This section prepared based on the materials of the International Committee on Public Ethics (COPE) and Elsevier Publishing House, in accordance with the accepted international standards and the norms of Chapter 70 “Copyright” of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The journal "Proceedings of Voronezh State University. Series: Geology" follows generally accepted ethical standards for scientific publications.

1. Duties of the Editor-in-Chief

1.1. Publication decision

The editor-in-chief of "Proceedings of Voronezh State University. Series: Geology" is responsible for the decision to publish, in some cases sharing responsibility with the editorial board. The decision to publish should be based on the reliability of the study under consideration and its scientific significance. The editor-in-chief should be guided by the principles of the editorial board of the journal "Proceedings of Voronezh State University. Series: Geology", focusing on the current legislative standards regarding liability for defamation and plagiarism and observance of copyright. The editor-in-chief may confer with reviewers (or officials of the publisher) in making this decision.

1.2. Fair play and editorial independence

The editor-in-chief evaluates submitted manuscripts based on their academic merit without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political ideology of the authors.

1.3. Confidentiality

The editor-in-chief (deputy chief editor) and any member of the editorial board of "Proceedings of Voronezh State University. Series: Geology"must not disclose, without good reason, information about the accepted manuscript, or disclose any information to unauthorized persons, with the exception of the authors, reviewers, scientific consultants and the publisher.

1.4. Disclosure and conflict of interest

1.4.1. Editors and editorial board members will not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research purposes without the authors’ explicit written consent. Privileged information or ideas obtained by editors as a result of handling the manuscript will be kept confidential and not used for their personal benefit.

1.4.2. The editor-in-chief (deputy chief editor) will recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the materials of the manuscripts.

1.5. Supervision over reliability of publications

The editor-in-chief, when presented with convincing evidence that the conclusions presented in publication are erroneous, should report this fact to the publisher to promote the prompt publication of a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other actions appropriate to the situation.

2. Duties of Reviewers

2.1. Contribution to editorial decisions

Peer review assists the editor-in-chief in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with authors, may assist authors in improving their manuscripts. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication and forms the basis of scientific endeavours.

2.2. Duty performance

Any reviewer lacking qualifications for reviewing the manuscript or a reviewer that does not have enough time to quickly complete the work must notify the editor-in-chief of the journal "Proceedings of Voronezh State University. Series: Geology"and request that they be excluded from the review process of the corresponding manuscript.

2.3. Confidentiality

The submitted manuscript must not be shown and discussed with any person not authorized by the editor-in-chief.

2.4. Standards of objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their opinion clearly with supporting arguments.

2.5. Acknowledgement of sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published studies that have not been cited by the authors. Any statement (observation, conclusion, or argument) published earlier should be accompanied by an appropriate citation. The reviewer should also notify the editor-in-chief of any significant similarities or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published study within the scientific competence of the reviewer.

2.6. Disclosure and conflict of interest

2.6.1. Unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the authors. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for the reviewer’s personal benefit.

2.6.2. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the manuscripts.

3. Duties of Authors

3.1. Reporting standards

3.1.1. The authors of the original research should present an accurate account of the work performed followed by an objective discussion of its significance. The data of the study should be presented accurately. The study should contain sufficient details and references. False or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

3.2. Originality and plagiarism

3.2.1. The authors should ensure that they only submit an entirely original manuscript, and if the authors have used the studies and/or words of others, appropriate citations must be provided.

3.2.2. Plagiarism is an unethical act and is unacceptable. Plagiarism takes many forms: from "passing off" another's paper as the author's own, to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another's paper (without attribution), to claiming results from research conducted by others.

3.2.3. Resolving disputable issues related to plagiarism The editorial board of "Proceedings of Voronezh State University. Series: Geology"maintain standards of academic ethics, protects the reputation of authors, and takes seriously all cases of plagiarism. Accusations of plagiarism can affect the career of a researcher. When such situations occurs, a system of procedures is used to respond to possible accusation of plagiarism.

3.2.4. In order to ensure objectivity, the editorial staff carefully examines each case and considers the arguments of all interested parties. Before taking further action, the editors seek to obtain the most accurate information from the authors of the controversial publication or copyright owners and study it. The editorial decision is impartial, objective, and not subject to the influence of third parties.

3.2.5. The editors reserve the right to not respond to accusation of plagiarism if the prosecutor provides false personal information (for example, uses a false name) or acts in an unethical or threatening manner. The editors are not obliged to discuss cases of alleged plagiarism with persons who are not directly related to it.

3.2.6. Copyright protection is in accordance with the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The journal conclude a Publishing License Agreement with the author (authors).

3.3. Multiple, redundant, or concurrent publications

3.3.1. The author should not submit as an original publication a manuscript, mainly devoted to the same study, in more than one journal. The submission of a manuscript concurrently to more than one journal is unethical publishing behaviour and unacceptable.

3.3.2. The author should not submit a previously published article for consideration in another journal.

3.4. Acknowledgement of sources

The contribution of other authors must always be recognized. Authors should cite publications that are relevant to the presented study. Information obtained privately, for example, from conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or presented without the written permission from the source. Information obtained from confidential sources (such as reviewed manuscripts, grant applications, etc.) should not be used, unless they have obtained the written permission of the authors of the study related to confidential sources.

3.5. Authorship of the manuscript

3.5.1. The authors of publications can only be individuals who have made a significant contribution to the design, the development, execution, or interpretation of the presented study. Any person who has made significant contributions should be identified as co-authors. In cases where the participants of the study have made a significant contribution in a certain area in the research project, they should be indicated as persons who have made a significant contribution to this study.

3.5.2. The author is responsible to ensure that all participants who have made a significant contribution to the study are represented as co-authors, and those who did not participate in the study are not listed as co-authors, that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to submit it for publication.

3.6. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other existing conflict of interest that may be perceived as having an impact on the results or conclusions presented in the manuscript.

3.7. Fundamental errors in published works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the editorial board of "Proceedings of Voronezh State University. Series: Geology" and cooperate with them, either to correct the paper or to retract the paper. If the editorial board learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error or inaccuracy, then it is the authors’ obligation to promptly correct or retract the paper.

4. Duties of the Publisher

4.1. The publisher (“Voronezh State University”) must follow the principles and procedures that facilitate the performance of ethical responsibilities by editors, reviewers, and authors in accordance with these recommendations. The publisher must be sure that no interests affect the decisions made.

4.2. The publisher should provide financial and legal support to the editorial board of the "Proceedings of Voronezh State University. Series: Geology" journal in considering claims relating to the ethical aspects of published materials and facilitate interactions with other journals and/or publishers.

4.3. The publisher must provide appropriate specialized legal support (legal opinion or consulting) if necessary.

4.4. The publisher supports scientific communications, finances the process of editorial and publishing preparations and publication of the journal, supervises the editorial and publishing process, and is also responsible for compliance with the current requirements and recommendations.

4.5. The publisher must control the accuracy of scientific information and the integrity of scientific research in terms of the ethical aspects described in this document.