Publication Ethics and Editorial Policy

The publication ethics of the journal “Precious and Decorative Stones” complies with the best international practices and standards of scholarly publishing, including the recommendations of the EASE Guidelines, Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, Publishing Ethics Resource Kit for Editors, COPE Guidelines, ICMJE, recommendations, as well as the criteria and guidelines of DOAJ, Web of Science, and Scopus.
The publication ethics also takes into account the provisions of the journal’s editorial policy, in particular the following sections:
– Open Access Policy;
– Authorship and Co-authorship;
– Conflict of Interest Policy;
– Policy on Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication;
– Policy on Violations of Academic Integrity;
– Complaints and Appeals;
– Post-publication Discussion and Corrections.
The journal’s publication ethics consists of the following components:

1. Publication and Sharing of Open Data
The editorial board of the journal “Precious and Decorative Stones” encourages the publication and sharing of open data in accordance with the principles of open science, including FAIR Data principles. Research data in the fields of gemology, mineralogy, and the geology of deposits of precious and decorative stones may be published in open repositories or as supplementary materials to the article.
Datasets should be accompanied by appropriate identifiers (DOI, URL) and included in the reference list.

2. General Issues of Submission, Review, and Editorial Processes
All editorial processes (submission, peer review, editing) are carried out through modern electronic journal management systems (in particular, Open Journal Systems (OJS) or similar platforms).
Authors, reviewers, and editors receive automated notifications regarding the stages of manuscript processing. Detailed submission and peer review procedures are provided on the journal’s website.

3. Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are required to:
– submit original, previously unpublished research results in the field of precious and decorative stones;
– ensure that the manuscript has not been submitted to another publication;
– prepare manuscripts in accordance with the journal’s requirements;
– cite all sources used;
– participate in the peer review process and address reviewers’ comments;
– report errors after publication;
– ensure proper authorship attribution and the contribution of each co-author.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers must:
– provide objective and unbiased evaluation of the scientific quality of the manuscript;
– adhere to the principle of confidentiality;
– disclose any conflicts of interest;
– assess the novelty, scientific validity, and practical significance of the research;
– provide clear, reasoned, and constructive recommendations;
– refrain from using the manuscript content prior to its publication;
– inform the editorial office of any suspected cases of plagiarism or duplicate publication.

5. Responsibilities of Editors
Editors:
– make publication decisions based on scientific merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope;
– ensure compliance with ethical standards;
– prevent conflicts of interest;
– guarantee the anonymity of the peer review process;
– are responsible for the quality of editorial preparation of materials.

6. Privacy and Confidentiality Statement
The editorial office uses personal data (names, email addresses) solely for the purposes of the editorial process.
All submitted materials are treated as confidential. Disclosure to third parties without permission is prohibited.
The editorial office ensures full confidentiality of the double-blind peer review process.

7. Funding Policy
Authors must clearly indicate the sources of funding for their research and publications. Information on financial support should be provided at the time of manuscript submission and/or within the text of the article (in the “Acknowledgements” section).

8. Neutrality on Geopolitical Issues
The journal “Precious and Decorative Stones” adheres to the principles of scientific objectivity and neutrality.
The editorial board:
– does not permit discrimination on the basis of nationality, political views, or other characteristics;
– evaluates manuscripts solely on scientific criteria;
– reserves the right to reject materials that contain propaganda, violate the legislation of Ukraine, or contradict the principles of academic integrity.
At the same time, the editorial board may reject manuscripts without peer review if:
– the authors or their affiliated institutions are associated with an aggressor state;
– the research is funded by such entities;
– the materials contain unscientific or politically biased statements.

9. Gender Equality Policy
The editorial board supports the principles of gender equality and non-discrimination:
– encourages the use of gender-neutral language;
– ensures equal conditions for authors, reviewers, and editors regardless of gender, age, or other characteristics;
– makes decisions solely on the basis of the scientific quality of the submitted materials.