Access 

Unicaf Online Journal publishes all articles in open access. Thus, no associated subscriptions or pay-per-view fees apply from either the users or their institutions. 

 

Copyright  

The Unicaf Online Journal uses the CC BY license. The intellectual property and copyright remain with the author(s) while the Unicaf Online Journal has the right to produce and disseminate the contributions in all media forms known or to come. 


Archiving 

In the event that Unicaf Online Journal no longer publishes, then the articles will be available through the OpenEdition publisher of Open Access books and journals. The authors are eligible to self-archive their articles. 

 

Disclosure of Competing Interests

Upon manuscript submission, the authors need to disclose any conflict of interest that might affect the paper submitted.

 

Data access and retention

The editorial board may ask the authors to provide the research data of the manuscript submitted for review. If feasible, public access to these data could be requested. In such a case, the authors should ensure the anonymity of their participants. The data should be maintained for a reasonable time after publication. 

 

Content originality

The originality of their material should be guaranteed by the author(s). 

 

Multiple, redundant, simultaneous or repeat publications 

All manuscripts submitted should be submitted firstly and only to the Unicaf Online Journal. No submitted manuscripts could have been published elsewhere or been founded entirely on another article being published elsewhere. In addition, new manuscripts should not be simultaneously submitted for consideration in different journals.  

The reproduction of the complete journal or a part of it for any purpose must acquire the written authorization of the Editor-in-Chief.    

 

Anti-plagiarism policy

The Unicaf Online Journal has a very strict policy against plagiarism. No parts of the manuscript submitted should be previously published in any form of publication. In the case that the work of others has been used, then, the author(s) should ensure that this is properly cited and quoted. 

  

Reproduction 

For any form of reproduction of the article, the author(s) need to receive the written authorization of the editorial board. 

 

Allegations of Misconduct 

Research Misconduct refers to the: “Fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results” (US Office of Research Integrity). Honest error or differences in opinions is not considered Research Misconduct. 

Unicaf Online Journal takes any case of misconduct seriously. For that reason, all authors need to submit proof that the research conducted is in compliance with the code of ethics of their institution or the relevant association to the subject matter of their research. The editorial board and the reviewers are informed of all the forms of misconduct in order to be able to identify it and act accordingly.

In case of a misconduct allegation, the Editor-in-Chief and a handling editor will be undertaking the issue. In case of a proven misconduct, the COPE recommendations are followed. Hence, the editor-in-chief and the handling editor may decide to issue a corrigendum or decide retraction of an article in accordance to its policy.  

 

Data access and retention

Authors are encouraged to sign a data availability statement which denotes their intention to share the manuscript data where applicable and appropriate. 

  

Confidentiality policy  

The names of authors and all other relevant parties will be used for no other reason other than the signature of the articles published. The anonymity of the peer reviewers is maintained throughout the process.

 

Peer review policy 

The manuscripts submitted to Unicaf Online Journal will be reviewed (double blind review) by two peers who are experts in the subject area. The final decision about acceptance or rejection of the manuscript will be made by the Editor-in-Chief. All manuscripts submitted are treated with strict confidentiality. 

 

Conflict of interest (COI)

Any member of the committee (the Editor-in-Chief, members of the editorial board, peer reviewers) will withdraw in case of conflict of interest in regard to the author or the content of the paper submitted. According to COPE, the following are considered as specific types of conflict: 

Personal Conflicts. No editor/reviewer can make a decision on manuscripts that are submitted by their departments, research collaborators or co-authors. In case they submit their own manuscript, a full masking of the process is ensured, meaning that the editor will not be aware of the identity of the reviewers and that she/he will not have access to the records of the manuscript. 

Direct or Indirect Financial Conflicts. These include all the cases that the editors/reviewers might have a direct financial gain or indirect financial gain (e.g. influencing to get an award, biased judgment due to previous payments by a commercial enterprise).  

Non-Financial conflicts. This type of conflict refers to all the personal, political, academic and religious conflicts. 

 

Editor-in-Chief’s responsibilities 

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for accepting or rejecting a paper. The Editor-in-Chief takes the responsibility to select, process and decide which of the articles should be published. In addition, the Editor-in-Chief is responsible for sending the submitted papers to the independent peer reviewers. 

In case there is a conflict of interest, the Editor-in-Chief will withdraw from editorial decisions and the place will be attributed to an editor with no conflict of interest. 

 

Editorial board members’ responsibilities

The editorial board members are responsible to work closely with the Editor-in-Chief to develop the journal. They advise on journal policies and scope, identify and suggest topics for special issues. All editorial board members offer their expertise in their specialist area, attract authors and article submissions. Editorial board members are expected to submit their own manuscripts while adhering to the Conflict-of-Interest Policy. Editorial board members should regularly hold meetings.  

All members of the editorial board treat all manuscripts submitted with confidentiality. One member of the editorial board (the handling editor) is responsible to send the manuscript to two peer reviewers with expertise on the specific topic. 

 

Reviewers’ responsibilities 

All reviewers must provide accurate professional information to the Unicaf Online Journal that proves their expertise in the field and their awareness of the ongoing research. 

All reviewers are responsible to inform the Unicaf Online Journal and withdraw from reviewing a paper in the case they have a conflict of interest, when they consider that they are unqualified to evaluate a submitted manuscript or when they believe that they will not be objective for any reason.

All reviewers handle all manuscripts with strict confidentiality. They are well aware of the Editorial policy and Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement and inform the editorial board in case they suspect that any of the above is violated. 

All reviews are made anonymously.