Publication Ethics

The Editorial Board has adopted publication ethics and policy based on the international standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which define the interactions among editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher throughout the publishing process. These standards are also aligned with the Ethical Code of the Academic Publishing House of UNWE. The Editorial Board strictly adheres to principles of legitimacy, independence, objectivity, fairness, transparency, tolerance, and professional competence.

Originality and plagiarism

Authors must ensure that the manuscript constitutes entirely original work. All sources must be properly cited and referenced.

Screening: Each manuscript is screened for originality using plagiarism detection software. Manuscripts that exceed the similarity threshold of 20% or contain confirmed plagiarism will be rejected immediately without the possibility of resubmission.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI tools are not permitted to be listed as authors of the publication.

Authors are required to explicitly disclose any use of AI tools during manuscript preparation in either the Methodology or Acknowledgements section, and must specify the manner in which these tools were utilised.

Double-blind peer review

The journal maintains a fair and unbiased evaluation process. Reviewer identities are concealed from authors, and author identities are concealed from reviewers, implementing a double-blind review system that persists until publication or indefinitely, as applicable.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts and reviews are treated with strict confidentiality.

Conflict of interest

All participants, including authors, reviewers, and editors, are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may be perceived as influencing the objectivity of the process.

Corrections and retractions

Following publication, the journal and authors may issue corrections or addenda online, or, in exceptional circumstances, retract articles in accordance with established procedures.

If significant errors or confirmed misconduct, such as data fabrication or plagiarism, are identified after publication, the Editorial Board reserves the right to issue a correction (Corrigendum) or retract the article entirely, while maintaining a public record of the action.

Responsibility of parties

• Authors guarantee the originality of their work, proper citation, and absence of conflicts of interest.
• Reviewers commit to fair and unbiased evaluation.
• The editorial team reserves the right to reject submissions in cases where misconduct is identified.

Journal metrics

• Number of published scientific articles (last 3 years):
• Average number of reviews per article:
• Average time from submission to publication:
• Citations:
• Other indicators:

Abstracting and indexing

Research Papers of UNWE is indexed in major international databases and directories, ensuring global discoverability and dissemination of research findings. Each publication receives a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to ensure persistent identification.

• EBSCO
• CEEOL
• CrossRef
• RePec
• ECONBIZ
• Google Scholar
• ROAD
• SIS
• J-Gate

The journal is also included in the National Reference List of Contemporary Bulgarian Scientific Publications with Peer Review under ID No. 2511.