Publication Ethics

The Editorial Board of the Art and Design bases its work on internationally recognised standards of academic integrity and ethical conduct within the publication process. These standards encompass principles of professional ethics, confidentiality, responsible interaction with authors and reviewers, as well as the prevention and proper management of conflicts of interest. All procedural decisions are taken in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and Elsevier’s Publishing Ethics Resource Kit.

Core principles of editorial ethics

The Editorial Board upholds several key principles in its activities. These include maintaining high levels of scientific rigor, accuracy and professionalism during the selection and preparation of materials; ensuring respectful and impartial treatment of all participants in the publication process; implementing double-blind peer review with the involvement of independent experts; and providing authors with ongoing guidance regarding the requirements of international databases for the preparation and formatting of academic materials.

Data access policy

The journal supports the principles of open science while at the same time safeguarding authors’ rights and maintaining ethical standards. Data underlying published results are available only upon official request submitted through the Editorial Office. Access is granted solely with the written consent of the author(s). Any individual requesting access must provide a justified explanation for its intended use. The Editorial Office forwards the request to the authors, who may require the signing of a confidentiality agreement. Authors retain the right to decline data sharing if ethical, legal or confidentiality considerations apply.

All requests must be submitted via the journal’s official email address, ensuring a controlled and fair procedure that protects authors’ rights.

Editorial decisions

The final decision regarding the acceptance of an article rests with the Editor, who relies on the evaluations of independent reviewers, the scholarly value of the work, and adherence to standards relating to plagiarism, copyright, and data accuracy. The Editor must not use unpublished material from a manuscript in their own research without obtaining written consent from the authors. All submissions are judged exclusively on academic merit, irrespective of the authors’ background, religious or political beliefs, gender or any other personal attributes.

Confidentiality

The Editorial Office ensures the confidentiality of all information relating to submitted manuscripts, including authors’ identities and manuscript content. Access to such materials is restricted to editors, reviewers and technical staff directly involved in the publication process. Each manuscript is treated as a confidential document and must not be shared with third parties unless necessary.

Conflict of interest management

Editors and reviewers must decline involvement with a manuscript if any personal, professional or financial conflict of interest exists. Unpublished material obtained through peer review may not be used in personal research. The Editorial Office investigates all reports of ethical violations or inappropriate conduct concerning both submitted and published materials.

Post-publication discussion

The journal welcomes constructive academic dialogue following publication. Articles may be openly discussed on the PubPeer platform, where readers can leave professional comments. All articles are assigned DOIs, facilitating their discovery and public discussion. The Editorial Office reviews all substantiated concerns raised on PubPeer and acts in accordance with its correction, retraction and withdrawal policies.

Ethical requirements for research involving human participants

All research involving human subjects must receive approval from an appropriate ethics committee. Authors must confirm that they obtained informed voluntary consent from participants, ensured anonymity and confidentiality, and adhered to international ethical standards such as those of the American Sociological Association (ASA), the ICC/ESOMAR International Code, and the European Commission’s ethics and data protection guidance.

Ethical requirements for research involving plants

Experimental research involving plants, whether cultivated or wild, must comply with relevant national and international regulations, including the Convention on Biological Diversity and CITES.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The Editorial Board must treat authors with respect, maintain editorial confidentiality, and refrain from making substantial changes to a manuscript without the author’s approval. Material lacking scientific value, failing to correspond to the journal’s scope, violating its editorial policy, containing plagiarism, or previously published elsewhere must not be accepted. The Board is responsible for engaging qualified reviewers and ensuring the proper application of double-blind peer review.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to assess manuscripts impartially and professionally, observe review deadlines, maintain confidentiality, refrain from using unpublished data for personal benefit, and report any conflicts of interest or suspected ethical violations to the Editorial Board.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure the originality, reliability and validity of their findings; properly cite and reference all borrowed materials; avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism; and submit only work that has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere. If authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies after submission or publication, they must promptly inform the Editorial Office and cooperate in correcting or withdrawing the article.

Authorship declaration

Submission of a manuscript confirms that all co-authors agree with its content, have made a significant contribution to the research, have approved the final version, and accept responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the work. Individuals who do not meet the criteria for authorship must be acknowledged in the “Acknowledgements” section.

Submission declaration

Manuscripts must be original, not previously published, not under consideration by another journal, and submitted with permission from the institution where the research was conducted.

Advertising policy

The journal does not accept advertising. Its financial model ensures full editorial independence and upholds the highest standards of academic integrity.

Research funding policy

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support for the research, including grants, governmental or non-governmental programmes, commercial or private funding, and internal institutional support. In the absence of financial assistance, the statement “This research received no funding” must be included.

Conflict of Interest

The journal is committed to ensuring fairness and transparency throughout the publication process; therefore, all authors, reviewers and editors are required to disclose any circumstances that could potentially influence the impartiality of their work. This policy aims to prevent personal interests from affecting research outcomes or editorial decisions, and to safeguard the integrity and reliability of published scholarship.

Conflicts of interest on the part of authors

When submitting a manuscript, authors must provide full disclosure of any situation that might compromise, or appear to compromise, their objectivity. This includes financial connections such as employment, consultancy fees, stock ownership, patent rights or any other form of remuneration, as well as non-financial considerations such as personal relationships, academic rivalries, ideological commitments or other affiliations. All declared conflicts will be published in a dedicated “Conflict of Interest” note at the end of the article. If no conflicts exist, the statement will read “None”.

Conflicts of interest on the part of reviewers

Reviewers are obliged to notify the Editorial Office of any factors that could hinder their ability to assess a manuscript independently and objectively. Such factors may involve financial or personal ties with the author(s) or with an organisation connected to the research, direct competition between the reviewer’s own work and the submitted manuscript, or any personal bias – whether favourable or unfavourable – that could affect judgement. If a conflict arises, reviewers must immediately inform the editors and decline to review the manuscript.

Conflicts of interest on the part of editors

Editors must exercise particular caution, as they are responsible for the final publication decision. If an editor has any financial, academic or personal connection that may compromise neutrality, they must recuse themselves from handling the manuscript. This includes situations in which the editor collaborates with the author, shares institutional affiliation, or appears as a co-author of the submitted work. In such cases, editorial responsibility is transferred to another editor or an independent expert is appointed.

The journal ensures complete transparency by publishing all disclosed conflicts of interest in a note accompanying each article. All participants in the publication process – authors, reviewers and editors – are expected to adhere to this policy in order to maintain the honesty, objectivity and credibility of scholarly communication.