Policy on the Prevention of Citation Manipulation

 

The journal adheres to the principles of citation integrity and does not tolerate any practices aimed at artificially inflating the bibliometric indicators of authors, editors, or the Journal itself. The Editorial Board maintains that all references must be academically relevant, substantively justified, and directly related to the subject matter of the research.

Unacceptable practices include, but are not limited to, excessive author self-citation without clear scholarly justification; disproportionate citation of articles published in the Journal for the purpose of influencing its metrics; so-called “honorary” citations of individuals not directly connected to the research; coordinated reciprocal citation between journals (citation stacking); and any form of “coercive citation,” whereby the inclusion of specific references is made a condition for the acceptance of a manuscript.

The Editorial Board does not require authors to cite publications from the Journal as a prerequisite for manuscript consideration or acceptance. Reviewers are prohibited from recommending the addition of references to their own work or to works by affiliated individuals without explicit scholarly justification. Where reviewers suggest the inclusion of additional sources, such recommendations must be well substantiated and aimed solely at enhancing the academic quality of the manuscript.

The Journal conducts internal monitoring of citation patterns to identify potential anomalies, including an excessive concentration of references to a limited group of authors, institutions, or publications. If indications of manipulative citation practices are detected, the Editorial Board may request that the author revise the reference list or may initiate an additional expert evaluation. Should a violation be identified after publication, the Journal reserves the right to issue an appropriate statement or to apply other measures in accordance with its publication ethics policy.

Decisions regarding manuscript acceptance are based exclusively on scholarly merit, originality, and alignment with the Journal’s scope, and not on the number or nature of citations. Compliance with this policy is mandatory for authors, reviewers, and members of the Editorial Board and is intended to uphold the integrity of editorial practices and maintain trust in published research.