Policies

Publishing policies

The Pact for Youth (P4Y) Knowledge Repository is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly publishing. Our publishing practices are guided by the Core Practices and Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), together with internationally recognised standards for Open Access publishing.

These policies apply to all monographs, edited volumes, conference proceedings, and other scholarly publications published by the P4Y Knowledge Repository. All participants in the publication process - authors, editors, proofreaders, and reviewers - are expected to adhere to these principles.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly merit of a submission, including its originality, academic quality, methodological soundness, relevance, clarity, and contribution to knowledge.

Editorial decisions are made independently of commercial, institutional, or political interests. Authors are evaluated without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, institutional affiliation, or career stage. Acceptance decisions are never based on an author's ability or willingness to pay publication fees.

Open Access, Copyright and Licensing

The P4Y Knowledge Repository follows a Diamond Open Access publishing model. All publications are made freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication without subscription fees or embargo periods. Readers may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of publications without requesting prior permission, provided the licence terms are respected. 

Authors retain the copyright of their published work. By submitting a manuscript for publication, authors grant the Publisher a non-exclusive licence to publish, distribute, preserve, and promote the work in all media and formats.

Unless otherwise stated, all publications are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 licence) licence. This licence permits anyone to copy, redistribute, adapt, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use, provided appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the licence is provided, and any changes are indicated. This policy fosters the broad dissemination and ethical use of knowledge.

Copyright for Third-Party Content

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce any copyrighted material included in their work, unless covered by statutory exceptions or compatible open licences. Authors must provide appropriate acknowledgements and ensure compliance with applicable copyright legislation.

Peer-review Policy

All scholarly books, edited volumes, and research articles published in conference proceedings undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process. Each manuscript is normally evaluated by at least two independent expert reviewers with appropriate subject expertise. Neither authors nor reviewers know each other's identities during the review process.

Reviewers are selected based on their academic expertise, publication record, and ability to provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations. Editorial decisions are based on the reviewers' recommendations together with the Editor's independent assessment. Peer review reports should be in English and provide constructive critical evaluations of the authors’ work. On exceptional occasions when two independent peer reviewers cannot be secured, the Editor may act as a third reviewer or make a decision using only one report.

Potential peer reviewers should inform the Editor of any possible conflicts of interest before accepting an invitation to review a manuscript. Communications between Editors and peer reviewers contain confidential information that should not be shared with third parties. 

Peer reviewers are expected to:

• evaluate originality and scholarly contribution;
• assess methodological rigour and validity;
• evaluate clarity, organisation, and presentation;
• identify ethical concerns where relevant;
• provide constructive recommendations to improve the manuscript;
• maintain confidentiality throughout the review process;
• declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts and related communications are treated as strictly confidential. Disclosure is limited to individuals directly involved in the publication process, such as reviewers and editors, and only as necessary.

Conflict of Interest

Editors, reviewers, and authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships or interests that could influence - or reasonably be perceived to influence - the publication process. Where a conflict of interest is identified, the individual concerned will not participate in the editorial assessment or peer review of the affected manuscript. The Editor may assign the manuscript to another editor or invite an alternative independent reviewer to ensure an impartial and objective evaluation. All disclosed conflicts of interest will be managed in accordance with COPE guidance.

Authorship and AI Usage

The author is the natural person who creates the work. AI tools cannot fulfil the legal requirements for authorship and must be acknowledged separately in a dedicated section of the work, as per the COPE Position Statement on Authorship and AI Tools. Co-authors must consent to the submission and publication of the manuscript, and non-contributors (e.g., translators, reviewers or editors) should not be listed as co-authors. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the work and are expected to promptly report errors or inaccuracies before or after publication.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, or originality of scholarly work.

Authors may use AI tools to assist with language editing, translation, coding, or similar tasks, provided such use is disclosed transparently in an appropriate section of the publication. AI-generated images, figures, or other non-textual content may only be included where their use is scientifically justified, fully disclosed, and does not infringe copyright or misrepresent research findings.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content.

Use of Generative AI by Editors and Reviewers: 

Editors and reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts, peer review reports, or unpublished research to generative AI systems that may retain, share, or use submitted content for training or other purposes. Any use of AI-assisted tools must preserve the confidentiality of the manuscript and must not replace the editor's or reviewer's independent scholarly judgement.

Plagiarism and Originality

Submitted manuscripts must represent original work and must not substantially duplicate previously published material. The Publisher may use plagiarism detection software to screen submissions.

Submissions containing plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated data, manipulated images, or other forms of research misconduct may be rejected or withdrawn.

Withdrawal Policy

Withdrawal of submitted manuscripts may be permitted before publication only with the approval of the Editor and for justified reasons.

After publication, scholarly works will normally remain part of the permanent scholarly record. Any removal or retraction will follow established publication ethics procedures.

Proofreading and Quality Assurance

Proofreading is performed by experienced professionals who respect confidentiality. The publisher ensures adherence to high standards of linguistic and stylistic accuracy throughout the process.

Data Accessibility Policy

Authors are encouraged to deposit research data in a trusted repository and include a data availability statement in their work.

Academic/Scientific Misconduct

Editors are vigilant in identifying potential violations of good academic practices, such as plagiarism, and will report any suspected issues to the publisher with appropriate evidence. Post-publication allegations of misconduct will also be thoroughly investigated.

Plagiarism Detection

The publisher may use plagiarism detection software to verify the originality of submissions. Manuscripts with significant overlaps with published work may be rejected.

Persistent Identifiers

Each publication receives a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to ensure permanent identification and citation.

Submission to the P4Y Knowledge Repository requires all authors to provide their ORCID iD. ORCID supports accurate author identification, enhances the discoverability of scholarly works, and contributes to the integrity of the scholarly record.

Digital Preservation Policy

Published works are archived in digital repositories (REAl-EOD) to ensure accessibility for future generations.

The original published version will remain part of the permanent scholarly record. Where appropriate, corrected versions will be clearly identified and linked to the original publication.