Ethical norms

Journal "Scientific Bulletin of the Uzhhorod University. Series Biology" complies with the requirements established by the international Committee on Publication Ethics (Committee on Publication Ethics - COPE), which can be found on the COPE website, and the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Principles of editor's and publisher's ethics

When making a decision on publication, the editors are guided by the reliability of the submitted data and the scientific significance of the considered work.

The intellectual content of the manuscripts is evaluated regardless of the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious views, origin, citizenship, social status or political views of the authors.

Unpublished data obtained from submitted manuscripts are not used for personal purposes and are not disclosed to third parties without the written consent of the author. Information from submitted manuscripts remains confidential and is not used for personal gain.

The editors will not publish a manuscript if there is reason to believe that it is plagiarized.

The editorial office does not leave unanswered claims related to reviewed manuscripts or published materials, and in the event of a conflict situation, takes all necessary measures to restore violated rights.

Principles of reviewer ethics

A manuscript received for review is treated as a confidential document, which cannot be transferred for review or discussion to third parties who do not have the authority to do so from the editors.

The reviewer gives an objective and well-argued assessment of the presented research results. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable.

Unpublished data obtained from submitted manuscripts are not used by the reviewer for personal purposes.

A reviewer who, in his opinion, does not have sufficient qualifications to evaluate the manuscript, or if he cannot be objective, in particular in the case of a conflict of interest with the author or the organization, should inform the editorial office about this with a request to exclude him from the process of reviewing the given manuscript.

Principles of ethics of the author of a scientific publication

The author(s) of the article must provide reliable results of the conducted research. Knowingly submitting false or falsified data is unacceptable.

The author must guarantee that the research results presented in the submitted manuscript are completely original. Borrowed data must be issued with a mandatory indication of the author and the original source. Plagiarism in any form is unethical and unacceptable. References to works that were relevant to the research should be provided in the article.

Authors should not submit for publication a manuscript that was previously submitted to another publication and is currently being considered, as well as an article already published in another publication.

Co-authors of the article must be indicated by all persons who made a significant contribution to the conduct of the research.

If the author discovers errors or inaccuracies in the article at the stage of its review or after its publication, he must notify the editors as soon as possible.

Support for DORA Principles (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment)

The editorial board of the scientific journal adheres to an approach focused on the qualitative rather than purely quantitative assessment of research outputs.

The evaluation of scholarly works is based on their content, scientific significance, methodological rigor, and contribution to the development of the respective field, rather than solely on bibliometric indicators such as journal impact factors or citation indices.

The editorial policy stipulates that decisions regarding publication are primarily guided by the scientific value of the manuscript, its originality, the validity of its results, and its relevance to the journal’s scope.

The journal encourages the responsible use of bibliometric indicators and recognizes their supplementary role in the assessment of research activity. At the same time, such metrics should not replace expert peer evaluation of research quality.

The editorial board supports the principles of open, transparent, and fair scholarly communication, in line with the international recommendations of DORA and contemporary publishing practices.

Policy on Mandatory Ethical Approval

The journal adheres to international standards of biomedical research ethics and requires that all studies involving human participants, animals, biological materials, or sensitive data comply with applicable legislation of Ukraine and internationally recognized ethical principles.

Research Involving Human Participants

All studies involving patients or healthy volunteers, including clinical observations, surveys, interviews, and medical data analysis, must be approved in advance by an appropriate local ethics committee or institutional bioethics commission.

Authors are required to obtain a positive ethics approval prior to the commencement of the study and to include in the manuscript:

• the name of the approving institution;
• the approval reference number and date (if available);
• confirmation of compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Informed consent from participants for participation in the study and/or the use of their medical data is mandatory.

Research Involving Animals

Studies involving animals or their biological materials must comply with the principles of humane treatment and international bioethical standards, including the 3R principle (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement).

Authors must confirm that:

• the study was approved by a competent ethics authority;
• all procedures comply with animal welfare standards;
• measures were taken to minimize pain, stress, and the number of animals used.

Use of Personal and Clinical Data

All studies involving personal, clinical, or other sensitive data must comply with data protection legislation and confidentiality requirements. 

Authors are responsible for ensuring:

• anonymization or de-identification of data where necessary;
• lawful grounds for data processing;
• respect for patient confidentiality principles.

Where applicable, appropriate ethical or institutional approval must be obtained for the use of such data.

The editorial board reserves the right to request documentation confirming ethical approval or additional evidence of compliance with ethical standards.

Manuscripts that do not provide evidence of ethical approval or fail to meet the required ethical standards may be rejected at any stage of the editorial process.