The Editors of the Scientific Journal "Theory and Building Practice", published by the Lviv Polytechnic National University, support the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing when selecting and accepting papers.
The Editors of the journal set a list of ethical standards below. These standards should be considered by the persons (editors, authors and reviewers) involved in the publication of research results in the scientific fields covered in the journal. The fields are regulated by the Certificate on State Registration.
Duties of Editor
The editor has an important task of ensuring the quality and compliance of the journal's publications with its policies and standards. He or she is responsible for selecting materials for publication based on their relevance, scientific value, and relevance to the journal's subject matter.
The editor should also take into account ethical aspects such as copyright and avoidance of plagiarism. It is important that the editor maintains independence and objectivity in decision-making and adherence to the procedures established by the journal's editorial policy. Sometimes the editor may consult with other professionals, such as reviewers, to obtain additional expert opinion. These principles demonstrate the importance of the editor's ethical behaviour in the process of working with manuscripts.
The editor should evaluate materials only on the basis of their academic and scientific content, and should not discriminate on any grounds, including race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
In addition, the editor and editorial staff must keep information about submitted manuscripts confidential and not disclose it to third parties without proper authorisation from the authors. Unpublished data contained in the manuscript should also remain confidential and not be used by the editor for his/her own research without proper consent from the author. Such principles are the basis for maintaining scientific integrity and trust in the academic environment.
Duties of Authors
Authors who submit their manuscripts to the Scientific Journal "Theory and Building Practice" should be aware that they are responsible for the novelty and validity of the results of their research. They are required to ensure that all persons who have made a substantial contribution are listed as co-authors.
Simultaneous submission of manuscripts to more than one journal is prohibited, and authors should refrain from submitting previously published material.
Authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may affect research results. They are also required to present an objective discussion of their results and describe in detail the methods and data used.
If errors or discrepancies are discovered after the publication of the article, the authors must inform the editorial office about it in order to take appropriate measures. Plagiarism, fabrication of data and images are not allowed and are considered serious violations of ethical standards.
The authors of the articles are responsible for observing these principles, and the editorial staff of the journal is obliged to ensure objectivity and fairness in the process of reviewing and publishing materials.
Duties of Reviews
Ensuring the objectivity of manuscript evaluation involves the use of ‘blind’ review, when reviewers are not disclosed information about the authors.
If a reviewer doubts his or her qualifications regarding the level of research in a manuscript, he or she should refuse to review it.
Manuscripts submitted for review should be treated as confidential documents and cannot be disclosed or discussed without the permission of the editor.
Reviewers should conduct reviews objectively, refraining from personal criticism of the author, and clearly express their opinions, supporting them with arguments.
Reviewers should adequately explain and justify their conclusions so that the editor and authors can understand the basis of their comments.
Any statement about the similarity of the manuscript with other publications should be accompanied by appropriate references.
Reviewers should provide their feedback in a timely manner and not use or disclose unpublished information without the author's consent.
Anti-plagiarism Policy
The Editorial Board of the journal Theory and Building Practice informs authors that they bear full personal responsibility for improper borrowing, the use of other researchers’ results, and compliance with academic citation ethics. Only original materials that have not been previously published are accepted for publication.
Authors are required to ensure:
- the originality of submitted manuscripts, i.e., materials that have not been published in any other publications in any language;
- the absence of plagiarism;
- proper citation of relevant sources when using ideas, results, or texts of third parties.
The journal Theory and Building Practice uses the software StrikePlagiarism to screen submitted manuscripts for textual overlap. The originality percentage is determined using specialized software that checks documents for similarities both within a local database and across the Internet. The resulting reports are subject to mandatory review by the Editorial Board.
The Editorial Board analyzes all detected cases of plagiarism and reserves the right to reject a manuscript without sending it for peer review. Submitted manuscripts are evaluated according to the following criteria:
- more than 80% originality — the manuscript is accepted for consideration;
- 60–80% originality — the manuscript is returned to the authors for revision with recommendations to reduce textual overlap and resubmit a corrected version;
- less than 60% originality — the manuscript is rejected.
Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and is considered a violation of publication ethics and professional conduct standards in the relationships among authors, reviewers, editors, publishers, and readers.
In the event that plagiarism is identified after publication, the Editorial Board will conduct a thorough investigation. The journal will contact the author to clarify the circumstances. Depending on the extent of the detected plagiarism, the article may be retracted and removed from the journal’s database.
Privacy Statement
The names and e-mails introduced in this journal will be used exclusively for the aims declared by this journal and they will not be available for other purposes or to other people.
Data Privacy Policy
The data collected from registered and unregistered users of this journal are subject to the standard procedure for the operation of peer-reviewed journals. They include information that enables communication for the editorial process; and are used to inform readers about the authorship and editing of content.
Authors publishing in this journal are responsible for the data on individuals involved in the research reported here. Those involved in the editing of this journal are committed to adhering to industry standards for data privacy, including the provisions of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on "data subject rights", which include (a) notification of breaches; (b) right of access; (c) right to be forgotten; (d) data portability; (e) privacy by design. The GDPR also allows for the recognition of a "public interest in data availability," which is of particular importance to those involved in maintaining the highest possible integrity of public records of scientific publications.