Ethical norms
The Editorial Board of Public Health Journal follows specific requirements for selecting and approving articles submitted to the editorial office. These norms are determined by the journal’s scientific focus and the quality standards for scientific works and their presentation set in the academic community.
The editorial board encourages adherence to the principles of the Code of Ethics for Scientific Publications developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief:
The Editor-in-Chief decides on the article’s publication being guided by the relevant decision of the editorial board, reviewers and a person responsible for checking materials, which are based on the COPE policy, for plagiarism.
The Editor-in-Chief guarantees confidentiality by operating with information about the content of the provided materials only within the editorial board, reviewers, author, and publisher.
The Editor-in-Chief resolves (if any) conflicts of an ethical nature.
The Editor-in-Chief decides on retraction and rejection of a manuscript that violates copyright or generally accepted standards of scientific ethics.
Responsibility of editorial board members:
All information obtained during the peer-review process shall be kept secret. The discussion may only be carried out by persons authorized by the editor-in-chief.
EBMs are accountable for publishing the accepted manuscripts by relying on their scientific value.
EBMs determine the compliance of the submitted materials with the journal’s expertise area and the requirements for presentation and send them for review (to doctor or candidate of sciences). They are authorized to return the article for revision if the requirements for content and design are met partially. Significant flaws in the design may be the reason for rejecting the manuscript.
The editorial staff reserves the right to reject a manuscript if self-plagiarism exceeds 15 %.
EBMs reserve the right to involve independent reviewers.
Responsibility of reviewers:
Reviewers carry out an objective assessment of a manuscript and provide relevant arguments.
Reviewers conduct a double-blind review of the submitted manuscripts and decide on their publication.
They review manuscripts within the time frame defined by the editorial team (2 weeks). However, the editorial board is authorized to adjust the review terms, taking into account the subjective circumstances of each specific case (subject to mandatory preservation of the review quality).
Reviewers do not use ideas or information obtained during the peer-review process in their publications without the written consent of the author or a corresponding reference after the publication of the latter.
Subject to a positive review, a reviewer should inform the editorial board, which makes the final decision on publication. If the reviewer has a remark under the overall positive assessment, the article is considered conditionally admitted to printing, but it needs to be improved (the improved article is resent for peer review). With the consent of the author and the editorial board, the findings may not be corrected. Therefore, the editorial board reserves the right to publish such findings as comments to the article (the author reserves the right to officially respond to them).
Reviewers have the right to refuse a recommendation for printing. In this case, the manuscript is not considered for a second time.
Responsibility of the authors:
Authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works which do not contain plagiarism (including self-plagiarism) and are not considered by the editorial staff of another journal and have not been published previously (including in other languages).
Authors are responsible for the reliability of facts, references, quotations, and translations.
The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included on the paper.
Authors shall comply with copyright laws.
The author retains the copyright of the manuscript and grants the journal right to first publication under the Creative Commons 4.0 International License.
If the paper is published within the framework of the project, the grand, etc., it should contain the relevant information.
Copyright and Licensing
All materials published in the scientific journal are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International (CC-BY) license. This means that:
Copyright: Authors retain the copyright for their works published in the journal, in accordance with the terms of the CC-BY license.
Permissions: The license allows users to freely read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, cite, or reference scientific articles, provided the authorship is properly attributed, in compliance with the requirements of the license.
Conditions of use: The use of materials for any commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted, provided that proper attribution is given, and the content of the articles is not altered unless otherwise stated.
User obligations: When using materials published in the journal, users are required to provide correct attribution to the authors and the source of publication, indicating accurate details of authorship and publication, and not to alter the content of the articles.
Other rights: The license does not restrict authors from publishing their works in other publications or using their materials under different conditions, as long as this does not contradict the requirements of the CC-BY license.
This policy ensures open access to scientific materials and promotes the dissemination of knowledge while protecting the authors' rights.
Conflict of Interest Policy
Public Health Journal adheres to the ethical principles outlined in the Code of Conduct for Research Publication Ethics, developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and strives to ensure transparency and integrity at every stage of the publication process.
A conflict of interest arises when financial, personal, or professional interests of the author, reviewer, or editor may influence their decisions or actions in the publication process, thereby questioning their impartiality and objectivity. The publication of articles with potential conflicts of interest can undermine trust in scientific research and compromise academic integrity.
Author’s Obligations:
Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional interests that may affect the outcome of their research or the scientific opinion expressed in their article. This includes any sponsorship agreements, funding, competing interests, or personal relationships that may be perceived as a conflict of interest.
Authors are required to inform the editorial board of any conflicts of interest prior to submitting an article for review, as well as after publication, if new circumstances arise that may create a conflict of interest.
Reviewer’s Obligations:
Reviewers must inform the editorial board of any potential conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to provide an objective and impartial assessment of the article. If a reviewer has financial or personal relationships with the author or other factors that may introduce bias, they must decline to review the article.
Editor’s Obligations:
Editors of the journal must adhere to standards of impartiality and transparency when evaluating articles and making decisions about publication. They are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may affect the publication process.
If a conflict of interest is discovered during the review process or after publication, the journal's editorial team may take appropriate measures, including retracting the article or publishing a clarification to ensure transparency for readers.
In the case of a serious conflict of interest, the editorial team may refuse to publish the article or recognize its findings if the research has been distorted due to undisclosed or hidden interests.
Public Health Journal considers it crucial to adhere to ethical standards in all aspects of scientific publication, including conflicts of interest. The journal aims to ensure full transparency and uphold the highest standards of academic integrity. All participants in the publication process are required to disclose conflicts of interest impartially and honestly to support scientific integrity and trust in publications.
Anti-Plagiarism Policy
All scientific articles submitted to the editorial of the Public Health Journal are subject to plagiarism screening using StrikePlagiarism.com software, developed by the Polish company Plagiat.pl. The editorial board adheres to the principles of academic integrity, protects the copyright of authors and co-authors, and conducts thorough investigations of any suspected cases of plagiarism or unauthorized use of published materials.
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of the information provided, including the correct attribution of names, references, and citations. In cases where plagiarism is detected, the responsibility for the submitted content lies with the author(s).
The editorial board also takes measures to safeguard the journal's reputation from any form of misconduct. The journal reserves the right to reject a manuscript on the grounds of plagiarism without further explanation and, if necessary, to take appropriate legal action. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the editorial may issue a correction or retract the article.
Funding Policy and Article Processing Charges (APC)
Publication in Public Health Journal is subject to an article processing charge (APC). However, payment is requested only after the editorial board has formally accepted the article for publication.
Article Processing Charges:
Standard fee: 1300 UAH (covers up to 12 pages). Additional pages: 40 UAH per page beyond the standard length.
This APC covers:
editorial and peer-review management;
linguistic and technical editing;
typesetting and layout;
online hosting with open access.
The journal does not charge any submission fees.
Printed Copy (Optional):
Authors may optionally order a printed copy of the issue featuring their article. Printed copy cost: 800 UAH (includes shipping within Ukraine).
Funding Transparency:
Public Health Journal does not receive external sponsorship. Its publishing activities are fully funded through APCs, which help maintain rigorous peer review, editorial quality, and long-term digital preservation.
Article Retraction Policy
Public Health Journal adheres to the standards and principles outlined in the Code of Ethics for Scientific Publications developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and recognizes the importance of maintaining academic integrity and scientific reputation.
Article retraction is an extreme measure that the editorial board may apply when, after publication, it is found that the article violates ethical principles or contains significant scientific errors that could affect the reputation of the journal and/or the scientific community as a whole.
Grounds for article retraction may include:
Plagiarism – using sources without proper citation or completely copying others' work.
Data falsification or manipulation – presenting falsified, non-existent, or misleading data.
Conflict of interest – concealing or inadequately disclosing financial, personal, or professional interests that may affect the scientific integrity of the work.
Failure to adhere to research ethics standards – violations of ethical norms in conducting research, such as improper treatment of study participants or unethical treatment of animals.
Serious scientific errors – when an article contains fundamental errors that cannot be corrected through amendments or clarifications within the publication.
Duplicate publication – when an article has been previously published in another journal without proper disclosure of this fact.
Retraction procedure:
If the editorial board receives a substantiated complaint or identifies serious violations that may warrant article retraction, an investigation is initiated.
The author is given the opportunity to respond to the claims and provide explanations regarding the identified violations.
If the investigation confirms the presence of serious violations, the editorial board makes the decision to retract the article.
The retraction is made by publishing an official retraction notice on the journal’s website. If necessary, the reasons for the retraction are stated in the notice.
All retraction decisions are documented, and the relevant information about the article remains available to journal users to ensure transparency of the process.
If the article was retracted due to ethical violations, the editorial board may also report this information to the relevant institutions that regulate publication activities.
Public Health Journal guarantees that all retraction decisions will be made based on principles of integrity, transparency, and compliance with ethical standards. All parties involved in the publication process must adhere to high standards of academic ethics and work together to uphold scientific integrity and trust in the academic community.
Ethical Research Policy
Public Health Journal adheres to international research ethics standards for studies involving humans and/or animals, in accordance with the principles established by the World Medical Association, the European Convention on Bioethics, and other recognized international bodies.
All manuscripts reporting research involving human participants must include a clear statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from all participants. Authors must ensure that the research was conducted in accordance with the WMA Declaration of Helsinki.
Authors are required to:
obtain informed consent from all research participants or their legal representatives,
clearly state in the manuscript the name of the ethics committee, as well as the approval number and date.
All biomedical, clinical, and experimental studies must be approved by ethics committees officially recognized by the authors' institution. The approval number and date must be included in the manuscript.
The journal reserves the right to request copies of ethical approvals or additional documentation to verify compliance with ethical standards.
Privacy Statement
Names and email addresses provided through this website are used solely for purposes related to the publication in Public Health Journal and will not be shared with third parties or used for other purposes.
Data collected from registered and unregistered users are used for the editorial process of the journal, including communication with authors, reviewers, and editors.
The editorial team of the journal is committed to not selling or transferring this data and will use it only to improve the journal's operations and the publication process.
Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)
This policy defines the rules for the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in the processes of preparing, reviewing, and editing scientific articles submitted to the Public Health Journal.
1. Use of GenAI by Authors
1.1 Permitted:
Use of GenAI as an auxiliary tool for:
improving English language style and grammar;
generating ideas (e.g., formulating research questions or hypotheses);
structuring scientific texts;
translating content from other languages.
1.2 Prohibited:
Generating false data, results, tables, citations, or references.
Using GenAI to write scientific text without thorough verification and editing by the author.
Using AI without properly disclosing its use.
1.3 Responsibilities of Authors:
Clearly disclose the use of GenAI in the “Acknowledgments” or “Methods” section, specifying the tool and its purpose (e.g., “The manuscript was partially prepared using ChatGPT for English language editing.”).
Ensure the accuracy, originality, and scientific integrity of the entire manuscript, regardless of AI assistance.
2. Use of GenAI by Reviewers
2.1 Permitted:
Use of GenAI for language correction (e.g., grammar, summarization), provided that the review text contains no confidential information.
2.2 Prohibited:
Uploading manuscripts or any part of them to AI services without the journal’s explicit permission due to confidentiality risks.
Using AI to assess scientific quality or make acceptance/rejection decisions.
2.3 Responsibilities of Reviewers:
Uphold confidentiality and ethical standards.
If GenAI is used, inform the editorial board of its role in preparing the review.
3. Use of GenAI by the Editorial Team
3.1 Permitted:
Use of GenAI for grammar and language editing.
3.2 Prohibited:
Using GenAI to make decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.
Uploading full manuscript texts to external AI platforms without the authors’ consent.
3.3 Responsibilities of the Editorial Team:
Ensure transparency and oversight in the use of AI during editorial processes.
Inform authors if AI tools are used to improve the readability of their manuscripts.
