PUBLICATION ETHICS AND PUBLICATION MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

The mission of FrancoAngeli is to promote learning, knowledge and research. In order to pursue this aim, the publishing house requires accuracy, but adopts a neutral stance on the topics debated in the articles published in its journals. In addition to the publisher, many other subjects are involved in the publishing process, each of them playing a vital role. It follows, therefore, that all of them – authors, editors-in-chief, board members, reviewers, owners – must comply with ethical standards at every stage of the process. FrancoAngeli undertakes to defend the rules of ethical behavior in every stage of the process by adopting and promoting the standards set by COPE in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. Below is a summary of our commitment and of all the duties expected from editors-in-chief, editorial board members, peer-reviewers and authors. Decision to publish and publisher's duties FrancoAngeli's decision to publish a journal is exclusively based on its publishing policy. If required, every source of funding is declared. The publisher demands the adoption of international best practices, overseeing their application. The publisher accepts only original papers drawn up in compliance with copyright law, meeting high standards of writing and editing quality and not under review for publication elsewhere. Moreover, FrancoAngeli promotes and oversees the use of peer review as a method of selection, providing a platform for tracking the review process. The publisher enhances the independent scientific research and condemns the violation of copyright and plagiarism. It requires and promotes original papers based on rigorous data, even providing, when necessary , rectification or the withdrawal of the printed issue. Finally, the publisher is open to all forms of promotion of culture and research, including Open Access. Editor-in-chief's and editorial board members' duties The editorial board members of the Journal (editor-in-chief and co-editors) are responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the Journal should be published. The editorial board is guided by the policies of the Journal's publisher and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding defamation, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editorial board seeks the support of at least two members of the scientific advisory board or other reviewers in making this decision, according to a double-blind peer review procedure. An editor, at any time, must be evaluating manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, …