General Policies

1. Overview

Europe Journal (ISSN 0014-2751) follows best practices in scholarly publishing as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA) , and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) . These general policies apply to all manuscripts, authors, reviewers, editors, and published content.

By submitting to Europe Journal, all parties agree to abide by these policies.

2. Peer Review Policy

Type of review: Double-blind peer review (authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other).

Process:

  1. Initial screening by the editor (scope, originality, formatting, ethical compliance).

  2. Assignment to at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise.

  3. Reviewers evaluate: originality, methodology, clarity, contribution to the field, and adherence to ethical standards.

  4. Editor’s decision: Accept, minor revisions, major revisions (with re-review), or reject.

  5. Revision timeline: Authors receive 4–6 weeks for resubmission. Extensions may be granted on request.

  6. Final decision communicated by the editor.

Reviewer anonymity: Reviewers’ identities are never revealed to authors. Reviewers are asked to avoid self-identifying comments.

Reviewer selection: Editors avoid reviewers with conflicts of interest (collaborators, institutional colleagues, recent co-authors, or personal rivals).

Time to first decision: Average 4–6 weeks from submission.

3. Ethical Standards for Authors

3.1 Originality and Plagiarism

  • Submitted work must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.

  • All sources must be properly cited. Verbatim text from other sources must be in quotation marks with attribution.

  • Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism – reusing substantial portions of the author’s own previous work without citation) is unacceptable.

  • All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate). Similarity index should be below 20% (excluding bibliography). Higher similarity may lead to rejection or request for revision.

3.2 Authorship

  • All listed authors must have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work (conception, design, data acquisition/analysis, drafting/revising, and final approval).

  • Corresponding author takes responsibility for communication with the journal and for ensuring all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version.

  • Changes to authorship after submission require a signed statement from all authors (including any being added or removed).

  • AI and AI-assisted tools (e.g., ChatGPT ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Deepseek, and Manus) cannot be listed as authors. Their use must be disclosed in the Acknowledgments section, specifying the nature of the assistance. Authors remain fully responsible for all content.

3.3 Conflict of Interest

  • Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation (e.g., employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, patents, grants, or other funding).

  • A Conflict of Interest statement should be included in the manuscript (after the main text, before references). If none exists, state: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

3.4 Funding

  • All sources of financial support (grants, institutional funds, fellowships, etc.) must be disclosed in the Acknowledgments or a separate Funding statement.

  • The role of the funder in the research (if any) should be described.

3.5 Data and Reproducibility

  • Authors are encouraged to deposit research data in a public repository and provide the DOI or link in the manuscript.

  • For empirical studies, sufficient detail must be provided to allow replication.

  • Upon reasonable request, authors should cooperate with editors to provide raw data for verification.

3.6 Human and Animal Subjects

  • For research involving human participants: authors must state that informed consent was obtained, and that the study was approved by an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB). The approval reference number should be provided.

  • For animal studies: authors must confirm compliance with institutional and international guidelines for animal care and use.

  • A statement of ethical approval must appear in the manuscript (usually in the Methods section or a separate Ethics statement).

3.7 Corrections and Retractions

  • If authors discover a significant error in their published work, they must notify the editor immediately to issue a correction or erratum.

  • In cases of misconduct (plagiarism, fabricated data, duplicate publication), the journal will follow COPE guidelines, which may include retraction with an explanatory notice.

4. Ethical Standards for Reviewers

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must keep the manuscript and its content strictly confidential.

  • Objectivity: Reviews should be based solely on scholarly merit, without personal criticism or bias.

  • Conflict of interest: Reviewers must decline to review if they have any conflict (e.g., recent collaboration, personal friendship, financial interest, or direct competition).

  • Timeliness: Reviewers should complete their review within the agreed timeframe (usually 3–4 weeks). If unable, they should notify the editor promptly.

  • No appropriation: Reviewers must not use unpublished information from a manuscript for their own research without explicit permission.

5. Editorial Policies

  • Editorial independence: The editor-in-chief has full authority over editorial decisions. The publisher (EUROPE-REVUE) does not interfere.

  • Transparency: Editorial decisions are based only on scholarly merit, not on authors’ identity, nationality, institution, or political/religious views.

  • Conflicts for editors: If an editor submits a manuscript to the journal, they are recused from the review process, and a handling editor is assigned.

  • Appeals: Authors may appeal an editorial decision by submitting a written argument within 30 days. The appeal will be reviewed by the editor-in-chief and, if necessary, an external arbitrator. Decisions on appeals are final.

6. Open Access and Copyright Policy

  • Europe Journal is an open access journal. Readers have free and immediate access to all articles.

  • Article processing charge (APC):  €1200 Euros per accepted paper (payable after acceptance).

  • Self-archiving: Authors may deposit the published PDF or the final accepted manuscript in institutional repositories, preprint servers, or personal websites, with an acknowledgment of the journal as the original publication venue.

7. Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy

Europe Journal encourages authors to: 

  • Share the data, code, and materials underlying their research in a trusted public repository (e.g., Zenodo, Figshare, OSF, institutional repository).

  • Provide a Data Availability Statement in the manuscript, indicating where data can be accessed, or stating that data are available upon reasonable request (or that no original data were generated).

For clinical trials or large‑scale empirical studies, the journal supports the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).

8. Plagiarism and Misconduct Handling

  • Suspected misconduct (plagiarism, data fabrication, citation manipulation, redundant publication) is investigated by the editor-in-chief following COPE flowcharts.

  • If confirmed: The journal may reject the manuscript (if before publication) or issue a retraction (if already published). The author’s institution may be notified.

  • Post‑publication corrections: Minor errors (typos, formatting) are corrected via an erratum. Major errors affecting the interpretation of results require a correction notice or retraction.

9. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

  • Correction (Erratum): For non‑substantial errors (e.g., typographical errors, missing acknowledgments).

  • Retraction: For serious ethical breaches (plagiarism, fabricated data, duplicate publication, fraudulent authorship). Retraction notices are linked to the original article and remain permanently.

  • Expression of Concern: Issued when there is unresolved evidence of possible misconduct, pending an investigation.

All such notices follow COPE guidelines and are freely available online.

10. Archiving and Digital Preservation

Europe Journal is committed to long‑term digital preservation. We participate in:

  • The journal’s website is regularly backed up, and archived copies of all issues are maintained.

11. Complaints and Appeals

Readers, authors, or reviewers who wish to raise a complaint about editorial conduct, peer review, or publication ethics should contact:

Editor-in-Chief
Email: editors@europejournal.net
Subject line: “Complaint – [brief description]”

All complaints will be acknowledged within 7 business days and investigated confidentially. If the complaint involves the editor-in-chief, the publisher (EUROPE-REVUE) will appoint an independent ombudsperson. Resolution will be communicated in writing.

Appeals against editorial decisions follow the process described in Section 5 (Appeals).

12. Advertising Policy

Europe Journal does not display any paid or sponsored advertisements on its website or in its PDF articles. We do not accept commercial advertising to maintain editorial independence and scholarly focus.

13. Publication Schedule

Europe Journal is published quarterly (four issues per year): March, June, September, December. Articles are published online first as soon as they are ready, then assigned to an issue.

14. Privacy and Data Protection

  • Personal information provided by authors, reviewers, and readers (names, emails, affiliations) is used only for journal operations (submission, review, publication, and indexing).

  • Data are not sold or shared with third parties.

  • Reviewers’ identities remain confidential as per double‑blind review.

  • Authors may request removal of their personal data from our systems after publication, subject to legal and archiving requirements.

15. Changes to Policies

Europe Journal reserves the right to update these general policies as needed. Substantive changes will be announced on the journal website and, where appropriate, communicated to registered authors and reviewers. The effective date of the current policy is noted below.

Current version: March 2026
Previous versions available upon request.

Contact for Policy Questions

If you have any questions about these policies, please contact:

Editorial Office
Europe Journal
Email: editors@europejournal.net
Or Contact Us

Europe Journal – Committed to integrity, transparency, and open scholarship.

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