Policy and ethics

The publication policy and ethics of the “Journal of International and European Law” are based on internationally recognised approaches of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and on the general principles of academic integrity. The Journal proceeds from the understanding that trust in scholarly publishing is ensured through transparent procedures, responsibility of all parties, and respect for copyright. These rules apply to authors, reviewers, editors, members of the Editorial Board, and any other persons involved in the preparation of materials.

The Editorial Office makes publication decisions on the basis of the scholarly quality of the manuscript, its relevance and alignment with the Journal’s scope, and the results of peer review. Manuscripts are assessed solely on their academic content and are not influenced by the author’s personal characteristics or views. All submissions are handled confidentially. Information about a manuscript, its content, and the course of its consideration is not disclosed to third parties, except those directly involved in the editorial process. Where an editor, a member of the Editorial Board, or a reviewer has a conflict of interest in relation to a submission, they do not participate in its assessment and another responsible person is appointed. The Editorial Office also undertakes to respond to substantiated inquiries, complaints, and reports of potential breaches of publication ethics and, where appropriate, to initiate corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions.

Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of the facts and data presented, the scientific validity of the conclusions, and the originality of the text. Plagiarism in any form, including self-plagiarism, improper borrowing, missing or inadequate referencing, as well as fabrication or falsification of data, is unacceptable. Authors must ensure proper citation and referencing, acknowledge the contributions of individuals and organisations that influenced the research, disclose sources of funding, and report any potential conflicts of interest. The Journal does not accept simultaneous submission of a manuscript to more than one journal, nor submission of material that has already been published elsewhere, unless clearly justified, legally permissible, and appropriately referenced. All persons who have made a substantial intellectual contribution must be listed as co-authors; other forms of support may be acknowledged in the acknowledgements.

Reviewers conduct independent scholarly assessment and are required to act impartially, professionally, and confidentially. A manuscript received for review is a confidential document and must not be shared with or discussed with third parties without the Editorial Office’s permission. Reviews should provide reasoned comments and recommendations aimed at improving the scholarly quality of the manuscript. Personal criticism of authors is unacceptable. If a reviewer identifies substantial similarity with previously published works, missing essential references, signs of misconduct, or other serious concerns, they must inform the Editorial Office and, where possible, provide relevant sources. Reviewers must not use ideas, data, or findings from a manuscript for their own benefit prior to publication. Where a reviewer has a conflict of interest or considers themselves insufficiently qualified to assess the manuscript, they must decline the review and notify the Editorial Office.

The Journal recognises that errors may occur and provides mechanisms to address them. If, after publication, significant inaccuracies, ethical issues, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or other circumstances arise that call into question the reliability of a publication, the Editorial Office conducts an assessment, communicates with the author(s), and determines the appropriate course of action. Depending on the case, this may involve publishing corrections or editorial clarifications. Where results are unreliable or obtained in breach of ethical standards, a retraction procedure is applied. Retraction notices are published on the Journal’s resources, and the electronic version of the article is clearly marked as retracted while preserving access to the original text with an explicit indication of its status.

The Journal reserves the right to reject manuscripts that do not meet ethical standards or where the author refuses to address substantiated concerns related to integrity, transparency, or proper referencing. At the same time, the Journal supports good-faith dialogue with authors, including the possibility to provide reasoned responses to reviewers’ and editors’ comments, provided this does not conflict with the principles of impartiality and confidentiality of the publication process.

The Journal permits the use of artificial intelligence tools, including generative models, as auxiliary instruments in the preparation of manuscripts, provided that the author retains full responsibility for the content of the submission. The use of AI does not relieve the author of the obligation to ensure accuracy of data, proper referencing, originality of the text, and compliance with academic integrity standards. If such tools have been used, this must be disclosed in the cover letter or in an appropriate section of the manuscript. Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.