The editors of the quarterly The Malopolska School of Economics in Tarnow Research Papers Collection shape their editorial policy on the basis of the principles set out by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).

Principles of editorial policy

1. The editorial policy applied is independent of the publisher and is based on ethical assumptions covering the entire publishing process.
2. Commercial considerations do not affect editorial decisions.
3. The editors define the procedures for accepting articles for printing and publish them on the journal’s website. These rules are transparent.
4. The editorial board accepts original, source-based articles for proceedings, the subject matter of which is consistent with the adopted profile of the journal and which―in the editorial board’s opinion―have potential value for recipients.
5. The editors note compliance with the rules adopted in the journal regarding references to other authors, quotations and borrowings, as well as the credibility of sources.
6. The editors use all available means to prevent plagiarism and other abuses (including the phenomena of ghost writing and guest authorship).
7. The editors have procedures for dealing with plagiarism and other abuses.
8. The editors ensure that published articles have a high editorial level.
9. The editors prevent conflicts of interest between its members and authors and reviewers.
10. Articles that have not been published, or parts thereof, may not be used by editorial staff or reviewers without the written consent of their authors.
11. The editors ensure the confidentiality and security of personal data of both authors, reviewers and other collaborators.

Policy on Authors

1. Rules for accepting papers for publication and guidelines for editing text are posted on the journal’s website.
2. Authors may submit only their own texts for publication.
3. Articles should be original, contain the results of own research or the author's original position in relation to the presented issues.
4. The author makes a statement that the article is original, does not infringe the rights of third parties, has not been previously published and was not simultaneously submitted to another publisher.
5. The author is obliged to disclose information sources, including publications of other authors used when writing the paper by documenting them, in accordance with accepted principles.
6. The author submitting a work reveals the sources of financing for the research work, and the contribution of institutions, organizations and other entities to the creation of the article.
7. All persons mentioned as authors should have actual participation in the creation of the article.
8. The phenomena of ghost writing and guest authorship, which are manifestations of unethical behavior and scientific misconduct, are not allowed. Detected cases of such behavior will be documented by the editors, and information about them will be forwarded to institutions employing the actual and alleged authors.
9. In the case of co-authorship of an article, the co-authors are required to disclose their contribution to its creation (in percentage) for: working concept, development of assumptions, selection of research methodology, conducting research, analysis of results and formulation of conclusions, writing the article. The co-authors' statement is attached to the publishing agreement.
10. The author is required to provide a reliable description of the research work carried out and to provide an objective interpretation of the results obtained.
11. The author should be prepared to submit the raw source data to the editors, in particular for the purposes of review.
12. In the event of noticing errors and significant inaccuracies in his texts, the author is obliged to correct them immediately or withdraw the text.
13. Copyright is defined by the Copyright and Related Rights Act. The author transfers property rights to the publisher to the extent specified in the contract. A specimen publishing agreement is published on the journal's website.

Policy on Reviewers

1. The rules for reviewing papers and review form are posted on the journal’s website.
2. Articles submitted for printing in the journal are subject to a two-stage evaluation.
3. Only works that will be positively assessed in the internal review process are submitted for external review.
4. Each article is sent to two external reviewers from different research centers.
5. In case of conflicting opinions, the editor-in-chief may decide to appoint a third reviewer.
6. Reviewers are appointed from among persons with whom cooperation agreements have been concluded in the scope of preparing reviews, taking into account their competences documented by scientific achievements. The database of reviewers is updated continuously as needed.
7. The names of the reviewers are disclosed in the form of a list for the entire year by placing them on the journal’s website and at the end of the last issue of the year.
8. The reviewer should inform the editors when the substantive scope of the article goes beyond the area in which he specializes and refuse to accept the article for review.
9. Reviewers are required to provide an evaluation of the work within the deadline set for the contract. If they are unable to meet the deadline, they should inform the editors. The editors can then entrust the review to another person.
10. Reviews should be objective, reliable and constructive. All author’s reservations should be supported by substantive arguments. Personal criticism of the author is not allowed.
11. Reviewers should disclose in the review all perceived examples of scientific misconduct, i.e. revealed plagiarism (including self-plagiarism), perceived significant similarities to other works, incorrect interpretation and manipulation of data, and improper documentation of sources used.
12. The editors apply the double-blind review The article is forwarded to the reviewer after the author’s identification information has been removed and given a number. The author receives for their information a review that does not identify the author.
13. The author is obliged to respond to the review and take into account the comments of the reviewer.
14. The reviewer may reserve the right to re-evaluate the work after it has been corrected and the author has responded to the comments of the first review.
15. Reviewers may not use the reviewed papers for their own needs and benefits.
16. Information about the author and reviewer of the work is confidential and cannot be disclosed in any form.
17. The content of the review is confidential and cannot be disclosed to persons who are not directly involved in the article publication process.

Policy on editorial team members

1. The editorial team is made up of academic staff of the Malopolska School of Economics in Tarnow, holding degrees and titles in fields corresponding to the thematic scope of the journal.
2. The editorial team’s task is to take care of the journal’s development, its substantive and editorial level.
3. The editorial team is responsible for accepting or rejecting an article for publication, as well as for all content published in the journal.
4. Members of the editorial team, when choosing articles for publication, are not guided by personal preferences or benefits and maintain ethical standards.
5. The editorial team accepts for publication only texts which in its opinion are properly documented, contain reliable research results and are based on reliable sources.
6. Members of the editorial team use available means and methods to prevent dishonest practices (in particular plagiarism, the phenomena of ghost writing, guest authorship).
7. In the event of the uncovering of unfair practices (plagiarism, falsification of research results), the editors may decide to withdraw the article from the publishing process at any stage. In the case of an article already published, the editors will remove it from the website, indicate the reason for withdrawal and place an appropriate annotation in printed copies of the journal.
8. Editorial team members are ready to post critical comments on published articles, while allowing authors of the questioned work to respond on the journal's forum.
9. The editorial team is ready, if necessary, to provide appropriate explanations and corrections in relation to published articles.
10. The editors apply the principle of confidentiality in relation to entrusted articles, reviews and editorial opinions as well as all documents created during the publishing process.
11. The editors protect the personal data of all persons participating in the publishing process.

Editorial ethics and protection of intellectual property

1. The Malopolska School of Economics in Tarnow, as the publisher of the journal, monitors the compliance of authors, editors and reviewers with the ethical principles adopted.
2. The publisher ensures compliance with copyright law and supports authors whose rights have been violated, by taking appropriate action against infringers.
3. The publisher accepts grievances and complaints about the work of the editorial office, allows the accused persons to submit explanations and makes every effort to resolve the problem.
4. In the event of any irregularities found in published articles, the publisher shall place appropriate prominently clarified explanations, corrections and apologies (if necessary).
5. The publisher supports the editors in uncovering unfair practices, in particular it creates the possibility of detecting plagiarism.