Publication Policies and Standards
INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND TRANSPARENCY OF EDITORIAL POLICIES
Journal Mission and Profile
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” provides readers with original legal studios, comparative and thematic reviews, analytical notes, case notes, reviews in the field of law and interdisciplinary intersection for the community of scientists, practitioners, representatives of public authorities and the academic environment, consistently adhering to European standards of scientific communication and promoting the professional exchange of knowledge, ideas and evidence-based approaches. The journal’s editorial practices and policies are aligned with the European Code of Integrity in Research (ALLEA), COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME; open access is implemented following BOAI and the Berlin Declaration and is compatible with Plan S requirements and OpenAIRE guidelines for metadata and repository distribution. The journal encourages the reproducibility of findings through the material/data/code availability policy according to the FAIR-principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), ensures the identification of publications by DOI (Crossref), records the contributions of authors following CRediT taxonomy and complies with the GDPR requirements for the processing of personal data.
The journal strives to provide unhindered, fast and high-quality access to legal research that meets the criteria of integrity, verifiability, and comparative legal correctness adopted in the European scientific environment.
Impartiality Policy
The Editorial Board of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” acts in accordance with the European standards of integrity of scientific publications and the guidelines of the Committee on the Ethics of Scientific Publications (COPE), based on the principles of transparency, impartiality, scientific quality and respect for the rights of all participants in the publication process. Approval or rejection of publications is carried out solely on the basis of scientific originality, methodological validity, sufficiency of the source base, and compliance with the journal’s profile; any external pressure from the founder, partner organizations, sponsors, or advertisers is unacceptable.
To ensure de facto independence, there is an “editorial firewall” that distinguishes between access and roles: persons responsible for finance, partnerships, technical support or communications do not participate in the review of materials and do not have access to the content of reviews and editorial discussions until a final decision is made. The Editorial Board adheres to the confidentiality of materials and reviews, provides double-blind review with the involvement of competent independent experts, makes it impossible to use unpublished results in private interests and promptly applies the retraction procedures in cases of real or potential conflict of interest (financial, institutional, procedural, or ideological). Complying with the practices of COPE and leading European publishing platforms, the Editorial Board provides methodological support to authors on the requirements for structure and design, citation ethics and open science, but such support does not affect the outcome of the peer review. To be accountable to the community, the journal publishes aggregated process metrics (timeline until first decision, review duration, proportion of articles accepted after the first round) and provides channels for appeals and complaints with transparent review deadlines. Any attempts to interfere with editorial decisions are recorded as policy violations and entail appropriate corrective actions, including public announcements and escalation to ethical instances. Such a model guarantees not only formal but also real autonomy of editorial decisions, reproducibility of procedures and trust on the part of authors, reviewers, and readers.
Decision-Making on Publications
The Editorial Board of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” decides on the publication or rejection of submitted scholarly works solely on the basis of their academic significance, methodological excellence, compliance with the journal’s thematic profile, and objective conclusions of independent reviewers.
This procedure is aligned with European integrity standards: COPE Core Practices and Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME) define impartiality, transparency of criteria, and traceability of decisions; ALLEA Code of European Conduct for Research Integrity sets requirements for integrity, thoroughness, and accountability. The Editor ensures compliance with the rules on libel, copyright infringement, plagiarism and duplicate publications, and applies the relevant COPE flowcharts to consider suspicions of dishonesty and ethical complaints. Unpublished information from the submitted materials may not be used in the personal research of the editor or reviewers without the prior written consent of the author(s); any conflict of interest entails the retraction and transfer of the case to another editor. Assessment of intellectual content is carried out without discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, origin, citizenship or political preferences of authors, in the spirit of European principles of equality and non-discrimination. For accountability, the editorial office records the key stages of consideration (screening, peer review, decisions), ensures the confidentiality of materials and personal data in accordance with the GDPR, provides authors with reasoned decisions and supports an independent appeal route with deadlines.
This approach ensures that each editorial decision remains reproducible, methodologically sound, and fully aligned with the best European practices of scientific publication and the editorial process.
Language Standards
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” adheres to European approaches to scientific communication, combining clarity of presentation with the ethics of non-discriminatory language. Scientific works should be written in an academic formal scientific style, with a transparent logical structure of argumentation, correct professional terminology and without any linguistic prejudices, stereotypical judgments or discriminatory formulations on the grounds of gender, gender identity, race or ethnicity, age, disability, citizenship, religious or political beliefs. The policy is aligned with the ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (honesty and accuracy of communication), COPE Core Practices (respect and impartiality), is guided by the EASE recommendations on correct and inclusive speech and the sager guidelines on gender sensitivity in the description of data and the choice of wording. The plain, precise, reproducible text, correct translations of proper names and fixed terms, as well as unified transliteration are provided for the international audience. All publications and materials on the site should be accessible to readers with different needs; to this end, the Editorial Board adheres to the WCAG technical guidelines on the availability of web content (readable PDF/HTML, alternative text for images, correct semantics of headings). The Editorial Board may recommend linguistic or stylistic assistance to authors before reconsideration, but such assistance does not affect the impartiality of decisions; in the case of publications based on empirical data on people, sensitive and neutral designation of groups and variables is expected, with an explanation of the selected categories. These requirements are aimed at ensuring that the language of the “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” meets the standards of European scientific ethics, is inclusive, accurate, promotes reproducibility, and makes the content available to the widest possible community.
Validity and Policy Changes
The policy comes into force immediately after the official publication on the journal’s web-site and applies to all manuscripts and publications received by the editorial office after the specified date of publication, including all supporting documents and additional materials. Updates are carried out in accordance with European transparency standards: the journal maintains a public register of changes (version history) indicating the date of entry into force, the content of corrections and the grounds for updating, and the policy page displays the current version with a clear time stamp. This approach is consistent with the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME), which require open editorial rules, and with the ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, which emphasizes accountability and traceability of procedures. If the changes affect the procedure for considering submissions or the rights/obligations of participants in the process, the journal applies transitional provisions: the previous version of the policies applies to materials submitted before the update date, unless otherwise expressly agreed with the authors. The processing of personal data in connection with policy updates is carried out in compliance with the principles of GDPR (transparency, legality, data minimization), and information notices of changes are provided in plain language and within a reasonable time. The policy aims to maintain a balance of regulatory clarity, methodological quality and ethical responsibility, which ensures the credibility of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” as a platform for open legal science and the compatibility of the journal’s practices with European requirements of transparency and integrity.
ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
Publication Ethics and Editorial Procedures
The ethical principles of publication activity are based on integrity, authenticity and the verification of scientific results: the Editorial Board considers exclusively original research with proper citation of the works used, where preference is given to primary sources, a transparent methodological base is applied, and empirical data and experimental procedures are set out in such detail and systematized that allow for independent verification of the results obtained and reproduction of research conclusions by other scientists.
Contributors should reflect real contributions recorded under the internationally recognized CRediT taxonomy; all contributors approve the final version and are responsible within the declared roles. All participants in the process openly declare existing or potential conflicts of interest, and their presence results in the withdrawal of the person concerned. Empirical research is carried out in compliance with ethical permissions and with respect for privacy: personal data is processed in accordance with the requirements of the GDPR, and sensitive arrays are anonymized or reasonably limited in access. The journal encourages open science: availability of data, materials and code in accordance with FAIR-principles, transparent communication of versions (preprint, author accepted manuscript, version of record) and the use of open licenses (by default — CC BY 4.0). Errors are corrected publicly (corrigendum, addendum), and in case of confirmed dishonesty, retraction is applied; channels of complaints and appeals with recording the results are in place.
Editorial practice ensures impartiality and transparency of decisions in accordance with European guidelines (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, COPE Core Practices, Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing): decisions are made solely on the scientific value and relevance of the material to the journal’s profile, regardless of the founder, sponsors or external pressure; thus, the editorial firewall acts institutionally, which distinguishes editorial powers from administrative, financial and marketing functions. The assessment is carried out as double-blind review with the selection of competent experts, respect for the confidentiality of materials, and the prohibition to use unpublished information in private interests. The Editorial Board communicates clear selection criteria, monitors key stages of consideration, publishes aggregated process metrics (time to first decision, duration of review, proportion adopted after the first round), ensures non-discrimination of language formulations and availability of materials for a wide audience (focus on WCAG), adheres to copyright, metadata standards and the use of sustainable identifiers (DOIs). The use of digital and AI tools is possible only as an auxiliary and subject to full disclosure; authors and editors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the content.
This set of moral and ethical principles and organizational and procedural foundations guarantees full compliance of the editorial policy and publishing practices of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with European standards of transparency, parity in the evaluation of scientific works, as well as the fundamental requirements of academic and research integrity.
Academic Integrity and Borrowing Verification
The academic integrity policy implemented in our scientific journal is fully consistent with key European standards and recommendations, i.e., ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, COPE Core Practices, and Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. Plagiarism, self-citation without proper reference, duplicate submissions, fabrication and falsification of data, manipulation with illustrations and source database, incorrect compilations of bibliography are prohibited. Verification is carried out in two steps: (1) technical screening using similarity programs (threshold percentages are not a self-sufficient criterion); (2) editorial and expert assessment of the borrowing context, correctness of quotations and paraphrases, good faith of translations, completeness of references to primary sources. Identified cases are classified by severity and intent (negligence/intent) with proportional consequences: from the requirement of revision and correction (corrigendum) to the rejection of the manuscript or, after publication, retraction with public notice and own DOI in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines. The Editorial Board adheres to procedural fairness: records the results of inspections, provides authors with the opportunity to explain within a reasonable time, avoids unfounded accusations and, if necessary, uses COPE flowcharts for standard scenarios (suspicion of plagiarism, duplication, hidden conflict of interest). All actions are carried out with respect for intellectual property rights, protection of personal data (GDPR) and with the priority of reproducibility: authors are obliged to consistently quote the sources used, and, if possible, to ensure the availability of data, materials and code on the basis of FAIR. This approach ensures complete reproducibility of research, high transparency of procedures, and stable trust of the scientific community to research findings presented in “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal”.
Anti-Plagiarism Policy
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” adheres to the European guidelines of academic integrity (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity; COPE Core Practices; Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing) and implements them in the control of manuscript originality. Only original studies that are not in parallel submission to other publications and do not duplicate previously published materials are accepted for consideration. The Editorial Board informs authors about their full personal responsibility for incorrect borrowing or use of research findings of others and for compliance with the ethics of scientific citation; authors must ensure the originality of the submitted articles (materials should not be published in any languages in other editions), the absence of plagiarism, as well as the presence of correct references to relevant sources in the case of using works or texts of third parties. Plagiarism and self-plagiarism without proper reference, duplicate submissions and publications, fabrication and falsification of data, manipulation of illustrations, tables or statistics, as well as unfair practices of bibliography compilation are prohibited. Permissible reuse of original text is possible only in narrow technical parts (for example, a description of the methodology), provided that the original publication is clearly referenced and without creating a misleading impression of novelty; translations of published works or extended versions of abstracts are allowed only with transparent disclosure and significant added scientific value.
Verification of originality is carried out in two steps. First, a technical screening is conducted using software to detect textual borrowings; the percentage of similarity is considered solely as an indicator and is not in itself a basis for a final decision. Indicative thresholds can be used for internal primary sorting: usually materials with a conditional “originality” indicator of more than ~85% are allowed for review in the absence of other comments; in the range of ~75–85%, the author is usually asked to check the correctness of citations and references; if the conditional indicator is lower than ~75%, the material is usually returned for revision. At the same time, these thresholds do not have self-sufficient force: the final decision is based on the second step — editorial and expert analysis of the borrowing context (correctness of quotations and paraphrases, adequacy of references to primary sources, good faith of translations, the presence of hidden duplication or “mosaic” borrowing, correspondence of descriptions of data and images to actual materials). During the review of each article, the Editorial Board concludes on the presence/absence of plagiarism and, if necessary, requests explanations from the authors, applying the typical procedures recommended by COPE (including the relevant flowcharts).
Violations are classified by severity and intent (negligence or intent) with proportional consequences. Mild cases of improper citation or technical flaws are corrected by the requirement of revision and, if the article has already been published, by the publication of a notice of correction (corrigendum). Significant violations that do not undermine the general conclusions may lead to the rejection of the manuscript or correction with a clear description of the changes made. Fundamental integrity violations – confirmed plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, duplicate publication, unauthorized borrowing of images or large amounts of data – entail rejection of the manuscript or, if a violation is detected after publication, retraction in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines with a public notice, own DOI and two-way cross-references between the article and the message.
The Editorial Board ensures procedural fairness and confidentiality of inspections, does not allow unreasonable accusations and keeps official materials to the minimum extent necessary in accordance with the principles of GDPR. Authors are responsible for the legality of the use of third-party materials (texts, images, tables, data) and must obtain permits in advance or comply with the terms of open licenses; the sources and conditions of use are given in the signatures to such objects. The journal encourages open science and reproducibility of results: as far as possible, data, materials and code should be available in reliable repositories with a clear reference in the article, which further minimizes the risks of unethical borrowing. Taken together, these requirements ensure the integrity, transparency and credibility of the publications of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” and the full compatibility of editorial practice with leading European standards of integrity and transparency.
Citation ethics and style
In the publications of Legal Scientific Electronic Journal, sources are used honestly, accurately and verifiably in accordance with the European benchmarks of integrity (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity), transparency practices (COPE Core Practices; Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing) and open science standards (FAIR, OpenAIRE/Plan S, FORCE11 Data Citation Principles). Priority is given to primary sources: official texts of normative acts, court decisions, international treaties and authentic materials of the EU and Council of Europe institutions; secondary sources (monographs, articles, comments) are involved for interpretation, but they do not replace primary references. The requirement is accurate reproduction of quoted fragments with “pinpoint” references (article, clause, §, paragraph), correct translations of names and institutions, as well as the use of stable identifiers – primarily DOI for scientific publications, ECLI for court decisions, official EU identifiers (EUR-Lex/CELEX) for acts. All statements based on sources must be verified according to the original; secondary citation is allowed only if the original is not available with a clear indication of the intermediate source.
For legal references, the OSCOLA style (or its nationally adapted equivalent) with footnotes/endnotes and precise indications of the structural units of the act or court decision is used; for bibliographic description of scientific literature, APA or DSTU 8302:2015 is used (the selected standard is fixed in the “Requirements for Manuscripts” and is applied consistently within a single publication). Source names are provided in the original language with transliteration/translation in brackets, if this increases clarity for an international audience; it is mandatory to indicate a DOI if any. Electronic links must be stable (preference is given to permalinks and archival copies), with an access date for unstable resources. Citation of data, materials and code complies with FAIR/FORCE11 principles: authors provide clear statements of availability (Data/Materials/Code Availability) and references to repositories with persistent identifiers (DOI/Handle), indicating version, reuse license (CC0/ODC-BY recommended for data, open licenses for code) and minimum instructions for reproduction. Preprints and author-accepted versions (AAM) can be cited with a clear status marking; after the version of record appears, the authors update the reference to the DOI of the final publication, and for citation purposes, it is the version of the record that is given priority.
Ethical citation norms exclude manipulative selection of sources, “citation cartels”, forced internal citation, excessive self-citation, as well as opaque references to works that the author has not actually processed. Any images, tables or large fragments of text of third parties are reproduced only under the terms of the relevant licenses or permissions with the proper indication of the copyright holder; the use of personal data in sources and applications is consistent with the requirements of the GDPR (in particular regarding minimization, anonymization and “privacy by design/default”). In case of bibliographic inaccuracies or errors in citation, authors are obliged to immediately interact with the editorial staff for public correction (corrigendum) in accordance with COPE procedures; systematic violations of source ethics may entail rejection of the manuscript or after publication activities.
This approach guarantees high accuracy and complete traceability of scientific data, effective metadata interoperability, as well as reliable reproducibility of the results obtained, thereby harmonizing the editorial activity of the "Legal Scientific Electronic Journal" with advanced European norms in the field of legal communication.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Conflicts of interests
Legal Scientific Electronic Journal adheres to the ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and Transparency (COPE Core Practices; Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing) and requires full disclosure of both financial and non-financial circumstances that could affect the impartiality of scientific judgment. Authors at the time of submission are personally responsible for declaring all relevant relationships with public or private organizations (direct employment, consulting agreements, participation in companies, fees, patents, payment for travel/conferences), as well as non-financial relationships that may create or be perceived as a conflict (personal, academic, intellectual, ideological, political, religious; friendship, competition or rivalry). Reviewers, editors and scientific consultants are also obliged to report real or potential conflicts in a timely manner and recuse themselves; unpublished materials from manuscripts cannot be used by them in their own research without the written consent of the authors. The presence of a conflict of interest is declared at the stage of submitting the manuscript, updated in case of new circumstances and displayed in the final publication in the form of a note “Conflict of interest:..”; in the absence – “Absent”.
If there is a conflict of interest, the Editorial Board applies procedural safeguards compatible with the COPE recommendations: replacement of the reviewer or editor, additional external review, public note to the article; in difficult cases – corrections, notification of concerns, or other after-publication actions according to escalation scenarios. The Editorial Board records and considers the appeals of readers, reviewers and third parties regarding possible conflicts or misconduct, acting on the principles of procedural fairness and confidentiality; processing of personal data is carried out in accordance with the GDPR. The purpose of the policy is to prevent situations in which private interests (economic or non-financial) may distort the scientific assessment, to ensure confidence in the results published in “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal”, and to fully comply with the practices of the European scientific community.
PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” processes personal data solely for editorial and publication procedures in accordance with European standards of transparency and lawfulness of data processing. Names, email addresses, and other pieces of information provided during registration, submission of manuscripts, or interaction with the editorial office are used only for communication regarding submission and review, publication and support of readers (informing about the status of the material, technical notifications, responses to inquiries). The data is not transferred to third parties and is not used for other, incompatible purposes without a separate legal basis and notification to the data subject. The processing is carried out on the legal grounds specified in Article 6 of the GDPR: the fulfillment of contractual relations within the editorial process, the legitimate interest of the publication to ensure the proper quality and security of the service (including anti-plagiarism verification and protection against abuse), the fulfillment of legal obligations and, in the case of subscriptions/mailings, on the basis of separately obtained consent. Access to data is restricted to authorized editorial staff and contractual processors (hosting provider, editorial workflow platforms, DOI archiving and registration services, borrowing verification tools) who provide appropriate technical and organizational security measures and process data exclusively on the instructions of Legal Scientific Electronic Journal. If the data transfer involves cross-border movement outside the EEA, it is based on EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or other safeguards provided for by the GDPR. The journal adheres to the principles of minimization, accuracy and limitation of retention periods: personal data are stored only as long as necessary for the described purposes and fulfillment of legal obligations, after which they are deleted or anonymized; editorial artifacts (metadata of publications, review decisions, messages about corrections/retractions) can be stored longer in order to ensure the integrity of the scientific record. Data subjects have the rights of access, rectification, erasure (“right to be forgotten” within the scope of applicability), restriction of processing, objection to processing on the basis of legitimate interest, as well as the right to data portability; requests for the exercise of rights, privacy issues or complaints are accepted at the official address of the journal [insert contact e-mail], and will be considered within a reasonable time. The use of cookies and web analytics tools is limited to technical and statistical purposes; no marketing or profiling cookies are used without separate consent. Unpublished materials (manuscripts, reviews, service letters) are confidential; their use for other purposes, in particular in the own research of editors or reviewers, is prohibited without the written consent of the authors. The Journal provides readable versions of the policies and fixes the date of their entry into force and changes; any significant updates to the Privacy Statement are communicated in plain language. Thus, “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” ensures compliance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), COPE/Principles of Transparency practices regarding the publicity of editorial rules and ensures that the names and email addresses provided by users are used exclusively for the declared purposes of the journal and are not disclosed to third parties without a proper legal basis.
Privacy Policy (GDPR)
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” processes personal data exclusively to the extent necessary for the editorial and publication process, following European standards of integrity and transparency (in particular COPE/Principles of Transparency) and EU data protection legislation (GDPR).
Data of registered and unregistered users – authors, reviewers, readers, editors – are collected for communication within the consideration of manuscripts, attribution of authorship and editing content, technical functioning of the platform, indexing and long-term preservation of a scientific record. The minimum required categories are processed: contact and identification information (name, email address, affiliation, ORCID), official process data (history of submissions and decisions, reviews, official correspondence), technical data (IP address, log files, cookies for session security and basic analytics) and public identifiers (DOIs, etc.); unpublished manuscripts and reviews are confidential.
The legal grounds for processing comply with Article 6 of the GDPR: fulfillment of contractual relations within the editorial process; the legitimate interest of the publication to ensure the quality and security of the service, including anti-plagiarism verification and prevention of abuse; fulfillment of legal obligations; separate consent for mailings and optional services.
Processing for scientific and archival purposes takes into account the safeguards of Article 89 of the GDPR and the public interest in the availability of scientific metadata. “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” acts as the controller of personal data; only authorized employees and contracted processors (editorial process platform, hosting, DOI assignment services, long-term archiving systems, borrowing verification tools), which act on the instructions of the journal and apply appropriate technical and organizational security measures in accordance with Article 28 of the GDPR, have access.
Any transfer of data outside the EEA is subject to appropriate safeguards (EU standard contractual clauses or equivalent arrangements). The principles of legality, transparency, minimization, accuracy, limitation of purposes and retention periods, integrity and confidentiality, as well as “privacy by design and default” are observed; personal data are stored only as long as necessary for the described purposes and fulfillment of legal obligations, after which they are deleted or anonymized, while official artifacts of the scientific record (metadata of articles, decisions, notifications of corrections/retractions) can be stored longer for traceability.
Data subjects have the rights of access, rectification, erasure (within the scope of the “right to be forgotten”), restriction of processing, data portability, objection to processing on the basis of legitimate interest, as well as the right to transparent notification in the event of a data security breach; relevant requests are accepted at the official address of the journal and considered within a reasonable time, taking into account the balance between individual rights and the public interest in preserving the integrity of the scientific record.
Unpublished materials are not used by editors, reviewers or other involved persons in their own research without the written consent of the authors; in case of conflict of interest, recusal procedures according to COPE standards are applied.
Authors are fully responsible for the legality of the collection and processing of personal data of research participants, which they report in articles: availability of ethical permissions (where required), informed consent, anonymization/pseudonymization of sensitive arrays, observance of the rights of data subjects and correct licensing of published sets.
The site uses only those cookies that are necessary for the functioning and basic statistics, and any marketing or profiling cookies are used only with the separate consent of the user; in case of security incidents, the procedures of Articles 33–34 of the GDPR apply: recording the incident, notifying the supervisory authority and data subjects (if necessary), describing the risk minimisation measures taken. The current version of this policy is published on the website with the date of entry into force and the history of changes; significant updates are communicated in understandable language, which ensures the compatibility of the practices of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with GDPR and European transparency standards.
Personal Data Protection
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” acts as a controller of personal data and processes the data of authors, reviewers and readers solely for the defined purposes of the editorial and publishing process on legal grounds and to the minimum extent necessary in accordance with Art. 5 and 6 of the GDPR (legality, transparency, purpose limitation, minimisation, accuracy, storage limitations, integrity and confidentiality).
Legal grounds include: performance of contractual relations within the editorial process (Art. 6(1)(b)), compliance with legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(c)), the legitimate interest of the journal to ensure the quality and security of the service, in particular anti-plagiarism verification and maintaining the integrity of the scientific record (Art. 6(1)(f)), and for optional services (newsletters/subscriptions) – a separate consent (Art. 1.a. Processing is carried out taking into account the principles of “privacy by design/default” (Art. 25), appropriate technical and organizational security measures (Art. 32), as well as maintaining internal registers of processing operations (Art. 30) and, if necessary, conducting a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) in accordance with Art. 35.
The personal data processed may include identification and contact information (name, email address, affiliation, ORCID), official process data (history of submissions, decisions, reviews, official correspondence) and technical data (IP address, server logs, cookies), and their scope is limited to the purpose of processing (Art. 5(1)(c)) and retention periods necessary to perform duties and ensure the traceability of the scientific record (Art. 5(1)(e), art. 89
Access to data is provided only to authorized employees and involved processors under contracts within the meaning of Art. 28 GDPR (editorial process platform, hosting, DOI services, archiving systems, borrowing verification tools), which act on the instructions of the controller and provide adequate security guarantees; transfer of data outside the EEA is allowed only if there are adequate guarantees in accordance with Section V of Art. 44-49.
Data subjects enjoy the rights provided for in Art. 13–21 GDPR: to be informed of the processing, access, rectification, erasure (within the limits of applicability), restriction of processing, objection to processing on the basis of legitimate interest, data portability, and the right not to be the object of a decision based solely on automated processing in cases specified by law. Requests from data subjects are considered within the time limits set by the GDPR; the journal provides transparent mechanisms for their submission and execution. The use of cookies and server logs is for purely technical and statistical purposes based on the legitimate interest and the requirements of Directive 2002/58/EC (ePrivacy); any non-essential/marketing cookies are only used with the prior consent of the user.
In case of a security incident, the journal acts in accordance with Art. 33–34 GDPR: without undue delay, if possible, within 72 hours, notify the supervisory authority and, where there is a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals, the data subjects, indicating the nature of the breach and the measures taken. The contact details of the controller and, if appointed, the data protection officer (DPO) are communicated to the data subjects in notices under Art. 13–14
This procedure ensures the compliance of the journal’s practices with the requirements of the GDPR and relevant European standards of transparency and privacy protection in scientific publication.
INSTITUTIONAL ROLES IN PUBLICATION-RELATED COMMUNICATION AND PEER REVIEW
REVIEW PROCEDURE
The review procedure complies with the European benchmarks of COPE Core Practices, Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME) and the principles of ALLEA research integrity and involves a double-blind assessment by at least two independent external experts after a preliminary editorial screening for compliance with the publication profile and basic ethical requirements. The manuscript is anonymized and submitted to reviewers for evaluation according to unified criteria: originality and scientific novelty of the contribution, relevance to the subject of the journal, methodological quality and reproducibility of results, adequacy and priority of the primary source base, comparative legal correctness, clarity of presentation and adherence to the ethics of research and citation. Based on the reviews, a motivated editorial decision is formulated: “accept”, “accept with minor amendments”, “request a significant revision”, or “rejected”. The confidentiality of materials and reviews is ensured at all stages in compliance with the principles of data minimization and GDPR requirements; unpublished information cannot be used in the own research of editors or reviewers. For transparency, aggregated process metrics are published (time to first decision, average review duration, proportion of materials accepted after the first round), an independent appeal route and challenge procedures in the event of a conflict of interest are in place; the selection of reviewers is based on competence and the absence of relevant conflicts, and communication with authors is carried out within a clearly defined and reasonable time frame. This procedure guarantees the impartiality, traceability and reproducibility of editorial decisions in the logic of the publication policy of open legal science.
Responsibilities of the Editorial Board
The Editorial Board of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” acts in accordance with the European guidelines of integrity and transparency (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity; COPE Core Practices; Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing), ensuring a respectful, impartial attitude towards authors and respect for their scientific position. The confidentiality of manuscripts, reviews and official correspondence is guaranteed at all stages; unpublished materials are not used in the own research of editors or reviewers. Editorial editing does not change the content position of the authors and is carried out only after the final text is agreed with them. The board rejects materials that do not have scientific value, do not correspond to the profile of the journal, contradict the publication policy or contain plagiarism, duplication of previous publications, fabrication or falsification of data. Objective and competent experts are involved in the evaluation of manuscripts; double-blind peer review is applied, the selection of reviewers is carried out taking into account their professionalism and the absence of a conflict of interest, and all decisions are recorded and motivated. Such responsibilities ensure the independence and reproducibility of editorial decisions, the compatibility of the journal's practices with European standards and the trust of the scientific community.
Reviewers’ Responsibilities
Reviewers fulfill their obligations by focusing on the European standards of integrity (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity) and transparency in the publication processes (COPE Core Practices; Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing), ensuring impartial, competent and timely review of manuscripts. They allow for review only those materials that correspond to their field of expertise, or immediately inform the editorial staff about the impossibility of a qualitative assessment or refusal. Confidentiality is mandatory: the manuscript and related correspondence are treated as confidential materials and may not be shared with third parties; unpublished data, ideas, or research findings are not used in the personal interests or the interests of third parties. Reviewers declare any real or potential conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, personal, ideological) and retract themselves, if any; if during the “blind” review the authorship has become known or another circumstance that threatens impartiality has arisen, the Editorial Board should be immediately informed. The assessment should be objective, reasoned and correctly formulated, with reference to specific places in the text and relevant sources, without discriminatory or disparaging statements; the review is submitted within the period established by the editorial board or a continuation is agreed in advance. Reviewers are obliged to inform the editors about suspicions of scientific dishonesty (plagiarism, duplication, fabrication/falsification of data, unauthorized borrowing of images/tables), undisclosed conflicts of interest of authors or significant methodological flaws, guided by the recommended COPE response algorithms; if necessary, the Editorial Board initiates additional peer review or other corrective actions. The processing of personal data that become known to reviewers during the evaluation process is carried out on the principle of minimization and in compliance with confidentiality and security requirements consistent with the publication policy of the journal and EU standards (in particular GDPR). This model of reviewers' work supports impartiality, reproducibility and trust in editorial decisions.
Authors’ Responsibilities
The authors submit to “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” original manuscripts containing novelty, reliable results, and correctly described methodology, acting in accordance with the European guidelines of integrity (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity) and transparency of publication processes (COPE Core Practices; Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing). Any borrowings – textual, ideological, data, images or tables – must be clearly identified in the form of citations and references to primary sources, including their own previous publications; excessive or unmarked borrowings (including self-borrowing) and plagiarism are unacceptable.
The submitted manuscript should be exclusive: it should not be previously published and cannot be simultaneously considered in another edition; when using third-party materials, authors receive permits in advance or comply with the terms of open licenses and correctly indicate this in the article. Authors ensure the completeness and accuracy of the bibliography, provide correct information about the sources of external information, data and materials (if possible, with open identifiers/links), disclose relevant conflicts of interest and confirm the existence of ethical permissions for research involving people or using sensitive data sets; processing of personal data is carried out within the framework of current legislation (in particular, GDPR requirements). In the event of significant errors or inaccuracies in the submitted or already published material, the authors are obliged to immediately inform the editorial board and cooperate for prompt correction (corrigendum) or other corrective actions in accordance with the COPE guidelines; if serious violations are reasonably confirmed (for example, data fabrication/falsification, plagiarism), the authors contribute to the withdrawal of the publication under the retraction procedure.
Submission of the manuscript means agreement with the open access policy of the journal and the fact that, if accepted, the article can be available in indexing and archival systems and electronic databases with the preservation of authorship and property rights within the selected open license, as well as in compliance with the standards of long-term preservation and traceability of the scientific record. This approach aligns copyright liability with European standards of integrity, transparency, and reproducibility of legal research.
AUTHORS: CONTRIBUTIONS AND SUBMISSION
Attribution of contributions (CRediT)
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” applies a model of authorship and contributions consistent with the European integrity benchmarks (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity) and COPE transparency practices: each publication submits a CRediT contribution declaration (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) – in particular, conceptualization, methodology, data collection, formal analysis, visualization, writing (original text), peer review and editing, project administration, provision of resources, financing, etc. “Honorary” or “gift” authorship is prohibited; only those whose contribution meets the criteria for meaningful responsibility are included in the list of authors, and all other forms of support are reflected in the “Acknowledgements” or “Funding” section. All co-authors approve the final version of the article, agree with the declared roles and bear joint responsibility within their contributions; the responsible author ensures the accuracy of metadata (including ORCID) and timely communication with the editorial staff. Changes in the composition of authors after submission (addition, removal, change of order) are allowed only with the joint written consent of all co-authors with justification and are drawn up according to COPE algorithms; CRediT fixes contributions, but does not by itself determine the right to authorship or the order of its indication. This approach ensures transparent attribution of work, reproducibility of responsibility and compliance of the publication practice of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with European standards of integrity.
Statement of Authorship
Submission of the manuscript to “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” means that all these authors are familiar with the content of the work, have given explicit consent to its submission and publication, and, if necessary, have received the necessary approvals from the responsible persons of the institution/organization where the study was performed. The policy is aligned with the ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, COPE transparency practices, and the application of the CRediT contribution taxonomy. Each author confirms that he has made a significant intellectual contribution (conceptualization or design of the study; collection, analysis or interpretation of data; preparation of the manuscript or its critical processing with the preservation of significant intellectual content), approved the final version for publication, agrees with the declared roles of CRediT and is jointly responsible for the integrity of the work, ensuring timely resolution of issues related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of it. “Honorary” or “gift” authorship is prohibited; only persons whose contribution meets the criteria are included in the list of authors, and other forms of support (technical assistance, financing, administrative support) are reflected in the “Acknowledgements” and/or “Funding” sections. The responsible author ensures the correctness of metadata (in particular ORCID), timely communication with the editorial board and the collection of written confirmations of consent from all co-authors. Any changes in the composition of authors after submission (addition, deletion, change of order) are carried out only with the joint written consent of all co-authors with justification and are drawn up in accordance with COPE algorithms. This approach guarantees transparent attribution of work and compliance of the publication practice of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with European standards of integrity and accountability.
Submission Declaration
Submission of the manuscript to “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” certifies that the work is original, has not previously been published as a version of the record and is not in parallel consideration in another edition; the publication was approved by all co-authors, and, if necessary, by the responsible authorities of the institution where the study was performed. The authors confirm that if accepted, the manuscript will not be published elsewhere in identical or substantially similar form in any language consistent with the ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and Transparency (COPE Core Practices, Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing). Pre-printing or self-archiving of the accepted version is permitted, provided that this fact is clearly disclosed at the time of submission and subsequent reference to the DOI version of the record after publication; such disclosure is not considered “double publication” in accordance with the journal’s policy. The authors also confirm: the absence of plagiarism and unmarked borrowings; the availability of rights (permissions or compatible open licenses) to all third-party materials (images, tables, data) with proper citation; the reliability of the submitted data and the correctness of the methodology; disclosure of conflicts of interest and sources of funding; the availability of the necessary ethical permissions for research involving people/sensitive data and compliance with GDPR requirements when processing personal data. Submission of the manuscript implies the consent of all authors with the fixation of contributions by CRediT-taxonomy and with the fact that, if accepted, the article is published in the public domain under the terms of CC BY 4.0 with DOI registration and indexing in profile databases. Such a declaration ensures the compatibility of the publication practice of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with European standards of originality, transparency and reproducibility and prevents duplication of publications.
Authors’ Rights
In “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal”, the authors retain the copyright (property and non-property) rights to their works and the scientific use of the results, granting the journal a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute and bring to the public knowledge the final version of the record (VoR). Publication is made in the public domain without embargo under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): any further use, including commercial, is allowed provided that the authors and DOI of the article are correctly referenced, the license is indicated and the changes are noted (if any). Such a model is in line with European transparency standards (COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME Principles of Transparency and Best Practice) and the definition of open access by the Budapest Open Access Initiative and the Berlin Declaration; it is compatible with funders' policies (in particular the Plan S approaches) and practices for the long-term preservation of scientific record. Authors have the right to self-archive: placement of preprint and accepted version (AAM) in open repositories with transparent disclosure of the version status and subsequent addition of a link to the DOI version of record after publication. Moral rights (the right of authorship, to the name, to the integrity of the work) remain with the authors and are not alienated. Full-text access to journal articles is provided through the “Archive” section and repository services; each article is assigned a DOI for reliable citation and indexing. Any third-party objects (images, tables, data) included in the article are used under permits or compatible open licenses with proper indication of the source; in the processing of personal data, authors comply with GDPR and industry ethical requirements. Such a legal regime ensures the preservation of copyright control over the results, maximizes the openness and reproducibility of research and harmonizes the publication practice of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with the leading European standards of open science.
OPEN ACCESS POLICY
Open Access Policy and Licensing
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” is an open access periodical: all content is publicly and gratuitously available to readers and their institutions immediately after publication, without any period of embargo. There is no charge for open access; the journal also does not accept payments for the submission or processing of materials, and in the case of individual projects with related payments, this is preliminarily and publicly announced with exceptions. This model is consistent with the European approaches to open science and the definitions of open access adopted within the framework of the Budapest Open Access Initiative and the Berlin Declaration, as well as with the principles of transparency COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME (the requirement to clearly communicate access conditions and any fees). The final versions of the record (version of record) are posted on the journal’s website immediately after acceptance and are indexed with the assignment of a DOI, which ensures stable citation and long-term availability.
By default, all publications are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). This gives users the right to read, download, copy, distribute, make extracts and abstracts, create derivative works, modify and rework materials, and use them for commercial purposes, provided that four basic requirements are met: to indicate the authors and a link to the official publication from DOI; to add a link to the text of the CC BY 4.0 license; to clearly mark if changes were made to the work; do not create the impression that the licensor approves of a particular way of use. The chosen licensing model complies with European open access standards (including Plan S requirements for permitted licenses) and provides legal certainty for the reuse of materials by the academic, educational and professional communities. Thus, the materials of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” can be freely read, downloaded, distributed, and adapted subject to correct scientific citation and compliance with the terms of CC BY 4.0, and all information on access conditions, licensing and possible financial aspects is communicated transparently in accordance with best European practices.
Versioning and Self-Archiving Policies
The journal provides uninterrupted and reliable access to its content, applying complementary technical and organizational long-term preservation measures. At the infrastructure level, regular backups of materials and metadata are carried out; constant monitoring of technological risks with advance migration of formats to prevent compatibility losses due to software obsolescence; maintenance of complete and structured digital storage metadata for each article; assignment of a stable digital identifier (DOI) to each publication, which guarantees reference stability, the ability to reliably cite and track updates (corrigendum, retraction, addendum) without changing the version of the record itself. In addition to local server resiliency, the editorial board adheres to the principles of open access and ensures long-term availability through compatible repository practices so that the content remains readable and searchable regardless of technological changes.
Within the framework of the revision policy, the journal distinguishes three main states of the scientific text and regulates their dissemination.
First, the preprint – the author’s version for review – can be publicly posted in thematic or institutional open repositories.
Secondly, the accepted version (Author Accepted Manuscript, AAM) – the final author’s version after review and official acceptance for publication, but without publishing layout – can also be self-archived in repositories. In all cases, the author is obliged to clearly indicate the version status and add an active link to the version of record (VoR) – the publishing final version of the DOI article – as soon as the VoR is available.
Third, the version of record is the only authoritative citation point; it takes precedence in bibliographic references and indexing, while the preprint or AAM is cited only before the appearance of the VoR or with a corresponding status note.
Thus, the policy combines openness in the early stages of scientific communication with the stability and reproducibility of the final publication, while ensuring the technical reliability of preservation and European standards of version transparency.
Preprint Policy
The Journal supports the preliminary publication of manuscripts in open repositories (preprint servers), provided that this fact is transparently disclosed during the submission and the rights of third parties are respected. The preprint is not considered a preliminary publication and does not prevent consideration in “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal”; editorial decisions are made regardless of the presence of the preprint and in compliance with double-blind peer review. The policy is aligned with European approaches to open science (BOAI, Berlin Declaration), COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME transparency principles and OpenAIRE/Plan S requirements for metadata and permitted licenses. When placing a preprint, the author ensures correct licensing (CC BY is recommended), clear marking of the version as preprint, the availability of complete metadata (authors, affiliates, date, keywords) and the legality of the use of third-party materials; in the case of using personal data, compliance with GDPR requirements. After acceptance for publication, the author is obliged to update the entry in the repository: add an active link to the version of record (DOI), indicate the status of the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM), if it is also self-archived, and, if necessary, briefly report significant differences in content. When citing, the version of record takes precedence; before it appears, a reference to a preprint indicating the status and identifier of the repository is allowed. The Editorial Board reserves the right to check preprints for plagiarism, duplication and ethical violations; detected discrepancies or violations are considered according to COPE algorithms. This procedure ensures the rapid dissemination of knowledge, while maintaining legal certainty, ethical compliance and reproducibility of results in accordance with European standards of open science.
Archiving
Preservation and Availability
Each publication is assigned a DOI with the deposit of complete metadata in the registry (Crossref) for reliable citation, traceability of versions and automatic informing of indexers about changes in status (corrections, additions, retractions) in accordance with COPE approaches and COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME transparency principles; the journal applies Crossref/CrossMark practice or equivalent mechanisms to mark post-publication updates. Long-term availability is ensured by participation in archiving networks such as the PKP Preservation Network/LOCKSS or functionally equivalent services (CLOCKSS, Portico), as well as internal procedures for backup, format migration and access recovery; the policy is compatible with open science standards in the EU (OpenAIRE/Plan S) and fair principles on metadata and identifiers. Publications are available without embargo on the journal's website; metadata are exposed through interoperability protocols with repositories (e.g. OAI-PMH) and contain stable author identifiers (ORCID) and funding that supports interoperability, indexing and long-term preservation of the scientific record in accordance with European best practices.
Material Archiving Policy
The journal ensures the continued availability and integrity of the scientific record in accordance with the European Open Science Reference Points (OpenAIRE/Plan S), the principles of transparency (COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME) and the FAIR-principles for metadata and identifiers. At the infrastructure level, there are standardized procedures for backup, monitoring of technological risks and planned migration of formats to prevent compatibility losses due to software obsolescence; each publication is assigned a DOI with full metadata deposited in Crossref, which ensures reliable citation, interoperability and automatic informing of indexers about post-publication updates (corrections, additions, retractions). For long-term preservation, the journal participates in archiving networks such as the PKP Preservation Network / LOCKSS or functionally equivalent services (CLOCKSS, Portico), and supports incident recovery procedures. Metadata is exposed through interoperable protocols (e.g., OAI-PMH) and contain robust author identifiers (ORCIDs) and funding that meets the requirements of European repository ecosystems.
Self-archiving is supported: authors can publicly post preprint (pre-review version) and accepted version/AAM (author’s version after review) in open repositories, subject to transparent disclosure of version status, observance of third-party rights, and correct licensing (CC BY recommended). After the version of record (VoR) appears, authors are obliged to update the records in the repositories with an active link to the DOI of the final publication and, if necessary, a short note about the differences; for citation, VoR has priority. This procedure combines openness at all stages of communication with technical reliability of preservation and ensures the compatibility of the publication practice of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with the leading European standards of long-term accessibility.
DISCUSSION AND UPDATES AFTER PUBLICATION
Corrections, Notifications and Retractions
Legal Scientific Electronic Journal maintains the integrity of the scientific record in accordance with the European benchmarks of transparency and publication ethics (COPE Core Practices, Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, cope Retraction Guidelines). The policy provides for a proportional and public response to errors and violations: (1) non-essential editorial or technical flaws are eliminated through a short message of correction; (2) significant, but not changing the main conclusions, are corrected through corrigendum or addendum; (3) confirmed violations of integrity or unreliability of the results entail retraction. All post-publication messages have their own DOI, two-way cross-references to the article and are stored in the public domain; indexers and registries (including through Crossref/CrossMark) are informed about the change in the status of the publication.
The grounds for retraction are, in particular: the presence of convincing evidence of unreliability of the results (including fabrication/falsification of data, manipulation with images), redundant or duplicate publication without proper references and permissions, plagiarism, fraudulent authorship, compromised peer review, violation of research ethics. The decision is made after an editorial review in accordance with cope algorithms, giving authors the opportunity to explain within a reasonable time. If the manuscript is under review, it may be rejected; if the article is already published, the journal publishes a corresponding notice (correction, note of concern or retraction). In case of retraction, a visible watermark "Retracted" is superimposed on the version of the record, the title indicates "Retraction: [article title]", and a separate statement of retraction with the signature of the responsible editor is published as an independent material with a DOI and justification of the reasons. The text of the retracted article itself is not removed from public access in order to preserve the traceability of the scientific record and the correctness of citations.
Suspicions of dishonesty or other ethical violations (from readers, reviewers, institutions) are considered according to the procedures of procedural fairness: fixation of the appeal, initial verification, if necessary — external examination, motivated decision and public notification of the result. Communication is conducted through official channels, with respect for confidentiality and minimization of personal data (GDPR).
Voluntary withdrawal of the manuscript for publication is possible on the basis of a written appeal signed by all co-authors with a brief explanation of the reasons; in this case, the material is removed from consideration and removed from internal editorial systems (without public artifacts). After publication, the revocation takes place exclusively in the form of a retraction according to the rules given. This procedure ensures the proportionality of decisions, transparency of communication and full compatibility of the practice of the "Legal Scientific Electronic Journal" with European standards of ethics of scientific publication.
Complaints and Appeals
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” provides a transparent and independent mechanism for considering appeals, consistent with the European benchmarks of integrity and transparency (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity; COPE Core Practices and flowcharts; Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing – COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME). Complaints (about violations of publication ethics, review procedures, conflicts of interest, correctness of post-publication actions, etc.) and appeals against editorial decisions are submitted through the electronic form on the website or to the official address of the editorial office with a brief, specific statement of the essence and, if possible, with supporting materials. Confirmation of receipt is sent within 7 days; an initial decision (on admissibility/itinerary) is usually provided within 30 days, taking into account the complexity of the issue and the need for additional expertise. Appeals against editorial decisions are reviewed by another responsible editor or, if necessary, an external adviser; an additional round of review is possible if the presented arguments indicate significant methodological or ethical grounds for review.
Consideration of appeals is based on the principles of procedural fairness, impartiality and confidentiality: the number of persons who have access to the materials is limited; in case of a potential conflict of interest, a challenge is applied; the factual circumstances are checked according to the COPE recommendations. As a result, proportional actions can be taken: correction of the publication (corrigendum/addendum), publication of a notice of concern, retraction, change of editorial procedures or rejection of the complaint as unreasonable. Personal claims that go beyond the responsibility of the journal (for example, labor disputes or extra-scientific conflicts) receive a motivated response about non-accountability; appeals in an offensive, threatening or defamatory form can be left without consideration. The processing of personal data during the proceedings is carried out on the principle of minimization and in accordance with the requirements of the GDPR; if necessary, the journal can inform the relevant institutions (employer/financier/ethics committee) within the framework of proper information and protection of the integrity of the scientific record. The Editorial Board keeps records of appeals and decisions, communicates the results within a reasonable time and provides the possibility of one appeal with new significant arguments; repeated appeals without new data are not considered. This procedure guarantees a transparent, reproducible and compatible with European standards mechanism for responding to complaints and appeals in the publication practice of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal”.
Post-Publication Community Engagement
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” maintains an open scientific dialogue after publication in accordance with the European benchmarks of integrity and transparency (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity; COPE Core Practices; Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing): letters to the editor, balanced critical notes and post-publication reviews submitted in a correct academic form with clear arguments and references to sources are accepted. Materials of this format undergo editorial screening for relevance, scientific correctness and the absence of personal attacks; if necessary, additional review may be initiated. If the discussion reveals significant errors or ethical violations, the journal acts according to COPE procedures: publishes relevant messages (corrigendum, addendum, expression of concern, retraction) as separate entries with DOI and two-way cross-references (through Crossref/CrossMark), while the version of the record is not edited “quietly”. Creators have the right to respond within the prescribed format; moderation ensures compliance with language ethics and non-discrimination. The processing of personal data of the participants in the discussion is carried out in compliance with the principles of minimization and the requirements of the GDPR. This order preserves the integrity of the scientific record, ensures reproducible traceability of corrections, and supports a culture of responsible post-publication criticism.
OPEN SCIENCE AND DIGITAL TOOLS
Open Science: Data, Materials, and Code
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” adheres to the European benchmarks of open science (BOAI/Berlin Declaration, OpenAIRE, Plan S) and the principles of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable): in each publication, the authors submit a clear statement of the availability of data, materials and code with permanent identifiers (e.g., DOI/Handle) or provide a reasonable explanation of restrictions (intellectual property rights, confidentiality, personal data – in compliance with GDPR, restrictions on court materials and secrets, other legal prohibitions). Preference is given to the preservation of arrays in open repositories with reliable long-term archiving and high-quality metadata compatible with the European repository ecosystem; the text of the article contains active links to these arrays, their identifiers, versions and, if possible, metadata schemes. Open licenses compatible with European standards are recommended for reuse (e.g., CC BY for materials and documentation, CC0/ODC-BY for datasets, open-source licenses for software), and README files describing structure, variables, and dependencies. If full discovery is not possible, proportional solutions are allowed: depositing anonymized/pseudonymized fragments, providing synthetic data, access in a controlled environment or “data access on request” indicating the contact person/conditions. Links to data/materials/code are placed in a special section of the article (Data/Materials/Code Availability), and in the case of further updates, new versions are created with separate identifiers and a note of differences. This procedure ensures the reproducibility of legal research, the legal certainty of reuse and the compatibility of the publication practice of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with the leading European standards of open science.
The Use of Artificial Intelligence
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” allows only the auxiliary use of AI tools (language editing, technical formatting, support for literature search, generation of ideas for structuring analysis), provided that the article fully and specifically discloses the services used and how they are used, as well as verifies all facts and references from primary sources. This approach is consistent with the ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and COPE Core Practices, Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing: AI is not a co-author, cannot assume scientific responsibility, and the full responsibility for the content, accuracy and legality of the materials rests with the authors. It is forbidden to use AI to invent sources (“hallucinated citations”), fabricate or falsify data, manipulate images/diagrams, as well as to covertly write essential parts of the text without disclosure. Authors should keep traces of AI use (reasonable versions of requests/conclusions) for editorial verification; in the case of applying AI to data containing personal or other sensitive information, authors are obliged to have proper legal grounds and guarantees of protection in accordance with the GDPR (in particular, the principles of minimization, legality, “privacy by design /default”), to avoid unauthorized loading of confidential data into third-party models and to ensure anonymization/pseudonymization. The Editorial Board may use automated machine-generated indicators only as screening, which has no independent evidentiary power; any conclusions are based on human expertise, COPE procedures and evaluation of the manuscript according to scientific criteria. In the article, the disclosure of the use of AI is given in a separate line of the “Methods” or “Acknowledgements” section (indicating the tool, version and scope of tasks); if AI is applied to images/multimedia, this is separately marked. This procedure preserves the originality, traceability and accountability of research and harmonizes the publication practice of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with the leading European standards of openness and research integrity.
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Financial Transparency
“Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” operates in accordance with European standards of integrity and transparency (ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity; COPE Core Practices; Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing; OpenAIRE/Plan S requirements for metadata). Each article must contain a clear statement of funding, indicating the full names of the funders, the identifiers of the grants (if any) and the nature of the support (grant, contract, internal program, infrastructure/in-kind assistance). The connection of the donor with research stages (design, data collection and analysis, writing a manuscript, decision to publish) is declared separately: in the case of influence, this is directly described; under its absence, an unambiguous mark is made about the absence of influence. Funding data is consistent with CRediT’s declaration of conflicts of interest and contribution taxonomy (authorship roles are not substituted for funding). For interoperability, the journal uses standardized registers (e.g., Crossref Funder Registry) and requires that funding details be included in the publication metadata. Information on possible financial conditions on the part of the journal (absence of APC/OPC; conditions of individual projects) is communicated publicly and in advance. Editorial decisions are made independently of the founder, sponsors and advertisers (editorial firewall); this practice ensures the accountability and compatibility of the publication policy of “Legal Scientific Electronic Journal” with the leading European benchmarks of open science.
Acknowledgements
The journal has a positive attitude to the expression of gratitude – this is a good European tradition of scientific courtesy and transparency. The acknowledgements note contributions that do not reach the authorship level: technical or linguistic assistance, provision of data and materials, access to infrastructure, advisory advice, administrative support, as well as openly declared use of editing tools (in particular AI) within the framework of the journal policy. Names shall only be given with the consent of these persons; the wording shall be neutral and accurate, without advertising and without implicit attribution of authorєs roles. Financial support is not duplicated in the acknowledgements and is submitted separately in the funding application with grant identifiers that meet the OpenAIRE/Plan S requirements for metadata. Acknowledgements are consistent with Conflict of Interest Declarations (COPE Core Practices) and are not used to mask “honorary authorship”; they may contain brief disclosures of potential connections, if necessary. The processing of personal data of individuals mentioned acknowledgments is carried out taking into account their consent and the principle of minimization in accordance with the GDPR. This approach maintains transparent attribution of support and complies with European standards of publication ethics.