Ethical publishing rules for journals published by the Lithuanian Institute of History
Article publication and authorship
- The compilation and publication of journals is carried out in accordance with academic ethical requirements.
- Only articles that have not already been published can appear in LIH journals. An article may be published if it was initially published in another language and has been altered no less than 30 per cent.
- Plagiarism, i.e. the presentation of a text from another publication, research method, idea or discovery as one’s own, or the presentation of empirical data that has already been introduced into academic circulation as data that is newly discovered, and failing to indicate literature sources, is prohibited. However, all prior researchers who have used a particular archival source (or early printed material) in their work do not need to be indicated in the article’s footnotes.
- Articles are published free of charge. Authors do not receive monetary reimbursement for their articles. Authors whose texts have been published in separate issues of the journal have the right to receive one copy of the issue at no cost.
- Papers are published in journals in accordance with the Lithuanian Institute of History’s non-exclusive licence agreement (as long as separate journal contracts with publishing houses do not foresee any other conditions); authors retain the exclusive right to use their work separately from a given LIH publication as a collective work.
- All texts published in journals are later uploaded on to the LIH website, where they appear in a free access format.
Publication of reviews
- Reviews are published as requested by the Editorial Board. In cases where the author initiates a review, they must first contact the Editorial Board.
Liability of authors
- Articles submitted for publication must comply with the requirements for the scientific publication, and must be prepared in accordance with the set guidelines for the journal regarding the structure of the article, citation, source referencing, abstracts and other aspects.
- All indicated co-authors of an article must have made a significant contribution to the respective research and preparation of the article.
- If there is more than one author of an article, the authors decide the order in which they are to be listed. If required, the authors themselves identify their contribution to the article’s preparation.
- Authors must ensure that all the data used in their article is reliable and accurate.
- When an article is submitted, the authors must take into consideration the errors found by peer-reviewers, as well as reasonably motivated comments regarding the justification of statements and conclusions, the consistency of presentation of analysis, thoroughness, and any other founded opinions expressed by the reviewers. If the author fails to take reviewers’ comments into consideration, they must explain why to the Editorial Board in writing.
Review procedure and liability of reviewers
- Research articles submitted to LIH journals are reviewed by at least two anonymous reviewers selected by the Editorial Board from experts in the author’s field of research. If reviewers’ conclusions regarding the suitability of the article for publication are contradictory, the Editorial Board appoints a third reviewer to make conclusions, whereupon the Board decides whether the article is fit for publication.
- Reviewers are appointed in accordance with principles of confidentiality, i.e. reviewers do not receive information about the identity of the author, and vice versa, authors are not informed of the reviewers’ identity.
- Reviewers must inform the editor of the journal or the Editorial Board in advance of any possible conflict of interest relating to articles they have been given to review, including financial circumstances or any personal opposition to the material to be published.
- Reviewers must inform the Editorial Board of any similar papers that have already been published, if such works are not mentioned in the article under review.
- Reviewers must ensure the confidentiality of the articles they are reviewing. They are forbidden from publicly discussing or distributing articles they have been given to review.
Liability of editors and compilers
- The editor or the Editorial Board has the final word on whether an article submitted for publication will be published or rejected. The author may appeal against the verdict of rejection for an article by taking it to the LIH Academic Ethics Commission (if it is suspected that ethical violations regarding the verdict may be involved).
- It is the duty of the Editorial Board/compiler to clarify any potential conflict of interest relating to articles submitted for publication between the article’s author and the reviewers (including positive or negative information about the author or relations with them or the institutions they represent, as well as matters of funding), and to ensure that these do not influence the acceptance or rejection of the publication.
- The Editorial Board must ensure a suitable level of and procedure for reviewing, and make impartial decisions without being influenced by the reviewers’ possible preconceptions or knowledge of the author, including their gender, sexual orientation, religion, political convictions or ethnic/geographic origins.
- The approval of an article for publication implies the maximum level of conviction and trust in its value.
- If any incorrect information is presented in an article due to the fault of the editor, the Editorial Board or the publishing house, the Editorial Board must publish a correction of the error and/or an apology.
Possibilities for members of the Editorial Board to publish their research in the journal
- If members of the Editorial Board submit their own articles or studies to a LIH journal, they are considered and reviewed in accordance with the procedures mentioned above, only the author (the Editorial Board member) is not given information about the process. In exceptional cases where an article is submitted by the editor-in-chief, the review process must be organised by the deputy or another authorised member of the Editorial Board.