ISSN 2543-8638, e-ISSN 2543-9928
Open Access Policy
All articles available under Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
The journal fulfills its mission in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
In order to prevent plagiarism, the University of Gdańsk Publishing House uses the Crossref Similarity Check anti-plagiarism system iThenticate.
The following standards apply to Authors, Editorial Team, and also the Editorial Board at every stage of the publication process.
Ethical Guidelines for Editorial Team Members
The Progress Editorial Team adheres to the highest ethical standards in its publishing activities. The following principles apply to all members of the Editorial Team.
Editors make editorial decisions independently, based on the scholarly merit of submitted texts, regardless of the author’s origin, institutional affiliation, worldview, nationality, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or political beliefs.
The Editorial Team is responsible for shaping the content of the journal, ensuring its academic quality and alignment with the journal’s profile and mission.
The Team takes active steps to detect and prevent scientific misconduct (plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data manipulation, ghostwriting, guest authorship, fabrication of results). In cases of unethical practices, the Team acts in accordance with COPE-recommended procedures.
Members of the Editorial Team are required to maintain confidentiality throughout the publication process. It is prohibited to disclose information about submitted texts, authors, reviewers, or review results to third parties, unless justified by formal or legal considerations.
The Editorial Team ensures that the peer review process is impartial, reliable, and transparent. Reviewers are selected based on subject-matter expertise and lack of conflicts of interest. If concerns about reviewer impartiality arise, additional reviews may be commissioned.
Each editorial decision (acceptance, rejection, or revision request) must be justified and documented. Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions.
Editors are obligated to conduct editorial and review procedures in a timely manner and to inform Authors of the progress of their submissions.
The Editorial Team communicates with Authors in a courteous, professional, and substantive manner. Editorial remarks and reviews must be constructive, free from personal judgments or emotional language.
The Team ensures that selected Reviewers possess adequate qualifications and that there is no conflict of interest. Communication with Reviewers is conducted transparently.
Editorial Team members must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could affect the assessment of submitted materials. In such cases, the Editor withdraws from the specific stage of the publication process.
The Editorial Team takes action in cases of suspected ethical violations—by Authors, Reviewers, or Editorial Team members. This may include requesting clarification, suspending publication, issuing a correction, or retracting the article. Final decisions on corrective actions are made by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Journal’s Editorial Board.
The Team is obligated to record and archive all reported cases of misconduct.
Complaints and concerns regarding publishing practices are accepted and reviewed thoroughly, with responses provided within 30 days. In disputed cases, the Editorial Team may appoint independent experts or mediators.
If significant errors are detected, the Editorial Team commits to correcting them (editorial correction, editorial note, or erratum). In cases of irreparable violations (e.g., plagiarism), the article may be formally retracted with appropriate marking in the archive. Final decisions on corrective actions are made by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Editorial Board.
The Editorial Team ensures the long-term archiving of publications and guarantees open access to all texts in accordance with the journal’s publishing policy.
Ethical Guidelines for Authors
Authors are required to submit only original scholarly texts. The work must not be plagiarized, self-plagiarized, or contain falsified data. All sources and inspirations used must be properly cited. Copying fragments of others’ work without clearly indicating the source is strictly prohibited.
If a breach of originality is detected, the Editorial Team will take appropriate measures, including notifying the author's affiliated institution, issuing a correction, or retracting the text.
Authors may not submit the same article to more than one journal at the same time. Publishing the same or a very similar text (differing only in form or language) in multiple venues without clear indication and publisher consent is also not permitted.
If the article builds on previously published research, this must be clearly stated, prior publications must be referenced, and the new scholarly contribution must be specified.
Authorship should reflect actual contributions to the development of the publication. Each person listed as a co-author must have played a significant role in shaping the concept, analyzing data, developing the content, or contributing to scholarly editing. Individuals who do not meet these criteria should not be listed as co-authors.
All individuals who contributed to the publication but do not meet the authorship criteria (e.g., technical assistance, expert consultation) should be acknowledged, with their consent.
The Editorial Team recommends the use of the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) system, which defines individual author contributions in detail. [https://credit.niso.org/]
Authors are obliged to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may have influenced the research design, analysis of results, or interpretation of data. This applies to financial, personal, or institutional conflicts.
Authors must submit a declaration of the absence of conflicts of interest.
Authors must indicate all institutions that funded the research underlying the submitted text. This information should be clearly stated in the article.
Authors are responsible for the integrity of the research, analysis, and interpretation presented. Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data is unacceptable. If errors are discovered after publication, authors are obliged to promptly correct or retract the article.
In studies involving human participants, authors must ensure that appropriate ethical approvals and participant consent have been obtained. Personal data must be processed in accordance with applicable laws and in a manner that guarantees participants’ anonymity.
If irregularities are identified, authors are required to cooperate with the Editorial Team to correct, issue an erratum, or retract the article. Refusal to cooperate may result in notification of relevant academic institutions. The final decision regarding remedial actions is made by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Editorial Board.
By submitting the article, authors declare that they hold the copyright to the content and materials used in the publication (e.g., illustrations, photographs, data). If third-party materials are used, appropriate permissions must be obtained and duly acknowledged.
Authors grant the journal Progress a non-exclusive license to publish the text in open access, in accordance with the journal’s policy.
Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers
Reviewers support the Editorial Team in making decisions regarding the acceptance of manuscripts for publication. Their feedback can also help authors improve the quality of their articles.
Reviews are conducted in a double-blind process - Authors and reviewers remain anonymous to one another. The anonymized content of the review is made available only to the Editorial Team and the Author. Direct contact between the Author and the Reviewer is not permitted; all communication takes place through the Editorial Team or the relevant submission system.
The Editorial Team appoints at least two independent Reviewers who are not affiliated with the Author’s institution.
Reviewers are selected based on their expertise, research experience, and scholarly achievements.
The review must be submitted in writing and must include a clear recommendation: acceptance in its current form, rejection, or suggestion of revisions prior to publication. A review form is attached to each review. The Reviewer may also provide additional comments or feedback.
Reviews should be thorough and objective. Personal criticism of Authors is not acceptable. Reviewer comments must be properly justified. Evaluation criteria are provided in the review form.
Manuscripts under review are confidential and may not be shared with third parties, except with individuals authorized by the Editorial Team.
Factors such as the Author’s race, gender, nationality, religion, political beliefs, or citizenship must not influence the evaluation. Only scholarly, formal, and technical aspects are to be considered.
Reviewers must not evaluate texts if any conflict of interest exists (e.g., personal relationships, professional dependency, etc.). Reviews must not be used for personal gain.
Reviewers should inform the Editorial Team of any irregularities or misconduct they observe, such as plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, or other violations of publication ethics. If there are concerns about the integrity of the text, reviewers may recommend its rejection.
Reviewers should suggest relevant works that have been omitted but are important to the topic. They should also alert the Editorial Team to any potential similarities with other publications.
Reviewers are expected to submit their reviews within the agreed timeframe. If they are unable to meet the deadline, they must promptly inform the Editorial Team.
Ethical Guidelines for Members of the Editorial Board
Members of the Editorial Board are recognized experts in fields aligned with the journal’s profile. Their names and affiliations are publicly available on the journal’s website. The Editorial Team is responsible for keeping this information up to date.
The Editorial Board supports the Editorial Team in ensuring compliance with publication ethics by Authors, Reviewers, and Editors. Special emphasis is placed on scholarly integrity, procedural transparency, and the high quality of published content.
The Board takes part in defining and updating the journal’s mission and assessing its implementation. Members promote the adoption of best editorial practices in line with national and international standards.
Board members collaborate with the Editorial Team in shaping the journal’s publishing policies and support editorial decisions—especially in cases involving ethical breaches or complex matters requiring resolution.
The Board is engaged in promoting the journal, encouraging Authors and Reviewers to contribute, and helping define its target audience. It also supports the journal’s development through mentorship and identifying the needs of the academic community.
The Board can evaluate periodically activities of the Editorial Team, the journal’s organizational framework, and the quality of the editorial and peer-review processes. It may recommend improvements when necessary.
The Board may provide opinions and recommendations on candidates for the Editorial Team and support the team’s professionalization process.
Board members may be involved in resolving disputes and communicating with external institutions (e.g., COPE) when the journal’s best interests require it.
Members of the Board collaborate with one another in a spirit of mutual trust and shared responsibility for the journal’s quality.
ISSN 2543-8638, e-ISSN 2543-9928
Open Access Policy
All articles available under Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).