A paper can be prepared by several authors in conformity with everyone’s commitment to the scientific outcome and personal contribution of every author. We recommend setting correct composition of contributors to every paper at preparation stage in accordance with principles of impartiality, integrity, and transparency. Order of author listing in publication should be defined in descending importance of contribution. Contributors should collectively take decision about submitting the paper to certain journal and avoid submitting it to another journal simultaneously.

This journal discourages “gift” co-authorship or selling the co-authorship (such a behavior is considered unethical according to ASEP recommendations, see Recommended practices, page 60) and reserves the right to request details of contributors’ commitment to the paper.

Contributors should collectively assign a person responsible for communication with the journal.

Please keep in mind: editors will be communicating only with one person representing all contributors from the submission to publication. This person should be responsible of communicating all the editorial issues and remarks to the team as well as carrying the administrative duties with the journal on behalf of every contributor of the paper.

A person in charge can be re-assigned by the collective decision of all contributors with written notification of the journal by the current representative. However, the journal reserves the right to request a consent signed by all contributors (signed scan) or confirmation e-mail from every single team member.

If a dispute or conflict of interest occurs between contributors before the paper is published, editors should suspend the processing of the paper at whatever stage it is (verification, peer review, contract signing, pre-print) with possible full revocation of acceptance. If at the moment of such decision paper has been paid for in accordance with “Author pays” model, the journal should refund with deduction of amount for works performed.

If a dispute occurs between authors after the paper is published, or a redundant publication due to negligence of one of or all of contributors is detected, journal reserves the right to retract the publication after a thorough investigation and informing all the contributors (see Retraction guidelines).