All research published by the publisher's journals must be conducted in accordance with the highest international and local standards of rigour and integrity.

Research Involving Human Subjects

Manuscripts containing the results of surveys and other research involving human subjects should include a statement that the work has been approved by the appropriate ethics committees associated with the institution(s) in which it was performed. The respondents' participation must be voluntary and accompanied by a signed consent, including the publication of the results. A mandatory requirement is to maintain confidentiality and avoid any kind of discrimination or pressure. The ethics of conducted research should always be substantiated and supported by references to relevant standards, including professional ethical codes. Among the main international recommendations on the ethics of scientific research, which the journal editors follow and also recommend to authors, are the following: American Sociological Association’s Code of Ethics (1997), ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics (2016), Guidance note of the European Commission on ethics and data protection (2021).

When reporting on research involving human subjects, authors should state that the research was conducted in accordance with the following standards. An approval from the local institutional review board (IRB) or other appropriate ethics committee must be obtained before undertaking the research to confirm the study meets national and international guidelines. All participants must be fully informed if the anonymity is assured, why the research is being conducted, how their data will be used and if there are any risks associated. Ethical approval from an appropriate ethics committee must be obtained prior to conducting the study. If ethical approval is not required, authors must either provide an exemption from the ethics committee or are encouraged to cite the local or national legislation that indicates ethics approval is not required for this type of study.

Ethical Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Research

Publishing House supports the ARRIVE guidelines for reporting experiments using live animals. Authors and reviewers must use the ARRIVE guidelines as a checklist. Editors reserve the right to ask for the checklist and to reject submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines, to reject submissions based on ethical or animal welfare concerns or if the procedure described does not appear to be justified by the value of the work presented.

For further guidance authors should refer to the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Used in Scientific Procedures, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science or European Animal Research Association.

Research Involving Plants

Experimental research on plants (either cultivated or wild) including collection of plant material, must comply with institutional, national, or international guidelines. We recommend that authors comply with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.