Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers may decline to review a submission if there are professional, financial, or personal conflicts of interest. Examples include:

• recognition of the author’s identity;
• financial or professional benefit from accepting or rejecting the paper;
• fundamental disagreement with the topic of the paper;
• past cooperation on the same project within the last five years;
• close professional or personal relationship with the author(s).

Unless such conflicts are declared, the editor assumes that none exist.

Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by the authors and notify the editor of any potential overlap or plagiarism.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

Quality and Development: The editorial board works to continuously improve the academic and formal quality of the journal.

Guidance: It issues and updates instructions concerning editorial practices, including guidelines for authors, reviewers, and the peer review process.

Ethical Oversight: The board ensures compliance with the journal’s ethical policies, supports academic freedom, and encourages the plurality of scholarly perspectives.

Integrity: The board, together with the editor, ensures that allegations of misconduct are addressed transparently and in accordance with ethical standards.