Ethics

Publication Ethics

The Rhetoric and Communications Journal is a scientific journal published by the Institute of Rhetoric and Communications.

The Rhetoric and Communications Journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that follows a double-blind peer-review procedure.

The journal is interdisciplinary in nature and publishes scientific articles in the fields of rhetoric, argumentation, communication (academic, pedagogical, public, political, media, business, intercultural, internet, virtual, digital, visual, marketing, brand, advertising, etc.), linguistics, semiotics, literature, philosophy and related scientific fields. The journal is a tribune for the publication of research results, new developments in theory, and teaching methods in the above-mentioned fields, striking a balance between theoretical-scientific texts, scientific-methodological publications, and practical-applied materials. The journal provides an opportunity for established scholars and young researchers from universities in different countries to publish.

Publications in the journal are in Bulgarian and in English.

The journal creates opportunities for building scientific networks and research teams, it has an established name and reputation at a national and an international level.

The journal publishes four issues each year regularly in January, April, July and October. It has been published regularly since 2011 and in January 2024 has 58 issues with over 550 scientific publications, 100 of them in English; authors from foreign universities are over 30.

The journal is committed to the idea of contributing to the advancement of scientific and applied knowledge in the field of rhetoric and various types of communication, strictly adhering to the established and binding ethical norms and rules in science and the criteria for publication in scientific journals.

In this regard, the Editorial Board and the Editorial Council of the Rhetoric and Communications Journal are committed to a policy of adherence to established ethical principles and norms that apply to the parties involved in the the process of reviewing, editing and publish, namely: Publisher, Editorial Board, Editorial Council, Reviewers, Authors.

Publication Ethics

Ethical principles

The Ethical Principles are binding on the parties involved in the process of publishing scientific articles and in the publication of the Rhetoric and Communications Journal.

Observance of high ethical standards of professional conduct in the processes of writing, editing, reviewing and publishing scientific publications.
Following the best traditions and practices in academic communities engaged in scientific publishing.
Correct presentation of research results, information from various sources: scientific, legal, regulatory, institutional, archival, etc.
Clear, accurate, complete and correct description and disclosure of research methods and methodologies, research procedures, research designs, stages of research, previous research projects, etc.
Objective presentation of facts and data, results of analyses, avoidance of falsification of data and sources, manipulative interpretation of previous studies and their results, untruthful and unreliable information.
Compliance with the principles of scientific objectivity, validation and verification of information used in scientific publications.
Avoidance of personal attitudes and bias regarding authors, topics, methods, scientific traditions and schools of thought, etc.
Correct presentation of actual research results that contribute to the advancement of one or more scientific fields using established methodologies.
Avoiding plagiarism and showing respect for intellectual property and copyright.
Avoiding self-plagiarism, self-citation, and repetition or interpretation of previous publications by author or authors.
Observance of the principles of confidentiality in research and in the disclosure of research results with respect to personal data, corporate information and compliance with the provisions in current laws relating to data protection.
Strict reference to previous research and correct citation according to established journal standards and APA style, 7^th edition (2020). https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition

Privacy Policy

Personal Data

– Rhetoric and Communications Journal, in compliance with the current privacy regulations, informs that personal data collected from the websites https://rhetoric.bg/ and http://journal.rhetoric.bg/ are included in files specific to users of the services for publishing articles in scientific journals.

– Rhetoric and Communications Journal stores personal data collected through the https://rhetoric.bg/ and http://journal.rhetoric.bg/ websites for the purpose of sending emails to authors, reviewers and editors to inform them about the process of submitting, reviewing, editing and publishing scientific articles.

– Rhetoric and Communications Journal adopts the necessary measures to ensure security, integrity and confidentiality of data in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data.

Publication Ethics

The Publisher, the Institute for Rhetoric and Communication (IRC), has an obligation to make the above requirements publicly available, to publish them on the Rhetoric and Communications Journal websites, and to ensure that they are strictly adhered to. The information is made available to the members of the Editorial Board and the Editorial Council, as well as to the reviewers of the journal. Authors are made aware of the information the Publisher has posted online.

Ethics Statements

In cases of proven non-compliance with ethical standards and rules, measures shall be taken to clarify the cases generally and individually.

If gross violations of ethical standards and publication policy and rules are found, as well as cases of plagiarism, the Publisher, in cooperation with the Editorial Board, shall take measures in accordance with established standards and laws, and in proven serious cases, the publication shall be removed.

The Publisher (IRC) undertakes to maintain its own electronic archive and a digitized version and to make the issues of the journal available annually. The Rhetoric and Communications Journal registrates issues to the National Library of St. Cyril and Methodius on COBIS.

The Publisher shall take reasonable steps within the law throughout the publication process: from manuscript submission through review, editing, pre-publication, online publication, etc.; and shall not allow any ethical violations.

Ethics Statements of the Editorial Board and the Editorial Council

The Rhetoric and Communications Journal has an Editorial Board and an Editorial Council.

The commitments of the members of the Editorial Council concern the conceptualization of the journal in thematic and research terms and they participate in its publication as experts.

The Editorial Board is involved in the preparation, management and publication of the issues in the journal, in defining the editorial policy, and in formulating the titles of the sections of the individual issues.

The editors of the Rhetoric and Communications Journal accept and evaluate a submitted manuscript – whether it corresponds to the subject matter and scientific issues of the journal and of the individual issue according to clearly stated scientific criteria: original scientific work, relevance of the scientific issue, topicality of the research subject, research conducted with established and relevant scientific methods. The editors evaluate the manuscript regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, political philosophy, social background, academic affiliation at the institutional level, etc. Decisions to carry out the editing and publication processes are made by the editorial board members and the issue leads without second- or third-party influence. The Editor-in-Chief has authority over the editorial policy, review and the content of the journal and individual issues, and the management of the submission, review, editing, and online publication processes of scientific articles on the two websites of the Rhetoric and Communications Journal.

Editors (members of the Editorial Board) and issue editors ensure that the submitted manuscripts are published following strictly the publication steps and that independent peer review has been implemented by two independent reviewers who are experts in a given scientific field. The decision to publish is based on the scientific merit of the manuscript and after the author has followed the guidelines, recommendations, and notes of the reviewers and if the final version of the manuscript meets the standards for scientific publication, the criteria and the guidelines given on the journal websites.

The editors and issue editors edit and correct the texts as they deem necessary, taking into account the interests of the authors and preserving their style and expression.

Editors (members of the Editorial Board) and issue editors inform the Editorial Board, the Editor-in-Chief, and the Publisher if they detect a violation of ethical norms and rules regarding a manuscript. Then action is taken in the form of comments, advice, recommendations, corrections, edits, and retraction of a manuscript, if warranted and evidenced.

Editors may not disclose or reveal information related to manuscripts to third parties or anyone without the written consent of the author or Publisher. Information in manuscripts and in the publication, process is considered confidential.

Editors must declare that they will not be involved in editing if a conflict of interest is identified with the author or with the academic and educational institution where the author works. In such cases, another editor will assume the editorial responsibilities.

Editors (members of the Editorial Board) and issue editors disclose information related to manuscript submission, review, and editing only with the reviewers, the Editor-in-Chief, and the Publisher.

Ethics Statements for reviewers

Reviewers participate in a double-blind review process and determine whether manuscripts meet the journal’s criteria and standards, whether the principles of ethical publishing conduct have been followed, and whether there are any violations of rules and criteria.

The list of reviewers has been published annually and in a separate issue on the websites of the Rhetoric and Communication Journal since 2011. This ensures transparency in the peer review process. It also achieves a renewal of the team of reviewers in order to increase quality in the review process by involving competent scholars in given fields. The list provides information on each reviewer with regard to their scientific expertise, academic affiliation, email.

The reviewer receives an invitation from the Editorial Board and/or the Editor-in-Chief. He/she can accept or refuse to participate in the review process by presenting arguments, e.g. those related to insufficient qualifications, suspected conflict of interest, etc. In such cases, the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board will send an invitation to another reviewer.

The reviewers determine whether the manuscript presents the results of the authors’ (individual or team) research and studies at the theoretical, methodological or methodological, practical and applied level.

Double blind or anonymous peer review by two independent reviewers, which is implemented for each issue and for each scientific article in the journal, is an important element of fair academic communication that ensures the high quality of the journal’s scientific output. Peer review also contributes to improving the authors’ skills to produce texts with high scientific content, to develop and use self-reflection for advancement in their scientific career while meeting quality standards.

The reviewers prepare and send the reviews within the specified deadline, using a review form (in Bulgarian or English, respectively), in which the criteria for evaluation are strictly, clearly and accurately presented at the structural, content, scientific, linguistic, stylistic, bibliographic level. The reviewers present their decisions in the form of a text, by giving arguments on the evaluations and by quantitative measures, presenting a final evaluation using one of four options: acceptance, linguistic and stylistic editing, revision of structure and content, or rejection.

The reviewers inform the members of the Editorial Board of any omissions, errors, inaccuracies, ambiguities and other deficiencies found in the manuscripts.

The reviewers shall inform the members of the Editorial Board of any suspected plagiarism, noncompliance with copyright, infringement of intellectual property, or violation of ethical norms and rules.

The reviewers shall not allow any personal attitude towards the authors.

Reviewers involved in the peer review process have obligations, and they respect the principles of privacy and confidentiality, and they do not provide information about the manuscript under review except to the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board and issue editors.

Peer reviewers respect the principles of privacy and confidentiality, and this also applies to reviewers who decline the invitation to review and do not make such a commitment to the Editorial Board.

Ethics Statements for authors

The manuscripts that authors submit must be original personal research and scientific works that have not been published in other scholarly journals and that have not been submitted for review by editors or for peer review in other scholarly journals or scholarly publications that have been printed in hard copy or as an electronic version online at websites.

Authors are responsible for the correct, accurate, and complete presentation, from a scientific point of view, of the facts, data, names, and designations in the manuscripts.

Authors strictly follow the rules for citation and for referencing the sources they use. The authors make references to previous scientific publications and identify contributions to the scientific tradition in a given field at national and international level.

Authors have an obligation to participate in the peer review, editing the final draft of their manuscript for publication. Authors may be asked to edit, add to, and clarify (facts, data, sources, archives, online resources, methods and methodology, research design, etc.) their manuscripts when reviewers have indicated this should be done and to resubmit an edited version of their manuscript to the Editorial Board. Authors may be asked to edit their manuscripts to remove inaccuracies and omissions, to add information, and to fact-check cited sources if the editors and reviewers identify such omissions and inaccuracies. Then authors add to, revise and resubmit the updated and completed manuscript to the Editorial Board.

In the event of a conflict of interest, the author must inform the Editorial Board. If a conflict of interest or claims regarding citation, references and quotation and authorship after publication are identified, the authors shall resolve these issues in accordance with legal procedures established outside the publication.

The authors’ rights and responsibilities states (‘authorship document’), “On topics related to citation of scholarly sources and scholarly interpretations on which there are differing views between the author(s) of an article and the cited author or authors, any resulting discussions are the sole responsibility of both parties. All decisions are made between the two parties and in accordance with laws, norms and ethical rules. If the editors suspect any form of plagiarism, they reserve the right to refuse publication, retract the text if already published, and take such legal action as they deem necessary.”

Plagiarism is accepted as a manifestation of unethical behaviour in the publication of scientific articles.

Each manuscript goes through plagiarism checking systems and software programs prior to the double-blind peer review process.

Consequences of plagiarism and self-plagiarism

In order to avoid potential conflicts (between authors, reviewers and editors) that are related to plagiarism, it is necessary to pass the texts through free programs such as Grammarly, Google, Ephorus, etc., as this guarantees the fight against plagiarism, increases the quality of scientific works and forms respect for scientific, editorial and publishing activities.

If, after the publication of an article in a journal, the authorship of the article is not respected. The Rhetoric and Communications Journal is received with an allegation of plagiarism, it is checked by the Editorial Board. If it is determined and confirmed by the Editorial Board that plagiarism has occurred, that manuscript will be removed from the websites of the issue published online.

Self-plagiarism is a negative practice that the journal does not tolerate. In self-plagiarism, the author copies paragraphs, sections, parts, sentences or ideas from his/her previous research publications and does not refer to them or cite the source. Self-plagiarism is contrary to the principles of scientific ethics and intellectual property standards. Plagiarism rules apply to this negative practice.

The manuscript with proven plagiarism is not kept in the journal archives.

Plagiarism is accepted as a manifestation of unethical behaviour in the publication of scientific articles.

Confidentiality

The publisher keeps all details of the review, editing, pre-publication and post-publication communication processes confidential.

Each reviewer and editor maintain the principle of confidentiality – they do not discuss with any third party any information about the manuscript being reviewed or edited and do not use ideas, data or resources from the manuscript in any way, regardless of whether it is published.

Errors, Corrections, and Retractions after Publication

Errors in published articles: when an author finds that he/she has made a significant error or inaccuracy in an article he/she has written, he/she should immediately inform the journal editors. The author undertakes to provide the Editorial Board with all the necessary information to enable the editors to make the appropriate corrections and edits at the end of the article. If necessary, the Editorial Board shall take action to correct errors and omissions and to make corrections to the texts in order to publish accurate and objective scientific information. When errors are found in the next issue of Rhetoric and Communications Journal, the corrections made to texts published in a previous issue are reported.

Bad practices in publishing:

– Duplication and fragmented publication of research

– Improper authorship (gifted, imposed, ghost, fraudulent authorship, misrepresentation)

Artificial intelligence

Ethics in the process of academic writing in general, and scientific papers in particular, is an important ethical issue for academics. Academic writing and publishing in scientific journals are about making the results of scholarship and research public and disseminating knowledge from different scientific fields, and this must be done in compliance with basic ethical norms and rules. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a tool that is used in the process of creating scientific texts as well as in the process of implementing scientific research. The use of AI, of software programs and applications, of algorithms, and of chatbots, must respect ethical principles. It should also be clear that the use of certain software programs and applications, as well as chatbots, can lead to errors, inaccuracies, and the presentation of incomplete or even scientifically incorrect information. Authors need to analyse and interpret from a scientific point of view based on their research experience and ensure that the research, analyses and conclusions are made by them as authors of the scientific text.

Reference documents:

[1] COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines-new/cope-ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers

[2] Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK) – Elsevier. https://beta.elsevier.com/editor/perk?trial=true

[3] CSE White Paper on Publication Ethics. https://www.councilscienceeditors.org/resource-library/editorial-policies/white-paper-on-publication-ethics

[4] The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity: Revised Edition, ALLEA (2017). http://www.allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ALLEA-European-Code-of-Conduct-for-Research-Integrity-2017.pdf

[5] European Code of Ethics for scientific integrity Research. [Европейски етичен кодекс за почтеност на научните изследвания: Преработено издание], ALLEA. http://www.allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ALLEA-European-Code-of-Conduct-for-Research-Integrity-2017-Digital_BG_FINAL.pdf

Confidentiality

The publisher keeps all details of the review, editing, pre-publication and post-publication communication processes confidential.

Copyright – Copyright document

Authors who publish in Rhetoric and Communications Journal grant rights to the publisher, the Institute of Rhetoric and Communications; they sign a document of copyright, obligations, and responsibilities (Copyright) prior to online publication of the scholarly publication on the journal’s sites.

Copyright document

The copyright document is prepared after receiving two positive reviews from two independent reviewers (two blind peer reviewers), editing and formatting the manuscript text, sending the author a letter of acceptance or information about it by email. The author receives the copyright letter by e-mail. The author(s) personally completes, signs, and submits the authorship document via e-mail to Rhetoric and Communications Journal. The completed and self-signed document should be sent scanned in a pdf format or as a photo to the journal email.

Assignment of rights

It is permissible for authors in the Rhetoric and Communication journal to distribute their publications as full text or through abstracts and keywords on academic online platforms and websites (Mendeley, Research Gate, Academia.edu, etc.), explicitly mentioning the journal name, issue, pages, publisher number ISSN 1314-4464, publisher Institute of Rhetoric and Communications, and providing links to the journal’s websites.

Errors, Corrections, and Retractions after Publication

Errors in published articles: when an author discovers that there is a material error or inaccuracy in an article he has written, he should immediately inform the editors of the journal. The author undertakes to provide the Editorial Board with all the necessary information to enable the editors to make the appropriate corrections and edits at the end of the article. If necessary, the Editorial Board will take action to correct errors and omissions and to make corrections to the texts in order to publish accurate and objective scientific information. When errors are found in the next issue of Rhetoric and Communications Journal, the corrections and corrections made to texts published in a previous issue are reported.

Bad practices in publishing:

– Duplication and fragmented publication of research

– Improper authorship (gifted, imposed, ghost, fraudulent authorship, misrepresentation)

Implifications of Plagiarim and Self-Plagiarim

In order to avoid potential conflicts (between authors, reviewers and editors) related to plagiarism it is necessary to pass the texts through free programs such as Grammarly, Google, Ephorus, etc., as this guarantees fighting plagiarism, increases the quality of scientific works and forms respect for scientific, editorial and publishing activities.

If, after the publication of an article in Rhetoric and Communications Journal, information is received alleging plagiarism, it is checked by the Editorial Board. If it is determined and confirmed by the Editorial Board that plagiarism exists, that manuscript will be removed from the websites of the issue published online.

Self-plagiarism is a negative practice that the journal does not allow. In self-plagiarism, the author copies paragraphs, sections, parts, sentences, or ideas from his or her previous scientific publications without referencing them and without citing the source. Self-plagiarism is contrary to the principles of scientific ethics and intellectual property standards. Plagiarism rules apply to this negative practice.

The manuscript with proven plagiarism will also not be kept in the journal archives.

Artificial intelligence

Ethics in the process of academic writing in general and scientific papers in particular an important issue from an ethical point of view for academic communities. Academic writing and publishing in scientific journals are about the communication of scientific and research results and the dissemination of knowledge from different scientific fields, and this must be done in compliance with basic ethical norms and rules. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a tool that is used in the process of creating scientific texts as well as in the process of implementing scientific research. The use of AI, of software programs and applications, of algorithms, and of chatbots, must respect ethical principles. It should also be clear that the use of certain software programs and applications, as well as chatbots, can lead to errors, inaccuracies, the presentation of incomplete and even scientifically incorrect information. Authors need to make analyses and interpretations from a scientific point of view based on their research experience and ensure that the research, analyses and conclusions are made by them as the authors of the scientific text.

Authorship and AI tools | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics

Sourses:

[1] COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines-new/cope-ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers.

[2] Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK) – Elsevier. https://beta.elsevier.com/editor/perk?trial=true.

[3] CSE White Paper on Publication Ethics. https://www.councilscienceeditors.org/resource-library/editorial-policies/white-paper-on-publication-ethics.

[4] The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity: Revised Edition, ALLEA (2017) – линк за английската версия. http://www.allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ALLEA-European-Code-of-Conduct-for-Research-Integrity-2017.pdf.

[5] Европейски етичен кодекс за почтеност на научните изследвания: Преработено издание, ALLEA. http://www.allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ALLEA-European-Code-of-Conduct-for-Research-Integrity-2017-Digital_BG_FINAL.pdf.