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Publication Ethics

The Editor-in-Chief of Međunarodna politika has a duty to initiate adequate procedure when she/he has a reasonable doubt or determines that a breach of ethical standards has occurred – in published articles or submitted manuscripts. Anyone may inform the Editor-in-Chief of suspected unethical behavior at any time by giving the necessary evidence. The Editor-in-Chief, in cooperation with the Editorial Board – and, if necessary, with a group of experts – concludes the investigation by deciding whether a breach of ethical standards has occurred or not. In the case of a determining breach of ethical standards, it will be classified as either minor or severe. Serious breaches of ethical standards are plagiarism, false authorship, misreported or falsified data or fabricated or falsified research results, and substantial text recycling (over 50% of a manuscript/article body text).

Along with the rejection of the manuscript or retraction of a published article from the journal (in accordance with the Retraction Policy), the following actions can be pursued, either individually or cumulatively:

  • A ban on submissions for two years in the case of a minor breach of ethical standards.
  • A ban on submissions for a period of 5–10 years in the case of a severe breach of ethical standards or repetitive minor breaches.
  • Publication of a formal announcement or editorial describing the case of breach of ethical standards.
  • Informing the wrongdoer’s head of department and/or employer of the breach of ethical standards by means of a formal letter.
  • Referring a case to a professional organisation or legal authority for further investigation and action.

When dealing with unethical behaviour, the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board will rely on the guidelines and recommendations provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE.