Publication Ethics

The ongoing publication process of the Austrian Journal of Religious Education (ÖRF) involves a number of different persons and institutions. Their interaction and respective responsibilities are regulated in the following Publication Ethics.

All persons involved in the publication of an article (the author, the chief editor, the editorial board, the issue editors, the reviewer) must agree to the ethical standards and guidelines listed below. These ethical standards of our journal are largely based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Responsibilities of the Chief Editor and the issue-specific Issue Editors

The chief editor, supported by the editorial board, is responsible for the management and for the web presence of the journal. He manages the day-to-day operations and he ensures the adherence to the ethics and publication guidelines. For each issue of the journal, the editorial board appoints a team of issue editors, which can consist of members of the editorial board itself as well as other scientists. The issue editors are responsible for the content conception and supervision of the respective issue. On behalf of the editorial board and in coordination with the chief editor they formulate the specific call for papers, give initial feedback to authors and suggest requests for reviewers. In accordance with the editorial board they decide on the acceptance or rejection of a submitted (and, if necessary, revised) contribution after completion of the peer review process. In addition, they are responsible for writing the respective editorial.

Fair play
Submitted manuscripts are judged solely on their scientific merit - regardless of the author's gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, or political views.

Confidentiality
Submitted articles will be treated confidentially by the editorial board and issue editors. No information will be disclosed (except those that are necessary for the publication process).

Dealing with Conflicts of Interest
The Editorial Board or Issue Editors may not use any material from submitted articles for their own research without the express permission of the author.

Decision for publication
In close consultation with the issue editors, the journal's editorial board finally decide on the publication of submitted articles. In doing so, they are subject to the guidelines of the publication ethics as well as the legal requirements with regard to any violations of copyright. The editorial board’s decisions are based on the peer review process and on consultation with the respective issue editors.

Dealing with complaints and misconduct
All complaints and appeals related to scientific misconduct or plagiarism will be handled by the Editorial Board according to COPE guidelines. Articles containing plagiarism, unauthorized material, unreliable data, or copyright infringement will be removed from the journal`s website. Authors will be notified of the impending removal and given the opportunity to respond to the allegations.

Responsibilities of the reviewer

Reviews as a basis for decisions by the editorial board
Reviews support the editorial board or the issue editors in deciding on whether an article is to be published or not. The review also serves the author as a basis for possible revisions of the article.

Rapid decision-making processes
Reviewers who do not consider themselves sufficiently qualified with regard to the subject matter on which the article is based, or who are not able to prepare the review in due time due to time constraints, must inform the editorial board in good time.

Confidentiality
The reviewer will treat each manuscript as a confidential document that may not be disclosed to third parties.

Objectivity
Reviews must be objective and refer to clear arguments. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable. The structure of the reviews is based on the review guidelines or the given review form.

Reference of the review to sources used
Reviewers should refer to relevant published studies not referenced by the author. Substantial similarities between the submitted manuscript and existing publications must be disclosed to the Editorial Board.

Dealing with unpublished material
The reviewer is not allowed to use any material from the submitted article for his/her own research without the explicit consent of the author.

Responsibilities of the author

Quality standards for original contributions
The presentation of research results should include the research process in a clear and comprehensible way. Data and methods used must be made clear in the manuscript. Care should be taken to provide accurate and honest details in accordance with these ethical standards.

Originality and Intellectual Property
Authors must ensure that they use only their own research results or clearly and comprehensibly identify third-party research results. If authors have used the work and/or words of others, they must be cited according to the standards set forth in our manuscript guidelines to ensure protection of intellectual property rights.

Multiple, redundant or simultaneous publication
The author may not submit manuscripts that have already been published elsewhere in a similar form. Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to other journals does not comply with the ethical publication guidelines.

Reference to Secondary Sources
Sources used must always be cited as such. Authors must also cite publications that have significantly influenced the work. Legal requirements regarding copyright must be observed. Material protected by copyright (e.g. tables, graphics) may only be published with the prior consent of the copyright holder and by citing the source.

Data sharing and reproducibility
As an open access journal, ÖRF encourages its authors to work according to the guidelines of open science. This means that authors may be asked to share the data underlying their work to ensure reproducibility of their work.

Authors and co-authors
Authorship should be limited to those individuals who were significantly involved in the creation of the paper. These should be listed as co-authors. The responsibility of naming them lies with the main author. The co-authors must give their consent to the final version of the paper.

Disclosure of financial support
Sponsors and other financial backers of the project must be mentioned in the text.

Significant errors in published work
If the author recognizes a significant error in his/her work, it is his/her duty to report this immediately to the Editorial Board and arrange for an adequate correction.