Ethics
Publication ethics
Publication ethics and misconduct statement
CROSS-SECTIONS Social Science Journal (name in Hungarian: METSZETEK Társadalomtudományi Folyóirat) is a quarterly journal published in Hungarian and English.
It is an open access periodical publication that utilises a double-blind review process.
The editorial board of the journal meets the highest standards of publishing ethics and makes every effort to avoid any potential mistakes during the publication process of scientific studies.
All parties involved in the publication process (the author, the editor-in-chief and the editorial and advisory boards of the publication, the reviewers, and the publisher) are obliged to accept the standards of ethical conduct.
By submitting their manuscripts to the journal, all authors declare that said manuscripts all conform to the highest professional and ethical standards, both on the part of the author and the co-authors.
This statement is based on the COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.
DECISIONS WITH REGARD TO PUBLICATION
The editorial office of the journal decides which of the articles submitted for publication will be published in the journal.
The work of the editorial staff is governed solely by the journal's guidelines and may be restricted by the laws in force on defamation, copyright infringement and plagiarism.
The editorial office may ask the editorial board, the members of the scientific advisory board and the proofreaders for help in making its decision.
The members of the Scientific Advisory Board are Hungarian and foreign experts, whose disciplinary composition reflects the diversity of the social sciences, especially sociology. The members of the Scientific Advisory Board form and expand the network of contacts that connects the journal with universities and research institutions in Hungary and abroad.
Conflict of interest
Authors, invited referees and members of the editorial board are required to declare any conflict of interest that could affect the objective evaluation. Members of the editorial board must not work on manuscripts in which they have any personal interest. Invited referees must refuse to review any article in which they have a conflict of interest.
GUIDELINES AND OBLIGATIONS WITH REGARD TO THE EDITORS
Editors
Editors shall either review submitted manuscripts or assist the editor-in-chief in the selection of reviewers.
Editors shall guarantee that the manuscripts will be assessed on the basis of their scientific content only, excluding any form of discrimination (i.e. the intellectual content of manuscripts is evaluated regardless of the authors’ races, genders, sexual orientations, religious views, ethnic or social origins, or political views), thus ensuring the freedom of expression.
Editors are obliged to treat information they acquire during their editorial activity as confidential.
The Editor-in-Chief
The editor-in-chief is responsible for managing the publication process.
He or she selects the reviewers, and decides which studies and articles can be published based on the reviewers’ opinions.
He or she checks if the editorial revisions have indeed been accepted by the author or the authors’ representative (in the case of co-authors).
He or she is responsible for all current publications.
The editor-in-chief shall publicly disclose if there has been plagiarism or copyright infringement in any of the periodical’s writings.
The editor-in-chief supports all attempts to reduce research and publication misconduct, and guarantees that he or she will inspect each and every alleged case of misconduct thoroughly and objectively, and that he or she will take the necessary measures.
THE PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Each study is evaluated by two independent reviewers (who can be either editors or external experts). The short scientific review articles and other reviews in the section Olvass feleslegeset! (‘Read Something Unnecessary’) are typically reviewed by only one editor.
The editor-in-chief chooses the reviewers, thus ensuring that the manuscripts submitted by the members of the editorial board are assessed fairly.
The periodical encourages tertiary and research institutions to recognise peer review as part of research activities.
The peer review process is anonymous, therefore only the editor-in-chief and the assistant in the review process (i.e. the assistant editor) are aware of the identities of the authors and the reviewers.
If neither reviewer approves the study for publication, the editor-in-chief rejects the study for publication. If the two reviewers’ opinions are radically different from each other, the editor-in-chief assigns a third reviewer. The editor-in-chief shall guarantee that the authors can familiarise themselves with the reviewers’ opinions in their entirety—unless they contain offensive remarks.
The final decision on the publication of the study is made by the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief can revise his or her decision only in the event of serious problems, about which he or she should thoroughly inform the author(s).
The information made accessible to reviewers through their assignment shall be treated confidentially and shall not be used for personal gain.
If there is a conflict of interests between a reviewer and a manuscript’s author, companies or institutions related to the study—due to any kind of competition, cooperation, or any other type of relationship between the parties—said reviewer is obliged to decline to review the manuscript in question.
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE REVIEWERS
All reviewers are provided with assistance in writing their evaluations, as well as the required peer review forms.
The journal encourages the reviewers to report all observed cases of misconduct (e.g. the falsification of data, republication, plagiarism).
In the event that the reviewers are not experts of the discipline a study examines, or if there is a conflict of interests, said reviewers should inform the editor-in-chief about such a case, and they shall no longer be involved in the review process of that particular study.
A reviewer’s task is highly confidential; thus, reviewers are not allowed to use the knowledge and information acquired during the review process for their personal scientific or research purposes.
For the sake of appropriate and punctual reviewing, and as a gesture toward the authors, the periodical does not assign reviewers who have repeatedly submitted biased, substandard, or overdue reviews before.
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AUTHORS
The authors are frequently informed by CROSS-SECTIONS (‘METSZETEK’) about the formal and content requirements on its webpage.
As for submitting manuscripts, CROSS-SECTIONS (METSZETEK) warns authors that their studies are obliged to be original, and they need to conform to the requirements for international scientific publications.
The authors acknowledge that their submitted manuscripts have not been, and are not to be published in other periodicals or books. In case there are several co-authors of a publication, the co-authors acknowledge that they know and they have accepted the final version of the study submitted to the journal.
The authors have a right to express their dissatisfaction with the decisions of the editorial board. An appeal has to be submitted in written form; addressed to the editor-in-chief directly. In such a case, the editor-in-chief, along with members of the editorial board shall review the case and make a final decision based on the rules of the periodical. Authors will receive written replies to their appeals.
