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: Systems Analysis and Infor-mation Technologies” abides by generally accepted norms and standards of publication ethics.

1. Duties and responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief

1.1. Editorial decisions

The Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Proceedings of Voronezh State University. Series: Systems Analysis and Information Technologies” together with the editorial board decides whether to accept or reject a paper for publication. The Editor-in-Chief’s decision is based on the paper’s validity and its scientific relevance. The Editor-in-Chief follows the policy of the editorial board of the journal and acts in accordance with the existing laws regulating personal responsibility for libel, plagiarism, and copyright. The Editor-in-Chief can consult with the reviewers (or the pub-lisher’s employees) when accepting or rejecting a paper for publication.

1.2. Integrity

The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the material submitted for publishing regardless of the race, gen-der, religious beliefs, origin, citizenship, or political preferences of the authors.

1.3. Confidentiality

The Editor-in-Chief (or vice Editors-in-Chief) and the editorial board of the journal should han-dle the information about the submitted manuscript in confidence and must not disclose this in-formation to the third parties, accept for the authors, the reviewers, the academic advisors, and the publisher.

1.4. Nondisclosure and conflict of interest

1.4.1. Editors will not use unpublished material presented in submitted papers in their own research work without the prior written consent of the authors. Information obtained during the review process is confidential and will not be used for personal benefit.

1.4.2. In case of conflict of interests resulting from the competition, cooperation, or other relations with the author or an organisation related to the submitted material, the Editor-in-Chief (vice Editor-in-Chief) does not participate in the review process and does not communicate with the members of the editorial board reviewing the manuscript.

1.5. Accuracy of the materials

If the Editor-in-Chief has sufficient evidence that the statements and conclusions made in a manuscript are wrong, they immediately inform the publisher in order to correct the errors, inac-curate or misleading statements, withdraw the paper from publication, file a concern, or take any other appropriate measures.

2. Duties and responsibilities of the reviewers

2.1. Participation in editorial decisions

The review process helps the Editor-in-Chief to make a decision regarding the publication of the manuscript and to improve the quality of the material together with the author. Peer review is an essential element of scientific communication and a key part of the scientific approach.

2.2. Efficiency

Should a selected peer reviewer consider themselves underqualified to review the manuscript or unable to do it promptly, they inform the Editor-in-Chief of the journal about it and refuse to review the manuscript.

2.3. Confidentiality

Any manuscript subject to review should be handled in confidence. The reviewers do not show or discuss the submitted manuscript with anybody who is not authorised to do so by the Editor-in-Chief.

2.4. Reviewing and objectiveness

Reviewers must be objective. Personal criticism is unacceptable. Reviewers should provide arguments to back their opinion.

2.5. Reference to original sources

Reviewers identify any published papers relevant to the topic but not referenced to in the submitted manuscript. Any previously published statement (observation, conclusion, argument, etc.) must be accompanied by a reference to the original source. Reviewers also inform the Editor-in-Chief about any similarities and coincidences between the submitted manuscript and any other published papers corresponding to the reviewer’s field of interest.

2.6. Disclosure and conflict of interest

2.6.1. Reviewers will not use unpublished material presented in submitted papers in their own research work without the prior written consent of the authors. Information obtained during the review process is confidential and will not be used for personal benefit or competitive advantage.

3. Duties and responsibilities of the authors

3.1. Manuscript requirements

3.1.1. Authors present the results of their original research. The results must be valid and accompanied by objective discussion of the importance of the study. The data presented in the manuscript should be accurate and consistent. The manuscript should provide enough details and references. False or inherently wrong statements are viewed as unethical and are unacceptable.

3.2. Originality and plagiarism

3.2.1. The author warrants that the manuscript is original. When works or statements by other authors are used in the manuscript the author must provide sufficient references.

3.2.2. Plagiarism is unethical and hence unacceptable. Plagiarism comes in various forms: from representing another person’s works as your own to copying or rephrasing significant parts from other people’s works (without reference) and taking the credit for another person’s findings.

3.2.3. Resolving disputes related to plagiarism The editorial board of the journal abides by the standards of academic ethics, protects the reputation of the authors, and takes all instances of plagiarism very seriously. Accusation of plagiarism can be detrimental for a researcher’s career. In such cases, the journal follows a protocol designed to manage the accusations.

3.2.4. In order to be objective, the editorial board thoroughly studies each case and considers the arguments of all the parties concerned. Before taking any further steps, the editorial board gathers and carefully analyses information from the authors of the manuscript in question or the copyright owners. The decision of the editorial board is unbiased, objective, and not subject to any influence by third parties.

3.2.5. The editorial board reserves the right to ignore any accusations of plagiarism, when the accuser does not provide sufficient personal information (for example, the accuser does not use their real name) or acts in an unethical or menacing manner. The editorial board is not obliged to discuss the alleged instances of plagiarism with anyone other than those directly involved.

3.2.6. Copyright is protected by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The author(s) signs the Publishing License Agreement regulating intellectual property rights.

3.3. Multiple, redundant, and simultaneous publications

3.3.1. The author should not submit similar manuscripts for publishing to more than one journal. Submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously is unethical and unacceptable.

3.3.2. The author should not submit a published paper for publication in any other journal.

3.4. Reference to original sources

The author should always give credit to the contributions of others. Authors should provide reference to the publications relevant to the submitted manuscript. Data that is obtained privately (for example, from a private conversation or correspondence, or through discussions with third parties) can only be used upon written consent from the original source. Information from confidential sources (reviews, grants, etc.) can only be used upon written consent of the authors of the manuscript related to the confidential sources.

3.5. Authorship

3.5.1. The authors of the manuscript are the people who significantly contributed to the idea, design, implementation of the study, and the interpretation of the obtained results. Everyone who made a significant contribution should be listed as a co-author. If some of the participants of the research contributed only during a particular stage of the project, they should be mentioned as having done so.

3.5.2. The author warrants that everyone who contributed to the research is listed as a co-author, the list of co-authors does not include anyone who did not take part in the research, and all the co-authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

3.6. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

The authors disclose all financial or other conflicts of interest that may be deemed as affecting the results and conclusions presented in the manuscript.

3.7. Errors in the published papers

If the author finds any errors or inaccuracies in the published paper, they should inform the editorial board of the journal and cooperate with it in order to withdraw the paper or promptly correct the errors. If the editorial board receives any information about errors from a third party, the author must withdraw the paper and correct the errors as promptly as possible.

4. Duties and responsibilities of the publisher

4.1. The publisher (Federal State-Funded Educational Institution of Higher Education "Voronezh State University”) abides by the standards and policies regulating duties and responsibilities of the editors, reviewers, and authors, as stated in these recommendations. The publisher should be sure that all the editorial decisions are unbiased and not affected by personal interests.

4.2. The publisher provides financial and legal support to the journal when considering claims regarding the ethical aspects of the published material, and facilitates interactions with other journals and/or publishers.

4.3. If necessary, the publisher provides for sufficient legal assistance (legal opinion or counselling).

4.4. The editor supports scientific communication, finances the editorial activities and publication of the journal, supervises the review and editorial process, and bears responsibility for compliance.

4.5. The publisher controls the accuracy of the scientific data and the honesty of the research with regard to the ethical aspects described above.