SCIENTIA UNIVERSALIS is committed to ensuring the integrity, transparency, independence and quality of its editorial process. Everyone involved in submitting, reviewing, selecting, preparing or publishing a manuscript must comply with the ethical principles set out below.

1. Originality and avoidance of duplicate publication

All submitted manuscripts must be original contributions, must not have been previously published and must not be under consideration by another journal at the same time. Material, quotations, data and ideas drawn from third parties must be clearly identified and properly referenced. Plagiarism, deceptive self-plagiarism, falsification, fabrication and manipulation of data are prohibited.

2. Authorship and contributions

Authorship may be attributed only to individuals who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the conception, conduct, analysis or writing of the work, approved its final version and agreed to take responsibility for it. Other contributions must be recognised in the acknowledgements. Any change to the list or order of authors must be justified and approved by everyone concerned.

3. Research ethics

Research involving human participants, personal data, communities, animals or biological resources must comply with applicable ethical, legal and professional standards. Where required by the nature of the research, authors must specify the approval granted by an ethics committee, the informed consent procedures and the measures taken to safeguard the confidentiality, dignity and safety of the persons concerned.

4. Conflicts of interest and funding

Authors, reviewers and editors must disclose any personal, professional, institutional or financial relationship that could influence, or appear to influence, their judgement. Funding sources and any role played by funding organisations must be transparently reported.

5. Data, sources and reproducibility

Authors must retain the data and documents underlying their findings, present them accurately and, where legal, ethical and contractual obligations permit, state the conditions under which they may be accessed. Any access restrictions must be clearly explained.

6. Use of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be recognised as authors. Any substantial use of such tools in research, analysis, translation, writing or the production of visual material must be precisely disclosed. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, confidentiality and integrity of all submitted content.

7. Peer review and confidentiality

Manuscripts undergo double-anonymous peer review. Reviewers must assess submissions competently, independently, impartially and diligently, maintain their confidentiality and refrain from using unpublished information for their own benefit. They must decline a review if a conflict of interest or insufficient expertise would compromise the quality of their assessment.

8. Editorial independence and responsibility

Publication decisions are based exclusively on scientific quality, originality, relevance, ethical compliance and the manuscript’s alignment with the journal’s editorial scope. No discrimination, including on grounds of origin, sex, nationality, beliefs, institutional affiliation or social status, is permitted in the handling of a submission.

9. Misconduct, corrections and retractions

All allegations of breaches of research integrity are examined seriously, confidentially and impartially, with due opportunity for the parties concerned to respond. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the established facts, the journal may request explanations or corrections, suspend consideration of or reject a manuscript, publish a correction, withdraw or retract an article and, where necessary, inform the relevant institutions or authorities.

SCIENTIA UNIVERSALIS reserves the right to update this policy to reflect developments in international standards for scholarly publishing and research integrity.