CODE OF ETHICS


Please, download full version of our Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement in English here.

The code of ethics set out below contains the most important principles relating to editorial and review processes and also authorship and publication. All definitions and details (e.g., allegations of misconduct, appeals process, complaints process, conflicts of interest, authorship criteria, etc.) are described in full version of our Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement. We ask all contributors to the Biuletyn Historii Sztuki to familiarise themselves with them.

Biuletyn Historii Sztuki, committed to the high standards of academic publishing, expects all contributors and collaborators to adhere to the principles set forth in The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, with special emphasis on:

  • reliability at all stages and in all aspects of the research;
  • honesty in developing, reviewing, and communicating the research;
  • respect and care for all involved in the research;
  • accountability for the research from the idea through the design to publication.

The editorial team is committed to keeping its knowledge of best practices in editorial, reviewing, publishing ethics up to date with openness to new ethical perspectives. In our regularly updated Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement, we follow guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and refer to Committee’s documents. For all matters unspecified in this statement, the COPE guidelines, which are tracked by the editorial team on an ongoing basis, will be applied.

Contacts for raising concerns

Should any misconduct be suspected with regard to authorship, reviewing or editing, the publication process to which the allegations or concerns relate will be suspended and the relevant persons will be asked for clarification. Once these are obtained, a decision will be made by the editorial team. If the allegations or doubts concern a person on the editorial team, she or he will be excluded from the decision-making process. The successive stages of case clarification are carried out in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Any concerns regarding Biuletyn Historii Sztuki publishing integrity and complaints against the journal, its editorial team or publisher can be addressed to the director of the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences: ispan@ispan.pl. The editorial team or the publisher will handle complaints and appeals concerning publication ethics appropriately. All concerns should be addressed either to the editorial team: bhs@ispan.pl or directly to the publisher, Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences: wydawnictwo@ispan.pl. Depending on the reported problem, the response of the head of the institute, the editor-in-chief of the journal or a representative of the publisher is given in writing as soon as possible, but no later than within two weeks.

Rules applying to the editorial team of Biuletyn Historii Sztuki

  • Editors assess the merits and linguistic correctness of submitted articles, taking care to treat all the authors equally and without bias.
  • Editors, striving to ensure that any publication decision is free from undue influence, require authors, editors, and peer reviewers to disclose any competing interests and potential conflict of interests.
  • Editors choose peer reviewers in a way that ensures unbiased assessment of submitted texts.
  • Editors make sure that the peer review process is anonymous and that information about submitted texts is disclosed exclusively to their authors, peer reviewers, or appointed experts.
  • Editors are obliged to respect the principle of confidentiality throughout the process of working on the submitted texts, and in particular they must not use the texts for their own purposes in an unauthorized way.
  • Editors are obliged to react appropriately, i.e. in accordance with the guidelines provided by COPE and the Committee on Ethics in Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences to any instances of a contributor’s, editor’s, or reviewer’s lack of integrity. The first step is always asking the person in question for an explanation.
  • All submitted articles are screened for plagiarism (Crossref Similarity Check). Editors will inform all relevant authorities and institutions (including the institution with which the contributor is affiliated) about any serious documented instances of the lack of scholarly integrity (such as plagiarism, self-plagiarism, ghostwriting, and guest/gift authorship).
  • Editors are always willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed. If there is a need to retract an article from publication, its electronic version will be marked accordingly (with a comment to that effect).

Rules applying to authors of Biuletyn Historii Sztuki

  • By submitting a text, the author vouches that it is an original work that does not infringe on the copyrights of third parties and has not been published or submitted for publication with any other publisher.
  • The author is obliged to inform of everyone involved in the work on the manuscript. If acknowledgements are to appear in the text for people who have made a particular contribution, the editors may ask for the designated person’s permission to publish their name.
  • The author is obliged to disclose information about funding and other contributions provided by scholarly or research institutions, associations, or other bodies.
  • It will be possible to publish copyrighted material, provided the authors have first obtained permission from the copyright holders. By submitting a text with illustrations, the author declares that reproduction rights have been secured.
  • Submitting the manuscript is tantamount to ensuring that all stages of the research have been carried out with ethical insight, professional integrity, and transparency, in line with The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and Committee on Ethics in Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences guidelines. Where appropriate, authors should also provide a statement of how the data and information they submit was obtained and how rights have been secured. When sensitive data are included in the text submitted by the author, it is necessary to indicate that no human rights were violated (i.e., that the activities were carried out in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
  • Should the author discover any error or violation of research integrity or code of ethics that involves a manuscript that has already been submitted or the published article, they must notify the editorial team immediately.
  • The author is obliged to collaborate with the editorial team in the process of preparing the manuscript for publication (by responding to the comments and suggestions of peer reviewers and editors and by making corrections).

Rules applying to peer reviewers of Biuletyn Historii Sztuki

  • A reviewer should inform the editorial team as soon as possible about any risk of conflict of interest involving the paper received for review and of any other reason why the reviewer would wish to withdraw from the review process.
  • Throughout the process of manuscript review and evaluation, reviewers are obliged to observe the strictest confidentiality.
  • Reviewers shall evaluate the manuscripts objectively, refraining from any subjective or personal comments. A review, the purpose of which is to support the author in improving their manuscript, should include a clearly stated explanation of the recommendation.
  • Reviewers should point out where the manuscript under review lacks pertinent references or bibliographical information. Whenever possible, reviewers are obliged to inform the editorial team if the manuscript or its part is similar to any other work which has already been published.
  • Reviewers may not use the manuscripts under review for any purpose other than the review itself. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
  • Reviewers consent to their full names being published once a year on the journal’s website.