Publication ethics

Relationships between authors, editors and reviewers in our journal are based on academic benevolence, objectivity of ratings and priority of scientific quality. We are following the principles of Code of Conduct for Editors as defined by the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE), in particular

FAIR PLAY
Manuscripts shall be evaluated for their scientific quality, regardless of author’s race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality or political opinions.

Elimination of the Plagiarism, Libel and Copyright Infringement

Our journal rejects any material that breaks legal requirements regarding plagiarism, libel and copyright infringement. If the text of the article contains data borrowed from other literary sources, then these fragments should be marked with bibliographic references. All submitted manuscripts are checked by online plagiarism search service "Turnitin".

The author is responsible for the scientific content of the materials provided. In case of plagiarism or self-plagiarism, or the use of generative AI, the manuscript will be rejected. If the manuscript contains borrowed text, figures, tables, or illustrations without references to the original source, the manuscript will be rejected. The criticality of the percentage of plagiarism established using automated verification systems is assessed by members of the editorial board.

EDITORS RESPONSIBILITIES
The editor-in-chief shall be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and consults with other editors or reviewers about the decision to publish.
EDITORS
● have full authority to reject / accept the article, guided by objective scientific criteria and findings reviewers;
● ensure the quality of the material they publish;
● must disclose any conflicts of interest;
● keep information pertaining to submitted manuscripts confidential;
● champion freedom of scientific expression.
If editors suspect the authenticity, originality or ethical correctness of an article, publication of the last is delayed until any doubt is clarified. Unpublished materials from submitted manuscript must not be used in an Editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author.

AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES
Authors must
● ensure that they have written truly original works;
● have significant contribution to the research (if a paper has several authors);
● guarantee obtained permission for use of copyrighted materials;
● certify that the manuscript has not previously been published elsewhere and is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere;
● identify all sources used in the creation of their manuscript;
● disclose in their manuscript any substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the assessment of their manuscript.
Information obtained by authors privately, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written, permission from the source. By submitting an article to the editorial board, the authors agree that (in the case of publication in the paper version journal) their text will be automatically published in the online version of the journal (under open access).

REVIEWER RESPONSIBILITIES
Reviewer must:
● notify Editorial staff of any conflicts of interest that may determine their findings;
● keep information pertaining to the manuscript confidential;
● be objective and constructive in their reviews.
Unpublished materials from submitted manuscript must not be used in reviewers' own research without the express written consent of the author.

AI and Authorship

" Science and Transport Progress" is a member of COPE, the Committee on Publication Ethics. As such, " Science and Transport Progress" follows COPE Guidelines on artificial intelligence (AI) and authorship. Our policy is that AI software cannot be listed as an author on a paper.

ChatGPT and similar software is not human, and for this reason cannot independently design studies, create and critique methodologies, interpret data, or be held responsible for the outcomes and implications of the study in question. For this reason, ChatGPT and similar software should be treated as a tool, not an author. For more information on COPE’s guidance on AI and authorship, please visit the COPE website.

AI and Automated Tools

" Science and Transport Progress" policies on the use of AI and automated tools are the following:

  • " Science and Transport Progress" will not review or accept manuscripts written by nonhuman authors. Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI tools should not be listed in a byline for any reason.
  • Authors are required to disclose whether AI tools were used in the creation and preparation of their manuscripts. " Science and Transport Progress" reserves the right to ask for and receive detailed information on how LLMs and AI were used in the creation of a manuscript.
  • Reviewers shall not use LLMs or AI tools when reviewing manuscripts or preparing comments to authors.

View COPE’s guidelines and recommendations regarding AI tools and automation for more information.

Materials are reviewed by members of the journal editorial board and by the external independent experts on the basis of objectivity and from the standpoint of the higher international academic quality standards, and edited.

Editorial board reserves the right for stylistic alteration of the typescript.

Corrections are coordinated with the author which, in the opinion of the editorial board, can change the meaning of the text.

The editorial board of the scientific publication reserves the right to reject articles that do not meet requirements and topics of the journal. 

Opinions and proposals expressed in articles do not necessarily coincide with the Editorial Board views. Reliability of the information in the articles, the accuracy of the names, statistics, surnames and citations are under the author′s responsibility.

The editors reserve the right for minor literary wording of texts and abridgements with the author's style retention.
Provided materials are not returned and can not be published in other scientific journals.

Retraction Policy

In certain cases, a published article may be retracted (withdrawn). The grounds for retracting an article (withdrawal) are gross violations of legal, publication and ethical standards by the author(s). The journal will follow COPE recommendations in such cases, in particular in the event of:
● clear evidence that the data is unreliable or falsified;
● a conflict of interest that has been concealed or disguised;
● if the article contains plagiarism;
● if the results have been previously published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission or justification;
● unethical research has been reported;
● serious errors have been found in the scientific work, which are a valid reason to doubt the scientific value of the material, or the research results have been misinterpreted;
● the list of authors/sponsors contains errors (i.e. an author who deserves to be a co-author has been omitted or someone who does not meet the criteria for authorship has been included).