Publication Ethics

The Editorial Board of the journal Infectious Diseases (Infektsiini khvoroby) adheres to international ethical standards for scientific publications, including rules of confidentiality and the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The Editorial Board follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and, specifically, the Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK).

The journal maintains publication ethics through:

  • Loyalty to all parties involved in the creation of the journal;
  • Double-blind peer review involving objective and competent reviewers;
  • Consultative support for authors to ensure compliance with international database requirements regarding the structure and content of materials.

DATA SHARING POLICY

The journal supports the principles of transparency and openness in scientific research. Access to the underlying data of published results is possible only via an official request to the Editorial Board (journal@tdmu.edu.ua) and requires the explicit consent of the author(s).

  • Requesters must specify the purpose of data use.
  • If the author(s) agree, the requester may be required to sign a confidentiality agreement and commit to ethical data use.
  • The Editorial Board does not compel authors to share data, respecting confidentiality, legal, or ethical constraints.

EDITORIAL DECISIONS AND CONFIDENTIALITY

The Editor-in-Chief makes decisions on the publication of submitted articles based solely on academic integrity and peer review reports.

  • Non-discrimination: Manuscripts are evaluated regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, origin, citizenship, or political preferences of the authors.
  • Confidentiality: The Editorial Board treats all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. No information about the manuscript shall be disclosed to anyone other than the authors, reviewers, and the publisher.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST RESOLUTION

Unpublished materials must not be used by editors or reviewers for their own research without the written consent of the authors. Editors and reviewers must recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors or institutions.

POST-PUBLICATION DISCUSSIONS

The journal encourages professional dialogue and encourages readers and authors to use PubPeer, where all articles are automatically indexed via DOI. Any substantiated concerns raised on PubPeer will be investigated in accordance with the journal's ethical standards and retraction policy.

RESEARCH ETHICS

Research Involving Human Subjects

When publishing materials concerning research involving human subjects or human tissues, authors must declare that the study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the  Declaration of Helsinki  (1975), as revised in 2013. Prior to conducting the research, approval from an Ethics Committee (Institutional Review Board) must be obtained to confirm that the study complies with national and international guidelines.

All studies involving human participants must be approved by the appropriate ethics committees associated with the institution(s) where the research was conducted. Manuscripts presenting the results of surveys or interviews must include confirmation that the authors ensured:

  • Voluntary participation of respondents;
  • Written informed consent (including consent for the publication of results);
  • Confidentiality and anonymity;
  • Protection against any form of discrimination or pressure.

Research ethics must be properly justified and, where applicable, supported by references to international professional standards and codes, including: American Sociological Association’s Code of Ethics (1997), ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics (2025), Guidance Note of the European Commission On Ethics and Data Protection (2021).

Clinical Trials Policy

The journal requires all clinical trials to be registered in a publicly accessible registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO ICTRP) before participant recruitment.

Manuscripts must:

  • Include the name of the registry and the unique registration number;
  • Comply with the  CONSORT guidelines;
  • Confirm ethical approval and the obtained informed consent from participants.

Unregistered or retrospectively registered trials may be rejected unless a compelling justification is provided.

Ethical Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Research

The Editorial Board of the journal Infectious Diseases (Infektsiini khvoroby) supports the  ARRIVE guidelines for reporting experiments involving animals. Authors and reviewers are expected to adhere to the ARRIVE guidelines .

The Editors reserve the right to:

  • Reject submissions that do not comply with these guidelines;
  • Reject materials on ethical grounds if the described procedures are not justified by the scientific value of the presented work.

For further guidance, authors should consult the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Used in Scientific Procedures, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science or European Animal Research Association.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Duties of the Editorial Board:

  • Ethical Conduct: Maintain a respectful and professional attitude toward authors, uphold editorial secrecy, and prevent any misconduct during manuscript processing.
  • Textual Integrity: Refrain from making unilateral changes to the author's text; all final versions must be coordinated and agreed upon with the authors after editorial revisions.
  • Quality Control: Prevent the publication of materials that lack scientific value, fall outside the journal's scope, contradict editorial policy, contain plagiarism, or have been previously published in other editions.
  • Peer Review Management: Ensure the involvement of objective and competent reviewers and strictly apply the practice of double-blind peer review.

Duties of Reviewers:

  • Impartiality: Evaluate all submitted manuscripts unbiasedly, based solely on scientific merit, regardless of the author's race, religion, nationality, status, or institutional affiliation.
  • Timeliness: Adhere to the review deadlines established by the Editorial Board.
  • Confidentiality: Treat the received manuscript as a confidential document; do not share it with third parties. All written reviews must remain confidential.
  • Integrity: Do not use any data or insights from the unpublished manuscript for personal research.
  • Objectivity: Provide an objective, reasoned, and accurate assessment of the research results.
  • Disclosure: Promptly notify the Editorial Board of any potential conflict of interest regarding the author or if the manuscript falls outside the reviewer’s area of expertise.
  • Ethical Vigilance: Inform the Editorial Board of any suspicions of scientific misconduct or other breaches of publication ethics.

Duties of Authors:

  • Originality and Reliability: Ensure the novelty, validity, and originality of the research results.
  • Proper Attribution: Accurately cite all materials from other authors and provide clear references to primary sources.
  • Plagiarism Prevention: Avoid excessive borrowing, any form of plagiarism, and self-plagiarism.
  • Exclusivity: Guarantee that the manuscript is original material that has not been previously published or submitted to another publication.
  • Consent and Rights: By submitting materials to Infectious Diseases, authors agree that accepted works may be placed in electronic databases with mandatory attribution and full retention of copyright.
  • Citation Standards: External information sources must be properly formatted as reference lists, using quotes or citations where appropriate.
  • Correction of Errors: If an author discovers significant errors or inaccuracies post-publication, they must promptly notify the Editor to facilitate a formal correction or retraction. If the Editor learns of such errors from a third party, the author is obligated to cooperate in correcting or withdrawing the article as quickly as possible.

AUTHORSHIP

The Editorial Board of the journal Infectious Diseases (Infektsiini khvoroby) operates on the assumption that all authors agree with the content of the article, have given explicit consent for its publication, and have obtained permission from the responsible authorities at the institution/organization where the work was conducted prior to submission.

All listed authors declare that they have:

  • Made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
  • Drafted the research material or critically revised it for important intellectual content;
  • Approved the final version to be published;
  • Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The Editorial Board encourages collaboration with colleagues at the research sites and expects their inclusion as co-authors if they meet all the authorship criteria described above. Individuals who do not meet all criteria for authorship should be listed in the "Acknowledgments" section.

SUBMISSION DECLARATION

Submission of a manuscript implies that the work has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form or in any other language.

ADVERTISING POLICY

The journal Infectious Diseases does not accept advertising in any form. Our financial model is designed to maintain full editorial independence and the highest standards of academic integrity.

RESEARCH FUNDING POLICY

The journal Infectious Diseases is committed to maximum transparency regarding the sources of research funding. All authors are required to declare the sources of funding for the research presented in the article, including:

  • Grants from scientific institutions or foundations;
  • Funds received from governmental or non-governmental organizations;
  • Support from commercial or private sources;
  • Internal funding from universities, clinics, or other organizations.

If no financial support was provided, please state "None" in the appropriate section.