The editorial board of Democratic Governance follows internationally recognised ethical standards for academic publishing. Our work is guided by fairness, confidentiality, respect for intellectual property, and avoidance of conflicts of interest. In practice, we rely on the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK) by Elsevier.
The journal seeks to ensure that every publication meets the highest scientific and ethical standards. This involves:
All editorial decisions are based exclusively on academic merit and reviewers’ conclusions. Manuscripts are assessed regardless of the author’s background, gender, nationality, religion or political beliefs. Editors are required to avoid conflicts of interest and to ensure that complaints about submitted or published papers are handled transparently and responsibly.
Editors must not use unpublished material for their own research without the author’s consent, nor approve work that contains plagiarism, copyright violations, or lacks scientific value. When ethical concerns are raised, the editorial board will take appropriate measures, including retraction if necessary.
Every manuscript is treated as a confidential document. Information about submissions is disclosed only to those directly involved in the editorial process: authors, reviewers, consultants and the publisher.
Research involving human participants requires approval from an institutional ethics committee. Authors must confirm that participation was voluntary, informed consent was obtained, and confidentiality was ensured. Studies should comply with relevant international codes (e.g., ASA Code of Ethics, ICC/ESOMAR Code, EU Guidance on Ethics and Data Protection. If no formal approval is required, authors should state the legal or institutional basis for this exemption.
Editorial Board: maintain respect towards authors, ensure editorial confidentiality, involve qualified reviewers, and apply double-blind review.
Reviewers: evaluate manuscripts objectively, within the agreed timeframe, treat content as confidential, declare conflicts of interest, and provide constructive, evidence-based feedback.
Authors: guarantee originality, proper citation of sources, absence of plagiarism and self-plagiarism, and confirm exclusivity of submission. Authors are also responsible for correcting significant errors if discovered after publication.
By submitting a paper, authors confirm that all listed contributors have approved the final version and meet authorship criteria: contribution to the research, critical revision, approval of the published text, and accountability for its integrity. Those who assisted but do not qualify as authors should be mentioned in the Acknowledgements section.
Following WAME and Elsevier guidelines, generative AI systems (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, Bing AI) cannot be considered authors. AI may be used only for language polishing or structural editing, and its use must be clearly declared (in Acknowledgements, Abstract or Methods, depending on the purpose). AI-generated figures, images or graphical abstracts are not permitted, except when AI forms part of the research method, which must then be described in detail. Editors and reviewers must also disclose any AI use in their work with manuscripts.
The journal values transparency but protects author rights. Data underlying published findings can be accessed only upon formal request through the editorial office, with author approval. Requests may require a confidentiality agreement. Authors are not obliged to share data if ethical, legal or confidentiality restrictions apply.
We encourage scholarly debate after publication. All articles are indexed with DOI and open for comments on PubPeer. Discussions must remain professional and research-focused. Any credible concerns raised will be investigated according to our ethics and retraction policies.
Authors must declare funding sources, whether from grants, institutions, government, NGOs, commercial entities, or internal university funds. If no funding was received, please state: “The study was not funded.”
Democratic Governance does not accept advertising in any form, ensuring independence and integrity of editorial decisions.
To protect the objectivity and credibility of the journal, Democratic Governance requires all participants in the publication process – authors, reviewers and editors – to declare any potential conflicts of interest. This policy is designed to prevent financial, personal or professional factors from influencing research results or editorial decisions.
Authors are obliged to indicate possible conflicts when submitting their manuscripts. These may involve financial aspects such as employment, consulting fees, company involvement or patents, as well as non-financial issues, including personal relationships, academic competition, or ideological and religious views. All disclosures are published in a dedicated note at the end of each article. If no conflicts exist, the note states: “None.”
Reviewers must likewise declare any circumstances that could affect their impartiality. If personal, academic or financial ties to the authors or related organisations are present, or if their own research directly competes with the submitted work, they are required to notify the editorial office and decline the review.
Editors are also bound by this policy. They must recuse themselves from handling a submission if they are connected to the authors through co-authorship, institutional affiliation, or any financial, personal or academic ties that could be perceived as compromising neutrality. In such cases, the manuscript is reassigned to another editor or reviewed with the help of an independent expert.
By ensuring open disclosure of all conflicts of interest, the journal upholds transparency, fairness, and trust in the scientific communication process.
Democratic Governance applies a set of procedures to guarantee long-term access to its content. The journal ensures reliable backup of materials, monitors technological aspects to avoid problems related to outdated formats or software, and maintains digital preservation metadata. All articles are assigned permanent digital object identifiers (DOIs), which provide stable and secure referencing.
In addition, the journal’s metadata is stored in the Institutional Repository of Lviv Polytechnic National University and the V. I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, ensuring its availability and preservation for the future.