Publication Ethics

Politics & Security adheres to the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against malpractice. Our ethical policy is based on the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and its Core Practices.

Duties of the Editorial Board

Publication Decisions. The editorial board is fully responsible for deciding which articles to publish. Decisions are based solely on the scholarly significance, originality, clarity, and relevance of the manuscript to the journal's scope. Editors must recuse themselves from handling a manuscript if they have any conflict of interest with the authors or subject matter.

Fair Play. Manuscripts are evaluated for their intellectual content without regard to the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality. The editors and any involved staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions. Peer review assists the editorial board in making informed decisions and helps improve the quality of the manuscript through constructive criticism.

Objectivity. Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Feedback should be specific, evidence-based, and constructive.

Confidentiality. Any manuscript received for review is a confidential document. It must not be shared with or discussed with others without explicit authorisation from the editor.

Conflicts of Interest. Reviewers must decline to review a manuscript if they have a conflict of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, personal, or institutional relationships with any of the authors or their affiliated organisations.

Duties of Authors

Originality. Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. Any use of the work or words of others must be properly cited. Plagiarism in any form, including self-plagiarism, is unacceptable.

Data Accuracy. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all data and results presented. Fabrication or falsification of data, and the knowing presentation of inaccurate results, constitute serious ethical violations.

Authorship. All listed authors must have made a substantive contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the work. All who meet authorship criteria must be listed. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged. Authors must confirm that all co-authors have approved the final version and agreed to its submission.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest. Authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. Funding sources must be acknowledged.

Data Availability. Authors are encouraged to make the data underlying their findings available in an accessible repository where possible, and to include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscript. Where data cannot be shared, authors must state this and explain the reason.

Plagiarism and Originality Policy

Politics & Security is committed to publishing only original research that has not been previously published and is not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere. All submitted manuscripts undergo mandatory plagiarism screening as part of the editorial process.

Detection. All manuscripts are screened using iThenticate software. The similarity index is assessed both automatically and manually by the editorial board. Self-plagiarism, paraphrasing without attribution, and the reuse of data, figures, or tables without permission are treated with the same seriousness as direct plagiarism.

The following thresholds apply, excluding reference lists and commonly used phrases:

  • Similarity below 15% — the manuscript proceeds to peer review.
  • Similarity between 15% and 25% — the manuscript is returned to the author for revision and proper attribution before review can proceed.
  • Similarity above 25% — the manuscript is rejected. Authors may be excluded from future submissions, and the editorial board may notify the author's institution or funding agency where warranted.

Types of plagiarism addressed. The journal's policy covers: direct copying of text, data, or ideas without citation; self-plagiarism and text recycling from the author's own previously published work without disclosure; paraphrasing without attribution; and the unauthorised use of images, tables, figures, or datasets. Authors must obtain and document copyright permissions for any material reproduced from external sources.

Plagiarism detected after publication. If plagiarism is identified in a published article, the editorial board will initiate an investigation following COPE guidelines and in accordance with the journal's Corrections, Expressions of Concern & Retractions Policy. Outcomes may include a formal retraction and notification of the author's institution and funding bodies.

Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Politics & Security recognises the potential of generative AI tools while emphasising the importance of academic integrity and authorial responsibility.

Permitted use. AI tools may be used exclusively for improving the language and grammar of a manuscript, such as proofreading and stylistic editing.

Prohibited use. AI tools may not be used to generate, supplement, or revise the substantive content of a manuscript, including research data, analysis, argumentation, conclusions, or illustrative materials such as figures and tables. AI cannot be listed as an author or co-author under any circumstances.

Mandatory disclosure. If any AI tool was used during manuscript preparation, even solely for grammar checking, authors must clearly disclose this in a footnote or in the Acknowledgements section. Failure to disclose AI use may result in rejection or, if discovered after publication, retraction.

Archiving Policy

Politics & Security is a member of the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), which provides decentralised and distributed long-term preservation of published content using the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system. This ensures that all published articles remain permanently accessible to researchers worldwide, including in the event of the journal's discontinuation.

Misconduct Investigation Procedure

When a credible allegation of research or publication misconduct is received, the Editor-in-Chief will initiate an investigation following the relevant COPE flowchart for the type of allegation.

Upon receipt of an allegation, the editorial office will acknowledge it within 5 working days. The Editor-in-Chief will conduct an initial assessment within 15 working days to determine whether the allegation is sufficiently credible and falls within the journal's remit to investigate.

If the allegation is deemed credible, the corresponding author will be notified and given the opportunity to respond. Where appropriate, the author's institution may also be notified. All parties are expected to maintain strict confidentiality throughout the process.

Based on the evidence gathered, the Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the Editorial Board, will determine an outcome. Possible outcomes include: no action required; a correction or erratum; an expression of concern; retraction of the article; or notification of the author's institution. The outcome and the reasoning behind it will be communicated in writing to all relevant parties.

Records of all investigations are retained by the editorial office for a minimum of ten years. If the misconduct involves the Editor-in-Chief, the investigation will be conducted by a senior member of the Editorial Board designated by the journal owner.

Post-Publication Discussion

Politics & Security welcomes post-publication commentary that advances scholarly discussion of published work. Readers, authors, and researchers who identify factual errors, methodological concerns, or wish to raise substantive questions about a published article are encouraged to contact the editorial office at editor@politics-security.net.

Where a concern relates to the integrity or accuracy of a published article, the editorial office will assess it in accordance with the journal's Corrections, Expressions of Concern & Retractions Policy. Where a concern represents a legitimate scholarly disagreement, the editorial board may, at its discretion, invite the original authors to respond or consider the submission of a formal commentary article.

All post-publication concerns are handled confidentially unless public disclosure is required in the interests of the scholarly record.