Ethical Standards

'Antropologicheskij Forum' / 'Forum for Anthropology and Culture' is an international peer-reviewed journal. Publishing an article in 'Antropologicheskij Forum' / 'Forum for Anthropology and Culture' involves many parties, each of which plays an important role. The author, the journal editor and the peer-reviewer(s) must all comply with expected ethical standards at all stages from submission to publication of an article.

'Antropologicheskij Forum' / 'Forum for Anthropology and Culture' is committed to meeting standards of ethical behaviour at all stages of the publication process. The statement below is based on Cambridge Journals Ethical Standards, COPE Code of Conduct, and others. It should be taken together with the materials relating to scholarly presentation of submitted articles also placed on our website (see ‘Instructions for Authors’). All contributions to the journal must be researched and presented to the standards outlined there. The sole and absolute criterion for acceptance of all materials is the scholarly merit of these, without regard to political, commercial, or other considerations of any kind.

1. ETHICAL EXPECTATIONS

 Responsibilities of the General Editor, Editorial Staff, and the Editorial Board

  • We will act in a balanced, objective, and fair way while carrying out our expected duties, without discrimination on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, or the ethnic or geographical origin of the authors, and so as to exclude conflicts of interest.
  • We will handle submissions for sponsored supplements or special issues in the same way as other submissions, so that articles are considered and accepted solely on their academic merit and without regard to commercial or other non-intellectual factors.
  • We will adopt and follow reasonable procedures in the event of complaints, giving authors and reviewers a reasonable opportunity to respond to any complaints, and allowing the authors of all books reviewed a right of reply. All complaints will be investigated no matter when the original publication was approved. Documentation associated with any such complaints will be retained.
  • We preserve anonymity of reviewers, act as third party in case of conflict between the author(s) and the reviewer(s) and, should an error be found, promote publication of corrections or retractions.

 Reviewers’ responsibilities

  • To contribute to the decision-making process, and to assist in improving the quality of the published paper by reviewing the manuscript objectively, in a timely manner.
  • To maintain the confidentiality of any information supplied by the editor or author. To discard the manuscript once the reviewing process is completed. Not to make unfair use of any findings or other material contained in it.
  • To alert the editor to any published or submitted content that is substantially similar to that under review. 
  • To be aware of any potential conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, relating to collaborative, tutelary, or other relationships of mutual dependence or patronage between the reviewer and author) and to alert the editor to these, if necessary declining to review the manuscript.

 Authors’ responsibilities

  • To guarantee that all data are real and authentic, to maintain accurate records of data associated with their submitted manuscript. Where appropriate and possible, to deposit data in a suitable repository or storage location, for sharing and further use by others. The journal regularly publishes research data online.
  • To confirm/assert that the manuscript as submitted is not under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere and that it does not substantively reproduce any previous publication by the author. Where portions of the content overlap with published or submitted content, this should be acknowledged. 
  • To confirm that all the work in the submitted manuscript is original and to cite all content reproduced from other sources punctiliously. To obtain permission to reproduce any content from other sources that is protected by national and international copyright law.
  • To ensure that any studies involving human subjects conform to national, local and institutional laws and requirements (e.g. Code of Ethics of American Anthropological Association, Codes of Ethics of the International Sociological Association, etc.). Authors should ensure that the privacy of human subjects is respected.
  • To declare any potential conflicts of interest (e.g. where the author has a competing interest (real or apparent) that could be considered or viewed as exerting an undue influence on his or her duties at any stage during the publication process).
  • To notify promptly the journal editor or publisher if a significant error in their publication is identified. To cooperate with the editor and publisher to publish an erratum, addendum, corrigendum notice, or to retract the findings published in the paper, where this is deemed necessary. 

2. PROCEDURES FOR DEALING WITH UNETHICAL BEHAVIOUR

 Identification of unethical behaviour

  • Misconduct and unethical behaviour may be identified and brought to the attention of the editor and publisher at any time, by anyone.
  • Misconduct and unethical behaviour may include, but need not be limited to, examples as outlined above. 
  • Whoever informs the editor or publisher of such conduct should provide sufficient objectively verifiable evidence in order for an investigation to be initiated. All allegations will be taken seriously and arbitrated in the same way.

 Investigation

  • An initial decision should be taken by the editor, who should consult with or seek advice from the publishing bodies, if appropriate.
  • Evidence should be gathered on a strictly confidential basis.
  • The author should be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations.
  • The General Editor, Editorial Staff, and Editorial Board will take action at the conclusion of an investigation as appropriate.

Responses (may be applied separately or in combination)

  • A private letter to the author or reviewer detailing the nature of the offence and making clear its unacceptability in terms of ethical standards.
  • Publication of a formal notice detailing the misconduct.
  • Publication of an editorial detailing the misconduct.
  • A formal letter to the head of the author’s or reviewer’s department or funding agency.
  • Formal retraction or withdrawal of a publication from the journal, in conjunction with informing the head of the author or reviewer’s department, Abstracting & Indexing services and the readership of the publication.
  • Imposition of a formal embargo on contributions from an individual for a defined or indefinite period.
  • Reporting the case and outcome to a professional organisation for further investigation and action.