Editorial policies and ethical considerations

CRITERIA FOR MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTANCE

           The criteria for acceptance of all articles are the quality and originality of the research, as well as its significance for the journal's readers. An article may be of interest if it achieves one or more of the following:

  • presents new methods and approaches to analysis;
  • presents a particularly exemplary and thorough analysis based on existing research methods;
  • tests an interesting hypothesis or hypotheses with a well-presented example and logical discussion;
  • taxonomic treatment of a group, especially using molecular data;
  • syntaxonomic treatment of a part of the vegetation cover, especially with comparison to existing analogues;
  • checklists and prodromus, especially for areas important in a conservation context;
  • presents a high-quality analytical biography of a scientist, indicating the main scientific achievements obtained in the course of scientific activity.

Materials regarding new and interesting finds of vascular plants, lichens, and lichenicolous fungi can be sent to the coordinators of periodical articles:

Notes to lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi in Ukraine (corresponding author Valerii Darmostuk, e-mail: valeriidarmostuk@gmail.com)

Notes to vascular plant in Ukraine (corresponding author Ivan Moysiyenko, e-mail: ivan.moysiyenko@gmail.com)

 

The criteria for selecting materials for periodic publication series are:

  • a new species for Ukraine or an administrative region;
  • a rare species in Ukraine or in an administrative region (having no more than 10 localities in one region);
  • new localities of species included in conservation lists (European Red List, Red Data Book of Ukraine, resolutions of the Bern Convention, lists of plant species requiring protection at the regional level);
  • confirmation of finds of species that have not been found for more than 50 years within a region, a significant geographical or geobotanical area, or the whole of Ukraine.

 

EXPERT EVALUATION

The journal uses a double-blind peer review procedure. Articles will be sent for review only if the Editor-in-Chief considered that the article corresponds to the scope of the journal. Following this, one of the Deputy Editors-in-Chief or members of the Editorial Board will be selected as the Coordinating Editor for further consideration of the submitted manuscript, inviting reviewers, and making the final decision on the acceptance of the article for publication. If a Coordinating Editor is assigned to the article, the corresponding author will receive a notification via email, usually within five days of the article's submission. A decision to reject the article may also be made within five days.

 

AUTHORS' RESPONSIBILITY

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity

 

The Editorial Board of the "Chornomorski Botanical Journal" strictly adheres to the principles of academic integrity established in the Law of Ukraine "On Academic Integrity" (No. 4742-IX). In accordance with legislative norms, any forms of academic dishonest practices are unacceptable, in particular:

  • academic plagiarism: publication of results obtained by other persons as one's own results and/or reproduction of texts by other authors without attribution;
  • self-plagiarism: reproduction of one's own previously published results without a proper reference to the primary source;
  • fabrication and falsification: inventing data or manipulating research results;
  • dishonest use of AI: concealing the fact of using artificial intelligence when creating text or generating data.

Submission of a manuscript to the journal automatically implies that the authors confirm the originality of the work and bear personal responsibility for compliance with ethical norms. In case of detection of signs of academic dishonesty, the editorial office is guided by the response procedures and sanctions provided for by the current legislation of Ukraine, which may include rejection of the manuscript or withdrawal (retraction) of an already published article.

 

Authorship

The list of authors must accurately illustrate who contributed to the work and in what manner. All persons listed as authors must meet the following authorship criteria:

  • made a significant contribution to the development of the concept and design, or data collection, or analysis and interpretation of data;
  • participated in the preparation of the manuscript or its critical revision for important intellectual content;
  • gave final approval of the manuscript for publication;
  • participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for relevant parts of the content;
  • agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The contributions of persons who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed, with the author's permission, in the "Acknowledgements" section (for example, to recognize the contribution of persons who provided technical assistance, data collation, assistance in writing the article, obtaining funding, etc.). Before submitting the article, all authors must agree on the order in which their names will be listed in the manuscript. Also, during the submission, the corresponding author must confirm in writing in a letter to the editorial board that all co-authors agree with the submitted version and the distribution of functions specified in the text of the article in accordance with CRediT.

 

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence

The Editorial Board of the "Chornomorski Botanical Journal" recognizes the potential of generative artificial intelligence as an auxiliary tool; however, it emphasizes the priority of the author's intellectual contribution and compliance with the norms of academic integrity (in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Academic Integrity").

Permissible Use (with mandatory declaration):

  • Development of algorithms and program code: using AI to create or optimize specific software, scripts (e.g., for statistical data processing in R or Python), or mathematical models.
  • Technical editing: using tools for checking grammar, style, and translation (provided the author maintains full control over the content).
  • Formatting: assistance in formatting reference lists and bibliographic citations.

A detailed description of the use of artificial intelligence for the development of algorithms must be provided in the "Materials and Methods" section. The fact of using any AI tools must be indicated in the "Additional Information" section (under the subheading "AI Usage Declaration").

Impermissible Use:

  • Generation of ideas and hypotheses: the authorship of the research concept must belong exclusively to a human.
  • Writing the main body text: it is prohibited to use AI to create the substantive parts of the article, including the Introduction, Discussion, Materials and Methods, Conclusions, Abstract, and Summary (the text must be the product of the author's own analysis).
  • Interpretation of results: the formulation of scientific conclusions based on data cannot be delegated to automated systems.
  • Creation of images (research objects): it is forbidden to use generative models to create or manipulate images of biological objects, microphotographs, or graphs that constitute the primary research data.

 

Responsibility

Artificial intelligence cannot be listed as a co-author of an article. Authors bear full personal responsibility for the accuracy of all data, the absence of plagiarism, and the ethics of materials prepared using auxiliary digital tools. If hidden, impermissible use of generative AI for text writing is detected, the manuscript will be rejected for violation of academic integrity norms.

 

Conflict of Interest

During the submission of the article, authors will be asked to provide a declaration of conflict of interest. Submitting authors must ensure communication with all co-authors to confirm agreement with the final version of the manuscript. Any interests or relationships, financial or otherwise, that could be perceived as influencing the author's objectivity are considered potential sources of conflict of interest. These must be disclosed if they are directly relevant or immediately related to the work described by the authors in their manuscript.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not prevent publication. If the authors have no conflict of interest, they must state this in the relevant section of the article (Additional Information). The corresponding author is responsible for reviewing this policy with all co-authors and collectively disclosing all relevant commercial and other relationships upon submission of the article.

 

Funding

Authors must list all sources of funding in the relevant sections of the article. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the indicated funding sources. In the case of multiple authorship, and if the research was supported by several foundations, it is good practice to provide a personalized indication of funding sources.

 

Journal Policy Regarding Criticism

If an article (under the "Forum and Review Papers" section) contains a significant element of criticism regarding a specific article or the work of another scientist(s), the latter will be invited to comment on the manuscript. However, these comments will be considered in context, and additionally, one or two reviewers with no conflict of interest will be involved. The author subject to the criticism will be offered the right to publish a response simultaneously with the critical article, provided that the response is received by the specified deadline - usually within five weeks from the moment the critical article is accepted for publication. The response will be peer-reviewed. It will also be sent to the author of the original criticism to ensure it does not contain unsubstantiated or offensive content. Authors providing the criticism do not have an automatic right to further replies, though the Editor may permit comments. The Editor-in-Chief ensures that the process is fair to all interested parties and that the journal's readers can evaluate both sides to reach their own conclusions.

 

Errors

An author may, on their own initiative, submit a note regarding an error in their article previously published in the Chornomorski Botanical Journal that could mislead readers. If an article is submitted that contains only the correction of a simple error in a paper published by another author - one which might mislead readers but does not affect the results (for example, an error in a formula where the correct formula was nonetheless used in the original calculations) - the author who made the error will be offered the opportunity to submit a correction with an acknowledgment to the author who pointed it out. This correction will be published instead of the submitted critical article.

 

REVIEWERS' RESPONSIBILITY

Standards of Impartiality

Reviewers are asked to adhere to the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers and WAME policies regarding confidentiality and the identification of conflicts of interest. In accordance with DORA principles, reviewers should focus exclusively on the scientific value of the presented materials, their methodological quality, and the logic of the presentation. They must express their views clearly with appropriate reasoning. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable.

Reviewers are asked to inform the editorial board if they detect instances of plagiarism, unreliable, or falsified data. Reviewers must decline the invitation to review if they feel they cannot provide a fair and impartial review within the timeframe specified by the editorial board.

 

Confidentiality

All information concerning a submitted manuscript and all aspects of its review must be kept in strict confidence and may not be shown to or discussed with anyone other than the editors. Reviewers do not have the right to use any materials or take advantage of any information obtained during the peer review process.

 

Conflict of Interest

Reviewers are asked to declare any potential conflict of interest related to the presented research. Once manuscripts are submitted for review, reviewers are requested to notify the Editor-in-Chief of any potential conflicts of interest.

 

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Peer Review

Reviewers are strictly prohibited from using generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT or similar systems) to write the text of a review, critical remarks, or recommendations regarding a manuscript. The assessment of scientific novelty, methodology, and the significance of results must be exclusively the result of the reviewer's professional analysis.

It is prohibited to upload a manuscript or any part of it (text, tables, images) into artificial intelligence systems. This is regarded as a violation of copyright and confidentiality, as the data may be used by AI systems for further model training.

Reviewers may use digital tools exclusively for technical fact-checking (for example, verifying references, searching for potential plagiarism using specialized software, or checking statistical calculations) without transferring the confidential content of the article to third-party services.

 

EDITORS' RESPONSIBILITY

Publication Decision

The Editorial Board is committed to ensuring equal treatment of all authors and manuscripts, regardless of the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy. The evaluation of materials is based solely on their scientific value, originality, clarity of presentation, and relevance to the profile of the Chornomorski Botanical Journal. The final decision on the publication of materials in an issue is made by the Academic Council of the journal's founder upon the recommendation of the Editor-in-Chief.

 

Ethical Issues

The editors of the Chornomorski Botanical Journal adhere to international standards of ethical conduct with all parties involved in the publishing process. They must ensure that all submitted materials they recommend for publication comply with COPE guidelines. The Editor-in-Chief must take appropriate measures in the event of ethical complaints regarding a submitted manuscript or a published article, as well as appeals against editorial decisions.

 

Confidentiality

Editors must not disclose information regarding the selected reviewers. Any information or ideas obtained during the peer review process must be kept confidential and not used for personal gain. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in anyone's own research. The editorial office is committed to maintaining the anonymity of reviewers unless they decide to reveal their identity. All allegations of misconduct must be reported to the Editor-in-Chief and kept confidential until a thorough investigation has been conducted.

 

Conflict of Interest

Editors must take into account any financial, non-financial, professional, or personal relationships between authors and reviewers. They are also obliged to declare their own competing interests. Editors must take measures in accordance with COPE guidelines to disclose any potential conflict of interest. In the event that competing interests are disclosed after publication, appropriate corrections must be published in the next issue.

 

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity

To ensure the processes of academic integrity, all articles are mandatory checked by the journal's founder using certified anti-plagiarism software before publication. If a significant amount of borrowing is detected - including self-borrowing, which could potentially be considered plagiarism or self-plagiarism after the article's publication - the submitted materials will be rejected by the Editorial Board. The decision to reject is made by the Editorial Board based on an analytical report.

 

 

Article Retraction Procedure

If facts of scientific fraud (fabrication, falsification, academic plagiarism) or other types of academic integrity violations are detected after publication, the editorial board initiates the article retraction procedure.

 

Procedure for Reviewing Violations

The basis for an investigation is the receipt by the editorial office of documented information regarding a violation (non-anonymous emails or hard-copy documents). After receiving and performing an initial analysis of this information, the Editor-in-Chief issues an order to establish a special commission consisting of three members of the Editorial Board. The chair of the commission conducts an investigation over the course of one month and presents the results of the review at a meeting of the Editorial Board. If the fact of dishonesty is confirmed, a corresponding submission, along with the minutes of the Editorial Board meeting, is sent to the Academic Council of Kherson State University for a final decision on the retraction.

 

Execution of Retraction

Retracted articles are kept on the journal's website in .pdf format; however, they are marked with a "ВІДКЛИКАНО / RETRACTED" watermark on every page to minimize the risk of future citation. A retraction notice containing the substantiated reasons for the withdrawal is promptly published in the next issue of the journal and placed in the appropriate section of the website to properly inform the scientific community.

 

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

The Chornomorski Botanical Journal is an open-access journal. All articles are made freely available on the journal's website immediately after the publication decision is made. Any interested person may read the articles and use them for any lawful purpose. No fees are charged to authors for peer review or open access.

Readers may access, download, print, copy, distribute, and transmit or remix (adapt) the electronic version of the article free of charge, in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), provided that the use and distribution are fully attributed to the author(s) and the source of publication.

The journal's editorial office implements a comprehensive plan for electronic backup and long-term preservation of scientific content. In the event that the publication of the edition ceases, continuous access to the full texts of the articles will be ensured through independent and free digital archives.

Furthermore, the journal supports a self-archiving policy: authors have the right to deposit versions of their articles in institutional repositories or on personal webpages to ensure maximum coverage and preservation of their scientific work.