Publication of texts in the annual journal "Studia Oecumenica" is carried out in accordance with the Code of Conduct of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publication process—the journal’s Editorial Board, authors, and reviewers—are required to comply with the ethical standards adopted by the journal.

Authors’ Responsibilities

Research integrity is a fundamental element of scholarly quality. Authors should present their research findings in a reliable, credible, honest, and unambiguous manner.

"Studia Oecumenica" publishes only original scholarly articles that have neither been previously published nor submitted for publication in another journal, monograph, or edited volume. Submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to several publication venues is unethical and will not be accepted.

A key criterion in the assessment of submitted manuscripts is also the objectivity of the analyses and the clear and unambiguous presentation of the research problem. False statements, falsification of research results, and data manipulation are considered unethical and will not be accepted.

Whenever a manuscript refers to claims, research findings, or data developed by other authors, the relevant passage must be accompanied by an appropriate reference and/or presented as a quotation. Authors should prepare their manuscripts on the basis of the most recent and relevant literature essential to the presentation of the research problem. Information obtained through conversation or correspondence with third parties may be included in the manuscript only with the explicit written consent of those persons.

Cases of so-called guest authorship and ghostwriting are considered unethical and will not be accepted. Authorship is limited to persons who have made a significant contribution to the conception of the study, its assumptions, research methods, and the implementation of the research project. Where a manuscript has been prepared by several authors, each author is required to submit a statement specifying their contribution to the preparation of the text. Each author must also separately consent to the submission of the article for publication in "Studia Oecumenica".

Editorial Responsibilities

The Editorial Board of "Studia Oecumenica" decides whether a submitted manuscript should be published, taking into account primarily the scholarly character of the analysis, its consistency with the thematic profile of the journal, and the need to eliminate plagiarism and practices referred to as guest authorship and ghostwriting.

In the event of complaints concerning breaches of ethical standards in scholarly publishing addressed to the Editorial Board of "Studia Oecumenica", the author or authors of the submitted manuscript are informed in writing of the allegations and invited to respond. In the absence of a response, the institution with which the author or authors are affiliated is informed of the matter.

A manuscript that receives positive evaluations from two external reviewers is accepted for publication. In the case of conditional acceptance, where the reviewers indicate the need for revisions and/or additions, the author is informed in writing of the need to make substantive corrections to the manuscript. A negative evaluation by both reviewers results in rejection of the manuscript, of which the author is informed in writing.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Each scholarly article submitted for publication is reviewed by two independent external reviewers. The double-blind review procedure adopted by "Studia Oecumenica" ensures that authors and reviewers do not know one another’s identities.

A reviewer selected by the Editorial Board of "Studia Oecumenica" to assess a submitted manuscript is required to inform the Editorial Board if they are unable to evaluate the text owing to a lack of relevant expertise or insufficient time. In such a case, the Editorial Board promptly appoints another reviewer.

A manuscript submitted for review must be treated as confidential material. The reviewer may not show or discuss the manuscript with anyone other than members of the Editorial Board of "Studia Oecumenica". Research findings, data, opinions, and claims contained in a manuscript submitted for publication may not be used by the reviewer in their own research before the article has been published.

The reviewer’s primary responsibility is to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Criticism motivated by personal considerations is inappropriate. All comments, evaluations, and suggestions should be expressed clearly and supported by arguments.

The following criteria are taken into account in the review process: the originality and scholarly character of the submitted manuscript; its consistency with the thematic profile of the journal; the manner in which the research objectives are pursued and the clarity with which the research problem is presented; the appropriate use of relevant literature; and the proper substantiation of claims and conclusions. Detailed rules governing the review procedure adopted by "Studia Oecumenica" are available on the journal’s website under the “For Authors” section.

The reviewer informs the Editorial Board of any suspicion that the person submitting the manuscript has committed plagiarism or so-called self-plagiarism, indicating the passage or passages that raise concerns.

Prevention and Detection of Plagiarism

Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical conduct and will not be accepted.

Where plagiarism is suspected, the Editorial Board of "Studia Oecumenica" conducts an investigation involving the reviewers and the person who submitted the manuscript.

Where the unauthorised use of text, claims, research findings, or data is confirmed, the author of the submitted article is informed in writing that the manuscript has been rejected. In the absence of a response, the institution with which the author is affiliated is notified of the matter. In cases of so-called self-plagiarism, where an author includes in a submitted article passages from their own previously published work, the Editorial Board of "Studia Oecumenica" informs the author in writing that the article cannot be published because the analysis lacks originality.