PUBLISHING ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

The Journal of Elementary Education (JEE) is strongly committed to meeting and maintaining high standards of ethical behaviour at all stages of the publication process. As publishers of JEE, the Faculty of Education of the University of Maribor and the Faculty of Education of the University of Primorska recognise and acknowledge all the ethical and other responsibilities and act as guardians over all the publication stages.

The Editors of JEE are committed to ensuring that advertising, reprint, or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions. The Editorial Board brings together recognised academics and researchers from different European countries who seek to promote a vigorous dialogue between scholars in various fields both central and related to scientific enquiry in education. The journal reflects the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them.

The JEE Ethics statement is based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and on existing Elsevier policies. Our key expectations and responsibilities of editors, peer-reviewers, authors and the publisher are laid out below.

DUTIES OF EDITORS

• To decide which of the articles submitted to the journal are appropriate for publication. In taking decisions about the acceptance of a manuscript, the Editors may consult the Editorial Board or the reviewers.
• To always act in an unbiased and balanced manner and consider articles solely on their academic merit without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
• To preclude commercial needs from compromising intellectual standards.
• Not to disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher.
• Always be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies when needed.
• To take reasonably responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper in accordance with the policies and procedures of the publisher. All communication with the author related to complaints should be recorded and documented.

DUTIES OF AUTHORS

• To ensure that they have submitted entirely original works and attest that their manuscript has not been previously published, accepted or considered for publication elsewhere. All sources must be duly cited by authors, and appropriate references provided for any third-party works included in the manuscript, thus making sure to avoid plagiarism in all its forms. A manuscript should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are unacceptable.
• To promptly notify the journal Editor or publisher when a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work is discovered and to promptly retract or correct the paper or provide evidence to the Editor of the correctness of the original paper.
• To disclose in their manuscript any potential conflict of interest (such as grants, employment, consultancies, honoraria, patent applications/registrations, and others) that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their research presented in the paper.
• To ensure that when the work involves the use of human subjects, the paper contains a statement that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institution has approved them. A statement testifying that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human subjects should be included.
• To acknowledge publications that have been influential or seminal in determining the nature of the reported work. Privately obtained information, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source. Information obtained in the course of confidential services, such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, must not be used without the explicit written permission of the author of the work involved in these services.

DUTIES OF REVIEWERS

• To assists the Editor in making editorial decisions and in improving the quality of the manuscript.
• To notify the Editor if the referee feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible.
• To treat any manuscripts received for review as confidential documents. To not show or discuss them with others except as authorized by the Editor.
• To review the manuscript objectively and express their views clearly with supporting arguments. Personal criticism of the referee should be avoided.
• To identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and alert the Editor to any published or submitted content that is substantially similar to that under review. 

DUTIES OF PUBLISHERS

The publishers (University of Maribor and University of Primorska) shall ensure that they subscribe to and maintain the principles and standards outlined above.

PROCEDURES FOR DEALING WITH UNETHICAL BEHAVIOUR

Anyone may inform the Editors and/or the Editorial Board at any time of suspected unethical behaviour or any type of misconduct by giving sufficient information and evidence to start an investigation. All allegations will be taken seriously and treated in the same way.

Investigation

• An initial decision should be taken by the Editor who should consult with or seek advice from the Editorial Board, if appropriate.

• Evidence gathered during an investigation should be treated as strictly confidential, while avoiding spreading any allegations beyond those who need to know.
• The accused will always be given the chance to respond to any charges made against them.

 Minor misconduct

• Minor misconduct might be dealt with directly with those involved, without the need to consult more widely.
• The author should be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations.

Major misconduct

The Editor, in consultation with the Editorial Board as appropriate, should make the decision as to the course of action to be taken on the basis of the evidence presented. The possible outcomes are as follows:

• The author or reviewer will be informed in writing that there appears to be a misunderstanding or misapplication of acceptable standards or a serious misconduct with regard to the submitted manuscript. A warning about future behaviour will be provided.
• Publication of a formal notice in the journal detailing the misconduct.
• Publication of an editorial detailing the misconduct.
• A formal letter to the head of the author's or reviewer's department or funding agency.
• Formal retraction or withdrawal of a publication from the journal, in conjunction with informing the head of the author’s or reviewer's department, Abstracting & Indexing services and the readership of the publication.
• Imposition of a formal embargo on contributions from an individual for a defined period.
• Reporting the case and outcome to a professional organization or higher authority for further investigation and action.