INSTITUTE OF BULGARIAN STUDIES
Bulgarian Studies Journal
Ethics
1. The Journal of Bulgarian Studies is committed to integrity, objectivity, and professionalism in all aspects of its publishing activities. It publishes original works of significance to the intellectual community, presented in the best possible form and in accordance with the highest standards. Authors, reviewers, and the editorial board are expected to adhere to these standards, in accordance with all guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding integrity in scholarly publishing.
2. By submitting the manuscript for publication, the author guarantees that the article is original, has not been published in another peer-reviewed journal, is not under consideration by any other journal, and does not infringe upon existing copyrights or other rights of third parties. Furthermore, the author is responsible for ensuring that the article contains nothing illegal, defamatory, or confidential.
The author must disclose any financial support received for conducting the research and for publishing the results. The author also acknowledges all those who contributed to the preparation and writing of the article, provided that he/she is the sole author and has made the primary contribution to the conception, research, execution of the individual activities, and writing of the text.
It is prohibited to publish inaccurate information, as well as texts resulting from plagiarism involving the direct copying or paraphrasing of others’ works or parts thereof without accurately and correctly citing their authorship. In cases of numerous instances of plagiarism, the work will not be accepted for publication.
It is unacceptable to publish texts and materials that are wholly or partially automatically generated using artificial intelligence systems. If various artificial intelligence tools were used for the purposes of the research, this must be clearly stated in the publication.
The author is obligated to cooperate with the editorial board and to correctly incorporate the corrections suggested by the reviewers. If the revised version differs significantly from the original, the editorial board will resubmit it to the same reviewers.
The author has the right to submit a written statement in which they provide a reasoned explanation of their position if they do not accept some of the reviewers’ assessments and recommendations. In this case, the manuscript is sent for a third review.
3. All submitted manuscripts are evaluated impartially and objectively, in strict adherence to publication ethics and free from external influence, taking into account their scientific merit. Unethical and/or offensive comments are not permitted.
Reviewers are required to note any significant similarity or overlap they identify between the manuscript under review and any other publication known to them within their field of expertise, as well as any instances of language patterns generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Reviewers must not use the various tools provided by artificial intelligence (AI) platforms when evaluating the manuscript submitted to them or when completing the review form. If the editorial board identifies a violation, the manuscript will be assigned to another reviewer.
4. Academic debates on current topics are permitted, provided that the author’s position is clearly justified and ethical standards are observed.
At the editors’ discretion, apologies and clarifications may be published if there is a well-founded need to do so, and previously published material may be retracted due to serious shortcomings.
5. All reports of misconduct must be submitted in writing to the editor-in-chief and discussed at a meeting of the editorial board, which objectively assesses the specific case and makes a decision on it.