The journal “Scientific Bulletin of Kherson State University. Series ‘Germanic Studies and Intercultural Communication’” consistently adheres to international standards of academic integrity, responsible publishing, and transparent research evaluation.
Its editorial policy is grounded in openness, ethical responsibility, scholarly objectivity, and equal access to publication opportunities for researchers.

Particular importance is attached to the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics as a leading international authority on publication ethics, as well as the principles of the Declaration on Research Assessment, which promote responsible research evaluation beyond narrow bibliometric indicators.

General COPE Principles

The editorial board implements COPE guidelines throughout all stages of the publication process, including submission, peer review, decision-making, publication, and post-publication monitoring.

Key principles include:

• transparent and justified editorial decisions;
• confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
• fair treatment of authors regardless of status or affiliation;
• prevention of conflicts of interest;
• timely response to potential ethical concerns;
• implementation of correction, clarification, or retraction procedures when necessary.

COPE serves as the primary ethical framework for resolving complex publishing issues.

DORA Principles in Editorial Practice

In line with DORA principles, the journal promotes research evaluation that is not solely dependent on quantitative metrics.

In particular, the editorial board:

• assesses manuscripts based on scholarly merit rather than impact factors alone;
• recognizes diverse research outputs, including qualitative, interdisciplinary, and applied studies;
• discourages citation manipulation or artificial inflation of references;
• supports transparent evaluation criteria;
• promotes open and responsible scholarly communication.

This approach is especially relevant for the humanities, where interpretative depth and analytical quality are as important as quantitative indicators.

Additional International Standards

Beyond COPE and DORA, the journal aligns with broader international best practices, including:

• open science and open access principles;
• transparency in peer review;
• research integrity standards;
• ethical data and copyright practices;
• international conflict-of-interest policies.

Implementation in Journal Practice

Compliance with international standards is ensured through:

• a clearly defined editorial policy;
• double-blind peer review;
• plagiarism and ethics screening;
• mandatory conflict-of-interest disclosure;
• open access publishing model;
• correction and retraction mechanisms;
• policies on responsible AI use.

These standards are considered an integral part of a high-quality international scholarly journal.

Commitment to Academic Culture Development

The journal treats adherence to international principles not only as a formal requirement but as a means of strengthening academic culture, enhancing trust in research outcomes, and integrating Ukrainian humanities scholarship into the global academic space.