Editorial Policy Overview

The following rules apply to the electronic scientific-methodological journal Philology Matters. Please read this policy in full before submission to ensure full compliance with journal requirements.

The journal follows internationally recognized publication ethics principles, including relevant COPE recommendations.

Affiliation

All relevant affiliations must be provided to indicate where the research was approved, supported, and/or conducted.

• Author full names in 3 languages (Uzbek, Russian, English).
• Academic degree, title, and position in 3 languages.
• Region/country of residence in 3 languages.
• Email addresses and phone numbers.
• ORCID iD.
• If available: Google Scholar and Scopus profile links.

Appeals and Complaints

The journal follows COPE guidance for appeals against editorial decisions and complaints about editorial process management. Substantive appeals are considered when supported by clear arguments, evidence, or new information.

For process-related complaints, contact the editorial office and select the relevant category. Authors are encouraged to consult the journal's full appeals and complaints guidance (Appendix 9 and Appendix 10).

Authorship

Listing author names is a core mechanism for recognizing scholarly contribution and ensuring responsibility for research integrity.

All listed authors must meet all criteria below:

1. Substantial contribution to concept, design, execution, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or these components collectively.
2. Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
3. Joint decision on journal submission.
4. Review and approval of all manuscript versions, including revised and final accepted versions and any substantial corrections.

Determining Authorship

Decisions on who is listed as an author and in what order are the shared responsibility of all contributors.

Editors do not arbitrate unresolved authorship disputes. If disagreement persists, the matter is referred to the relevant institution(s). Authors should consult the journal guidance on authorship, authorship changes, acknowledgements, language/translation support, analytical assistance, and author-name change policy.

Citation Policy

Claims must be supported by relevant, timely, peer-reviewed literature where appropriate. Excessive self-citation and coordinated citation arrangements intended to manipulate citation records are prohibited.

Authors of non-research articles (such as reviews or opinions) must ensure fair, balanced, and current coverage of the field and avoid unfair concentration on specific groups, institutions, or journals.

If you are uncertain about citation practice, contact the journal and review the full citation guidance, including references that should be included in the bibliography.

Competing Interests

Authors and co-authors must disclose any competing interests relevant to the manuscript or that may reasonably be perceived as relevant.

• Competing interests may be financial or non-financial.
• Possible sources include employment, sponsorship, legal, commercial, academic, or personal/professional relationships.
• Potentially perceived competing interests should also be disclosed for transparency.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

Post-publication changes are made only after editorial and ethics review in accordance with COPE principles.

Where required, changes are linked to a formal notice (correction, expression of concern, retraction, or in rare cases removal) to preserve the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record.

Data Availability and Preservation

The journal applies a data-sharing policy for manuscript-associated datasets and expects authors to provide data availability information and preserve relevant research data in suitable repositories when applicable.

Data Sharing Policy and Repositories

If your study includes datasets, follow the journal's data-sharing guidance and repository-selection instructions.

A data repository is a virtual platform for storing and providing access to research datasets. Authors should choose a repository appropriate to discipline, access conditions, and preservation requirements.

Code, Software, and Algorithms

To enable complete evaluation, authors must provide custom code, software tools, and mathematical algorithms used to generate reported results when requested by editors and/or reviewers.

Territorial Designations

The journal remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and territorial designations in published content, including maps and institutional affiliations, while respecting author usage and relevant third-party policy context.

Editor Code of Conduct

Editors safeguard publication quality, peer-review integrity, and fair process for authors and reviewers.

The journal's editorial conduct code defines minimum standards to ensure consistent publication of high-quality and reliable scholarship.

Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose all funding sources that supported the work reported in the manuscript.

• Internal institutional funding, grants, or employer support.
• External funding (charities, foundations, non-profit or private organizations, companies, associations, government bodies, etc.).
• Support for research implementation, analysis, language editing, translation, scientific writing, or travel related to the project.

Funding statements should include the full funder name, grant number(s), and ideally the funded person/group. If funders had an active role in research conduct or analysis, this must also be disclosed as a competing interest.

If no funding was received, authors should explicitly state this. Non-disclosure or material inaccuracy may trigger correction or retraction actions.

Author Ethics

The journal does not tolerate pressure, intimidation, or coercive behavior directed at authors, editors, reviewers, staff, or service providers.

Editorial teams operate under mutual respect and coordinate with ethics and legal specialists where needed. Researchers facing online harassment are encouraged to follow the journal's guidance on handling social-media pressure.

Figures and Illustrations

Figures and visual materials should be included only when they are relevant and add scientific value. Decorative or non-informative visual content should be avoided.

Use of Third-Party Materials

Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions for third-party copyright-protected content (text, tables, illustrations, photos, audio, video, screenshots, music notation, and supplementary files).

Limited quotation for criticism/review may be permitted in some cases. For all other protected content, written permission must be obtained before submission.

Permissions for Identifiable or Protected Content

Content that may identify research participants or protected subjects (including images, audio/video, 3D models, and similar materials) may be published only with informed consent from participants or lawful representatives.

Where additional community or archive permissions are required, authors must secure and retain relevant documents before submission.

Misconduct

The journal treats all forms of misconduct seriously and applies COPE-aligned procedures to protect research integrity.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Misrepresentation of affiliation.
• Copyright infringement or use of third-party materials without permission.
• Citation manipulation.
• Duplicate submission/publication.
• Image or data fabrication/manipulation.
• Peer-review manipulation.
• Plagiarism and self-plagiarism/text recycling.
• Undisclosed competing interests.
• Unethical research conduct.

Double-Blind Peer Review

Research manuscripts are assessed through rigorous double-blind peer review under journal and COPE reviewer guidance.

Typically, each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Reviewer reports and recommendations inform editorial decisions, while final responsibility rests with the editor.

The journal does not permit authors to nominate their own reviewers.

Confidentiality in Peer Review

Confidentiality and integrity must be preserved throughout review and editorial decision-making in compliance with applicable data protection standards, including GDPR principles where relevant.

Reviewers must disclose competing interests before submitting reports. During ethics investigations, manuscript-related information remains confidential and is shared only where necessary with authorized parties.

Plagiarism

The journal takes plagiarism seriously in all formats (digital or print), including text, ideas, figures, and other materials used directly or indirectly without proper acknowledgment.

Authors must always cite original sources and follow journal plagiarism guidance.

Preprints and Early Reports

The journal supports responsible sharing of early manuscript versions. Posting an Author Original Manuscript to a non-commercial preprint server before submission is not considered duplicate publication.

After publication, authors may share permitted manuscript versions according to journal dissemination guidance.

Promoting Published Articles

Authors are encouraged to promote published work responsibly through scholarly channels, in line with journal policy on version sharing and citation accuracy.

Research Ethics and Consent

All published research must be conducted in accordance with relevant international and local ethical standards, including appropriate informed-consent and approval procedures where applicable.