Code of Ethics

of the Socio-Economic Analyses

Socio-Economic Analyses is a peer-reviewed, scientific and educational academic journal published by the Faculty of Economics at St. Cyril and St. Methodius University in Veliko Tarnovo. The journal aims to contribute to scientific advancement in the fields of economics, management, social activities and tourism.

The Editorial Board of Socio-Economic Analyses adopts and adheres to the highest ethical standards and principles of scholarly publishing recognised by the international academic community, as reflected in the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). COPE is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to define best practices in publication ethics and support editors and publishers in achieving them.

This code of ethics ensures compliance with the generally accepted ethical standards and principles that govern the relationships between the Socio-Economic Analyses editorial office and authors, reviewers, the editor-in-chief, the editorial board, the publisher and all parties involved in submitting, evaluating and publishing manuscripts.

The publication process involves the obligation of all parties to observe the following ethical principles and requirements:

Professional conduct: Maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct, which requires fairness, integrity and transparency when analysing research data, methodology, results, procedures and publication practices.

Objectivity: The requirement for all data presented in research studies is for analysis and reporting to be objective and impartial. The Editorial Board will not tolerate subjective treatment, prejudice or personal bias towards authors, scientific arguments, ideas, sources or data.

Prohibition of data manipulation: Presenting any form of inaccurate or fabricated data, including manipulating data to support predetermined conclusions, is strictly prohibited.

Scientific Contribution: Only manuscripts that demonstrate genuine scientific novelty and contribute to the advancement of science and education will be considered for publication. Submissions that do not demonstrate a clear scientific contribution will be rejected.

Protection of Intellectual Property: Copyright must be strictly respected, and all forms of plagiarism are subject to zero tolerance, including the unauthorised use of ideas, texts or results without the correct and accurate attribution to their authors. Manuscripts must be prepared with due respect for the scholarly achievements of the cited authors, and all sources must be cited in accordance with the Journal's adopted standards. The university has strict internal rules governing the publication of scholarly works. The StrikePlagiarism system is used to screen all submitted works. The maximum permissible similarity levels are 15% for the first coefficient and 5% for the second.

Independence: The research results and the peer-review process must remain completely independent of any external interests and influences, whether financial, political, institutional or otherwise.

Confidentiality and data protection: The confidentiality of personal, institutional and other protected data must be strictly maintained, in full compliance with applicable national and European data protection legislation.

Conflicts of interest: Authors, editors and reviewers must avoid any personal, professional or financial conflicts of interest that could result in a lack of objectivity, bias or misconduct when performing their duties. Where such a conflict exists, the Editorial Board reserves the right to reject the submitted manuscript.

Academic Quality and Language Standards: Manuscripts that do not meet the required standards of scientific quality, sound argumentation, impartiality and strict compliance with standard language conventions in Bulgarian and English will not be accepted.

Originality of manuscripts and shared responsibility: Manuscripts must be original works of authorship. They must clearly reflect the contributions and responsibilities of each author for the conclusions presented, including in cases of co-authorship. Submitted manuscripts must accurately acknowledge all contributions, including when the publication disseminates results from a monographic study or forms part of a larger research project. Simultaneous submission or duplication of publications that have already been published or submitted for publication in other journals, edited volumes or scientific forums is strictly prohibited. Previous publication or submission elsewhere of the manuscripts is not allowed. Such manuscripts will be immediately rejected by the Socio-Economic Analyses Editorial Board.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts for publication in Socio-Economic Analyses are personally responsible for the scientific integrity and academic honesty of their research. The submission of manuscripts is subject to compliance with the following ethical, professional and procedural requirements.

Authorship attribution and shared responsibility: Only individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the conception of the research, the collection and processing of data, the analysis and interpretation of results, or the preparation of the manuscript should be identified as authors or co-authors. Each author is personally responsible for the content of the publication and must be able to defend its scientific validity. Submitted manuscripts must clearly and accurately reflect the contributions of all participants, including in cases where the publication constitutes the dissemination of results from a monographic study or forms part of a larger research project.

Accurate Citation: All sources, publications, data and ideas that have influenced the development of the submitted work must be cited accurately, fully and appropriately by authors, in accordance with the Socio-Economic Analyses citation requirements.

Provision of and access to research data: At the request of the Editorial Board, authors must provide the raw data used in the research where necessary for editorial assessment or peer review purposes. After publication, authors should assist in ensuring access to these data for scientific purposes, to the extent possible and in compliance with applicable legislation on the protection of personal data, confidentiality and intellectual property.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Authors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including financial, professional, institutional or other circumstances that could influence the research results, their presentation or their interpretation.

Participation in the Peer-Review Process: Authors are expected to cooperate with the editorial process in good faith by providing clarifications promptly, responding to comments from editors and reviewers, and submitting revised manuscripts by the specified deadline. When making revisions, authors should address the recommendations received appropriately or provide reasoned explanations for not accepting them.

Obligation to Correct Significant Errors: If authors identify significant errors or inaccuracies in their manuscript before or after publication, they must notify the Editorial Board immediately and cooperate in the publication of a correction, editorial clarification, or retraction where necessary. If a third party raises concerns, authors must promptly provide the necessary evidence regarding the reliability of the publication or cooperate with the Editorial Board in taking appropriate editorial action.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board and the Editor-in-Chief

The editors of Socio-Economic Analyses are responsible for ensuring that the editorial process is independent, objective, transparent and ethical. When carrying out their duties, they must comply with the following principles and responsibilities:

Publication decisions: Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts based solely on their scientific merit, originality, methodological soundness, relevance, clarity of presentation and compliance with the journal's thematic scope. Decisions regarding the acceptance, revision or rejection of manuscripts are made irrespective of the authors' gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, religious beliefs, political views, institutional affiliation or other characteristics. The Editor-in-Chief bears ultimate responsibility for decisions regarding the publication of manuscripts and determines the content of each issue of the journal.

Ensuring an impartial peer-review process: Editors organise and oversee an independent, double-blind peer review process. Each manuscript is submitted for evaluation to at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant academic field. If the reviewers' assessments substantially disagree, the editors may appoint a third independent reviewer whose opinion will inform the final editorial decision.

Confidentiality: Editors must ensure the confidentiality of the entire editorial process. This includes information concerning submitted manuscripts, the identities of authors and reviewers, the content of peer-review reports and editorial decisions. This information cannot be disclosed to anyone not involved in the evaluation and publication process, except where disclosure is required by law or necessary for investigating alleged breaches of publication ethics. Unpublished materials and ideas should not be used for personal or professional purposes without the authors’ written consent.

Prevention of Conflicts of Interest: Editors are obligated to avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest. Where personal, professional, financial or institutional relationships exist that could affect their impartiality, editors must recuse themselves from the editorial process concerning the respective manuscript, which shall be assigned to another member of the editorial board.

Responding to Breaches of Publication Ethics: Where there are suspicions or allegations of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication or manipulation, inappropriate authorship, or manipulation of the peer-review process, editors must promptly take the necessary action in accordance with the journal's editorial policy and the principles of COPE. Additional explanations and evidence may be requested from the authors where necessary, and appropriate measures may be taken, including rejection of the manuscript or formal retraction of the publication.

Maintaining Academic Integrity and Editorial Independence: Editors ensure that editorial decisions are based solely on the scientific merit of submitted manuscripts, rather than being influenced by commercial, financial, institutional or personal interests. They take the necessary measures to prevent practices that compromise academic integrity, such as citation manipulation, improper authorship practices, exploitation of the peer review process and other types of publication misconduct.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers support the Editorial Board and the Editor-in-Chief by helping them to make decisions about which manuscripts to publish. Through their independent, competent and impartial assessments, reviewers contribute to maintaining the scientific quality, academic integrity and transparency of the publication process. Their well-reasoned and constructive recommendations help authors to improve their manuscripts. The following principles and responsibilities must be complied with by reviewers when their functions are performed.

Acceptance of invitations to review: Each invited reviewer should determine in advance whether they possess the necessary academic expertise to evaluate the relevant manuscript and whether they can complete the review by the specified deadline. If they lack the necessary expertise, have other commitments, or are unable to meet the deadline, they must promptly inform the Editorial Board and decline the invitation.

Objectivity and constructiveness: Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of their scientific merit, originality, methodological soundness, quality of analysis, strength of argumentation and contribution to advancing scientific knowledge. Conclusions and recommendations should be clearly reasoned and objective, supported by specific arguments with the aim of helping authors improve their manuscripts. Personal judgements, discriminatory comments, offensive remarks or criticism directed at the author personally are unacceptable.

Confidentiality: All manuscripts, accompanying materials and information received during the peer review process are confidential documents. They must not be copied, distributed, discussed or disclosed to third parties without the prior authorisation of the Editorial Board. This obligation also applies to invited reviewers who have declined to participate in the peer review process.

Conflicts of interest: Reviewers must immediately notify the Editorial Board of any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest. This includes cases where the reviewer recognises the author of the manuscript, or has professional, institutional, financial, academic, family or other relationships with the author that could affect their impartiality. In such cases, the reviewer should withdraw from the evaluation process.

Reporting Breaches of Publication Ethics: Reviewers should notify the Editorial Board if they suspect plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication or manipulation, inappropriate authorship, image manipulation, or other breaches of publication ethics. They should also identify any substantial similarities or overlaps between the manuscript under review and any scientific works that have already been published or submitted for publication of which they are aware.

Prohibition on the use of unpublished information: The data, ideas, hypotheses, methods and results contained in the manuscript may not be used for personal, professional or research purposes without the prior written consent of the authors. This obligation remains in effect after the peer-review process has been completed, regardless of whether or not the manuscript is subsequently published.

Compliance with Deadlines and Cooperation with the Editorial Process: Reviewers should complete their reviews within the deadlines established by the Editorial Board. If circumstances arise that prevent the timely completion of a review, reviewers must immediately inform the editors so that another qualified reviewer can be appointed and delays to the editorial process can be avoided.

Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher of Socio-Economic Analyses is responsible for providing the organisational, legal and technological conditions necessary for the publication of the journal, while ensuring compliance with the principles of publication ethics, academic integrity and editorial independence. The following responsibilities are assumed by the publisher in performing its functions:

Full editorial independence: The publisher guarantees and strictly respects the autonomy of the editorial process. It undertakes not to interfere in any way with the Editor-in-Chief's and the Editorial Board's decisions regarding the acceptance, revision or rejection of manuscripts. Scientific merit is the sole criterion for evaluation.

Ensuring transparency and open access: The publisher ensures that all information concerning the journal is freely and fully accessible. The journal does not charge any fees for manuscript submission or publication, nor does it charge readers for access to published articles.

Prevention of misconduct and breaches of research integrity: In cooperation with the editors, the publisher takes appropriate and necessary measures to identify, detect and prevent unethical practices and misconduct, including plagiarism, citation manipulation and the fabrication or falsification of research data. Under no circumstances shall commercial or other interests compromise scientific standards.

Addressing research misconduct and cooperating with COPE: In cases of suspected or confirmed research misconduct, fraud or plagiarism — including allegations received after publication — the publisher must support the Editorial Board fully. The publisher will work closely with the editors to follow the procedures and guidance established by COPE for investigating such cases. Where necessary, appropriate measures may include promptly publishing a notice, correction, or formal retraction of the affected article.

Digital Preservation, Archiving, and Accessibility: The publisher is responsible for the long-term preservation of published scholarly content, as well as ensuring its continuous online accessibility. This is achieved through maintaining a digital archive and cooperating with international academic databases and organisations.

Legal identification and digital standards: The publisher ensures that the journal has a valid International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) and is responsible for implementing contemporary publishing technologies. This includes using specialised plagiarism-detection software (StrikePlagiarism) and assigning unique Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to individual articles.

Confidentiality and data protection: In accordance with applicable legislation, the publisher ensures the security and protection of intellectual property and the personal data of authors and reviewers. Access to unpublished manuscripts undergoing the publication process by unauthorised third parties is prohibited.

Promotion of and compliance with ethical guidelines: The publisher promotes these ethical guidelines to all parties involved in preparing and publishing the academic journal. Editors, reviewers and authors must observe the Guidelines as part of the shared academic commitment to providing the scholarly community with objective, reliable and valuable information.

Publication Ethics and Misconduct Policy

Socio-Economic Analyses has a zero-tolerance policy towards all breaches of publication ethics and academic integrity. All allegations of suspected misconduct are considered promptly and objectively in accordance with the principles of confidentiality, impartiality and fair publication processes.

Breaches of publication ethics include, but are not limited to:

- plagiarism and self-plagiarism;

- simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one academic journal;

- duplicate or multiple publication without appropriate acknowledgement;

- fabrication, manipulation or falsification of data and results;

- inappropriate authorship or failure to disclose the contributions of co-authors;

- manipulation of the peer-review process.

- citation manipulation intended to improperly increase academic metrics.

- undisclosed conflicts of interest.

- the use of offensive, discriminatory or disrespectful language, and personal attacks against other authors, reviewers or schools of thought, rather than scientifically reasoned critical arguments;

- publication of materials that violate applicable legislation, the principles of academic ethics or generally accepted standards of research integrity.

Upon receiving an allegation of misconduct, the Editor-in-Chief conducts a preliminary assessment. Where necessary, the case is referred to the Editorial Board for consideration. The author is informed of the identified circumstances and given the opportunity to submit a written statement and relevant evidence. Where necessary, the Editor-in-Chief appoints additional independent reviewers or experts to assess the originality, scientific merit, or reliability of the reported results.

After considering all the relevant facts, the Editorial Board makes a final decision. Depending on the nature and severity of the misconduct, the following measures may be taken: rejection of the manuscript; return of the manuscript for revision; retraction of the publication; or notification of the relevant institutions, where necessary.

Information concerning allegations received, rejected manuscripts and investigations conducted is treated as confidential and is not disclosed to third parties, except where required by law or necessary for investigating and resolving the alleged misconduct.

When considering all cases of suspected misconduct, the journal adheres to the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Manuscript Withdrawal, Corrections, and Retraction Policy

Socio-Economic Analyses applies transparent procedures for the withdrawal of manuscripts, the publication of corrections and the retraction of articles already published, in order to ensure scientific reliability, academic integrity and the trustworthiness of published content.

Manuscript withdrawal

Authors have the right to request the withdrawal of a submitted manuscript before pre-publication production begins by submitting a written request with reasons to the Editor-in-Chief. This can be done in cases involving significant scientific errors, disputes concerning authorship, legal or ethical issues, or other circumstances that would prevent publication.

After pre-publication production has begun, withdrawal of a manuscript is permitted only in exceptional cases, following a decision by the Editorial Board.

Until written confirmation of termination of the editorial procedure has been received, the manuscript is considered active in the review process and may not be submitted for publication to another academic journal.

The Editorial Board also has the right to terminate the consideration of a manuscript if publication ethics are breached, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication or manipulation of data, inappropriate authorship, simultaneous submission to another academic journal or other breaches of good research practice. The author is informed of the identified circumstances and given the opportunity to submit a written statement before a decision is made. Where necessary, the Editor-in-Chief may commission an additional expert assessment or review.

Corrections

Where technical, editorial, or factual errors are identified after the publication of an article and these errors do not substantially affect the scientific results or conclusions of the publication, the Editorial Board publishes a correction linked to the original publication.

Retraction of a publication

Retraction of a Publication

The author or the Editorial Board may retract a published article at their initiative if there are substantial grounds that call into question the reliability, originality, or ethical acceptability of the publication. These reasons may include, but are not limited to, significant scientific errors, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication or manipulation of data, inappropriate authorship, duplicate publication, copyright infringement, failure to obtain the necessary ethical approvals, or other breaches of publication ethics.

The request for retraction of a publication by the author is submitted in writing to the editor-in-chief with a statement of reasons and applicable evidence.The Editorial Board conducts an investigation and, where necessary, requests additional statements from the author, reviewers, or independent experts before making a final decision.

Where a decision to retract is made, the publication is not removed from the Journal's electronic archive. It remains accessible, clearly indicating that it has been retracted, and an official notice stating the grounds for the retraction is published. This ensures transparency in the editorial process and preserves the scholarly record.

When considering such cases, Socio-Economic Analyses is guided by its editorial policy and the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Artificial Intelligence Policy

Socio-Economic Analyses recognises the potential of artificial intelligence tools to enhance the efficiency of the research process, optimise data processing and analysis, and improve manuscript quality. Despite their significant potential, however, such tools cannot replace or replicate human creativity and critical thinking. Their use must therefore be transparent and responsible, and consistent with the principles of academic and research integrity, and publication ethics.

This policy distinguishes between:

• Generative artificial intelligence (generative AI): systems that create new content (e.g. text, images, computer code, tables, etc.).
• AI-assisted tools: tools used for language and style editing, grammar checking, translation, improving readability, text structuring and other technical tasks.

Use of artificial intelligence by authors

The use of AI-assisted tools for language and style editing, grammar checking, improving readability and clarity of presentation, text structuring and translation (e.g. Grammarly, DeepL, Microsoft Editor and LanguageTool) is permitted. The use of such tools must not result in changes to the scientific content, methodology, research results, interpretations, conclusions, or original contributions of the authors.

Using Generative AI to create or modify research results, analyses, interpretations, conclusions, data, images, tables or graphs in a way that calls their reliability or authorship into question is not permitted.

Generative AI may not be listed as an author or co-author of a publication. Full scientific, ethical, and legal responsibility for the content of the manuscript rests solely with the authors.

All artificial intelligence tools used must be declared in an AI Use Declaration, which should be submitted with the manuscript. The declaration must contain the following information at a minimum:

- the name and version of the tool used;

- the purpose for which it was used;

- the sections of the manuscript for which it was used;

- a statement confirming that the authors have reviewed the content, that they confirm its accuracy, reliability and scientific validity, and that they assume full responsibility for it;

- a statement that the tool was not used to generate research results, data, analyses, interpretations or conclusions.

For transparency purposes, the use of AI-assisted tools must also be disclosed in the Acknowledgements section at the end of the publication.

Use of artificial intelligence by reviewers

The use of generative AI and AI-based technologies in the peer review process is not permitted.

Reviewers must not upload any manuscripts provided to them, either in whole or in part, to publicly accessible generative AI platforms. This would breach the principles of confidentiality and jeopardise intellectual property rights, potentially resulting in the unauthorised use of unpublished research results.

Preparing a peer-review report is an independent academic activity requiring professional expertise, critical thinking and scientific judgement. Therefore, reviewers may not use generative AI to analyse manuscripts or formulate opinions, recommendations or final assessments.

Use of artificial intelligence by editors and members of the editorial board

The use of generative AI is prohibited for editors and members of the Editorial Board when assessing the scientific merit of manuscripts or when making decisions regarding their acceptance, revision, or rejection.

Unpublished manuscripts or parts thereof must not be uploaded to publicly accessible generative AI systems, as this would breach the confidentiality of the editorial process and compromise the protection of authors' intellectual property.

Use of artificial intelligence by the publisher

All parties involved in the publishing process must refrain from using generative AI in the technical preparation, editing and production of manuscripts.

However, the use of artificial intelligence is permitted for scientometric purposes, as well as for the dissemination and promotion of research results. AI may also be used in connection with the long-term preservation of published scholarly content and maintaining its continuous online accessibility.

Copyright

No one may use or reproduce another person's  work in any way without the express permission of the creator or their representative. This applies to any reproduction of a work, whether found in print or online.

Copyright Assignment

Authors publishing in the journal assign non-exclusive rights to the publisher as the journal is open access. The advantages of open access for authors include free access for all users worldwide, copyright preservation, increased visibility and readership, as well as rapid publication. The author is allowed to distribute his/her work on other platforms, but is restricted from simultaneous publication with another publisher for a period of one year, especially if it is a new publication. Socio-Economic Analyses is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.