The Code of Ethics of AND - a biannual double-blind peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary, bilingual (Italian and English) scientific journal - responds to and complies with the current guidelines outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for an ethical approach to the publication of scientific works. The entire management of the journal is in line with the spirit of the COPE recommendations to take all possible measures against malpractice and ensure good ethical practices in the publication process. In particular, all parties involved - Management, Editors, Authors and Reviewers - are expected to know and share the following ethical principles.

 

 

Duties of the Management, Editors, Committees

 

Decisions on publication

The Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board and guest editors are responsible for deciding whether or not to publish proposed articles. The editor-in-chief may consult with the editors and referees to make their decisions.

The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board report to the journal's scientific committee and Editorial Board and are bound by the requirements of current laws on libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

Fairness and non-discrimination

The Editor-in-Chief and the Scientific Management evaluate articles proposed for publication on the basis of importance, originality of scientific content, validity of the study and relevance to the journal's interests, and clarity of the text, without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, scientific, academic, and political orientation of the authors.

Articles accepted by the Scientific Management in agreement with the Editors are anonymised and submitted for evaluation by two or more Reviewers (Peer reviewers), who are also kept anonymous, to ensure that the material submitted to the journal remains strictly confidential and reserved during the review process.

The peer review procedure adopts criteria of impartiality, is free from bias and is carried out promptly on the argumentative structure of the essays.

The publication of articles is subject to the Authors' review of any changes requested by the reviewers and to the final opinion of the Scientific Management and the Editors.

AND's publication process ensures that articles are edited in open-access mode and freely available to all interested readers.

Procedures for publicising the post-publication debate and for managing any changes and corrections to published articles

Suppose a scientific debate arises after publishing an article hosted in the journal. In that case, the scientific contribution on the same topic will be published, even with different positions and orientations, as long as it passes the ritual referencing procedure envisaged for works hosted in the journal. If, on the other hand, reports of errors, conflicts of interest, plagiarism, corrections or other comments are received regarding a contribution published in the Journal, the Director, having heard the author concerned, will assess the advisability of publishing reply notes, signed by the author of the contribution in question or by the Director himself, or will invite the reporter to formalise the debate in a scientific contribution to be published, subject to the successful completion of the refereeing procedure in which the respect of the criteria of publishability of the work is verified.

Confidentiality

The editor and any member of the editorial board or scientific committee must refrain from disclosing any information about the texts submitted for consideration by the journal to anyone other than the corresponding author, referee, potential referee, editorial advisor, and publisher, as the case may be.

Conflict of Interest and Disclosure

Unpublished material in manuscripts submitted to the journal must not be used in research by the editor or a member of the editorial staff without the author's express written consent.

Policies on the acquisition of consents and releases for publication and accessibility, including open access, and on intellectual property

The authors' submission of the contribution transfers the right to use it on a non-exclusive basis; however, they are not allowed to use the layout of the contribution in the journal (editorial pdf) except for competition and research quality assessment purposes.

It is also left to the authors to publish the contribution in the journal, in other scientific journals or in monographs with national and international circulation as long as this follows the publication in the journal once the refereeing has been successful.

No remuneration is foreseen for the authors, nor are financial contributions to the publication costs requested from the authors, except for the sole cases in which the publication of individual scientific contributions takes place at the request of the authors and is subject to the consent of the Scientific Director, in the form of Open Access. The publication of contributions in Open Access is admitted up to a maximum of one scientific contribution per issue and, in any case, for several pages not exceeding 30% of the foliation of each issue in which the scientific contribution in Open Access is published. In case of publication in Open Access, the scientific contribution published in the Journal will be made available by the Publisher on the Journal's website without any restriction for public access, subject to payment by the author, directly or through third parties, of the amount determined by the Publisher.

 

 

Duties of Authors of Articles Submitted to the Journal

 

Scientific originality

The Author guarantees, using a specific declaration made at the time the manuscript is sent to the Journal, that the work submitted for evaluation complies with the principles of integrity of research, is unpublished, scientifically original and not submitted simultaneously to other journals or periodicals, except with the express consent of the Editorial Board. Should the article subsequently be published in other journals or volumes, the Editorial Committee must be informed and consent.

The Author must also adequately cite the texts, sources and contributions used according to the editorial rules indicated for publication in the Journal, taking care that the work and words of other Authors are adequately paraphrased or quoted literally with appropriate evidence of the sources.

Repurposing, in whole or in part, one's contribution published elsewhere without proper attribution and citation reference (text recycling; self-plagiarism) constitutes a violation of the Journal's Code of Ethics. In any case, the Editorial Board must be informed by the Author about the significance of the overlap' and other contextual factors that may have created conditions for an overlap.

All authors are required to follow the journal's editorial rules.

Authorship of the work

The contribution must indicate the authorship of the work. All those who have contributed significantly to the conception, organisation, realisation and reworking of the research underlying the contribution must be indicated as co-authors. In the case of contributions by several authors, the share of each author must be shown at the end of the work.

Conflicts of Interest

The Author must not have any conflicts of interest that could have conditioned the results obtained, the theses, or the proposed interpretations. The Author must also indicate any financial backers of the research or project from which the article derives.

Remedy for inaccuracies in the article

Suppose an Author identifies a relevant error or inaccuracy in one of his articles. In that case, he must promptly inform the reviewer and provide all necessary indications to indicate the changes at the end or in the article's appendix. He must also correct the manuscript by actively collaborating with the editorial team, even if he is notified by the Management or Editorial Board of the Journal unless otherwise agreed.

Use of Artificial Intelligence or Large Language Models

Authors of a paper for AND who use artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT or large Language Models (LLM) to produce text or images/graphics or to collect/analyse data must declare at the time of submission and the bottom of the paper what tool was used and how it was used so that the editorial team and readers can understand the role of these tools in the development of the reported work. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, including those parts produced by an artificial intelligence tool. Therefore, they are liable for any ethical violations that may result from using such content.

Integration of the work

The Editorial Board may ask the Authors for the corrections and additions they deem appropriate following the anonymous evaluation of the Reviewers. The Authors may express their observations or objections, which the Editorial Board will decide on.

The Editorial Committee reserves the right to proceed, through the action of the Editorial Secretary, to purely editorial changes after the first correction of the proofs for the homogeneity of publication of the Review.

 

 

Duties of the Reviewers (Referees)

 

Contribution to the editorial decision

Through the double-blind peer-review procedure, the Reviewers assist the Editors in making decisions on proposed articles. They are also required to suggest corrections and suggestions to the Author via the Journal's Editors to improve contributions.

Respect of deadlines

If the Reviewers do not feel adequate for the proposed task or know that they cannot proceed with the reading evaluation of the work within the required timeframe, they must promptly inform the Editors.

Confidentiality

Any text transmitted anonymously to the Reviewers for reading must be considered confidential; therefore, it must not be discussed and evaluated with others without the Director's explicit authorisation.

Fairness and objectivity

Peer review must be carried out fairly and objectively. Referees are requested to justify their assessments of the article sent to them in an appropriate and documented manner. Any personal judgement of the author is inappropriate: it is not permitted to criticise or personally offend an author. Comments must be technically well formulated and cannot be construed as criticism of an ideological nature or, in any case, contain scientific-cultural assumptions of a personal nature. Each statement, observation or argument reported must preferably be accompanied by a corresponding quotation and documentation.

A possible indication of texts

The Referee is requested to precisely indicate the bibliographical references of essential works overlooked by the Author in the article. They should also point out any similarities or overlaps of the text they have received in reading with other known works.

Conflict of interest and disclosure

The double-blind peer review process is based on the guarantee of mutual anonymity between authors and reviewers and the omission in the text of those explicit references that could reveal the authors' identity.

Should the reviewers detect elements of recognisability and find themselves in a condition of conflict of interest due to collaboration, competition, or belonging to the same research institutes, they are obliged not to accept the articles for reading.

All information and indications obtained during the peer review process must be considered confidential and may not be used for any other purpose.

 

 

Pre-publication review procedures

The review model

To ensure a high standard of the scientific quality of published contributions, in compliance with the principles of integrity in scientific research (Dignity, Responsibility, Fairness, Diligence - by the Guidelines for Integrity in Research drawn up by the CNR) AND adopts a review model for manuscripts proposed for publication that consists of two phases: i) preliminary assessment; ii) double-blind peer review.

The Editorial Committee conducts a preliminary evaluation of the manuscripts received to verify, firstly, the relevance of the proposals to the topics covered by the Journal and the methodological approach and, secondly, the existence of the minimum requirements for publication, also in relation to the editorial criteria of the Journal. If the proposals received pass the preliminary assessment, they are sent for refereeing.

Refereeing is carried out according to the double-blind peer review procedure. The refereeing is carried out by anonymous experts (the evaluators and referees), whose findings are formalised in a particular form that will be kept in the Observatory's archive.

After anonymisation, the Editorial Secretary sends the contribution to an evaluator chosen by the Editorial Board based on specific thematic expertise and following a rotation criterion. The Reviewer expresses his/her assessment by returning the evaluation form within 15 days of the assignment. If the opinion is not expressed within the allotted time, the Editorial Board may proceed to replace the evaluator.

Following the refereeing, through electronic communication by the Editorial Secretary, the Author receives the form containing the anonymous opinion rendered by the evaluator. If the assessor favours publication without changes, the contribution is started for publication. If the evaluator favours publication subject to changes, the comments thus made shall be forwarded to the Author. If the Author decides to comply, he shall send the contribution back to the Editorial Board, which may determine whether to forward it again to the assessor or proceed directly to publication. If the final assessment is positive, the contribution is started for publication; if not, the Editorial Board will consider whether to reject the contribution or proceed to a further revision stage. If the evaluator expresses a contrary opinion, the contribution is not published.
If a member of the Editorial Board is an author or co-author of a contribution proposed for publication, the procedures set out in the standard template are followed.
If an assessment decision needs to be reviewed, the decision rests with the Editorial Board, which may also include members of the Scientific Committee. If a member of the Editorial Board is an author or co-author of a contribution proposed for publication, he or she does not participate in the vote.

Exceptions to the model

It is possible to depart from the refereeing model for the publication of contributions by Authors of particular authority and for the publication of other types of contributions helpful for the scientific study and discussion, also in a critical key, of themes and institutes relevant to the Journal.

In all the above cases, the responsibility for publication is assumed directly by the Editorial Committee with adequate justification. This procedure and the relevant justification shall be mentioned in a note to the contribution itself.

Procedures for handling disputes concerning the application of the model

Any disputes concerning the application of the refereeing procedures and the outcome of decisions concerning the preliminary assessment and refereeing are discussed by the Editorial Board with those concerned.

 

 

Duties of the Scientific and Editorial Committee

The journal's Scientific and Editorial Committee must ensure the quality of the proposed contributions by carrying out its own reading and evaluation and verify that the journal's mission is to amplify learning, research, and the dissemination of knowledge.

The Journal's Scientific and Editorial Committee also undertakes to report any cases of conflict of interest in choosing, evaluating, and proposing articles and to cooperate with the Editorial Board and the Editor-in-Chief to ensure a fair evaluation process free from personal bias.

Duties of the editor

The editor is committed to exercising his/her duties fairly and objectively and to ensuring that the journal and its contributors do not discriminate against authors based on gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, or geographical origin.

Duties of the Publisher

DNA Editrice undertakes to ensure that good practice is maintained to the standards set out above and to adopt appropriate procedures in the event of ethical or moral complaints. Documentation of these will be appropriately retained.

 

 

Publisher's Duties and Authors' Rights

About intellectual property policies, including copyright management and publication licences, the Editor grants complete freedom to authors to republish contributions published in AND in scientific treatises and miscellaneous publications and to include them in databases accredited by the international scientific community, on the strict condition that the primary location and exact date of publication are provided cautiously.

Also, regarding intellectual property policies, including copyright management and publication licences, the Publisher undertakes to ensure that the acquisition of consents and disclaimers for the publication and accessibility, even in open mode, of texts (if not for citation purposes), data, images, graphics, takes place in compliance with current copyright law, customary disciplinary standards and any constraints related to the right to privacy as enshrined in Article 15 of the Constitution.

The Publisher, having heard the opinion of the Editors and the Editor-in-Chief, grants the authors a broad right of reply and rectification about what they have published AND to allow the publicity of the debate following publication (e.g. the publication of reply notes or letters addressed to the Editors or the Publisher) and of the mechanisms to allow - in a documented and transparent manner for the reading public - any changes and corrections to articles already published, or their withdrawal. This concession is subject to compliance with current legislation on the offence of libel and defamation in the press.

 

 

Duties of the Editor and Rights of the Editors and the Editorial Board

Since AND is not protected by the National Contract for Journalists and Publicists, the Publisher may include scholars in the Editorial Board of its own volition, but only after hearing the advice and obtaining the consent of the Editors and the Management Committee.

 

 

Responsibility and Attribution

Editors are responsible for all contributions published in the journal and are committed to ensuring scientific and editorial quality through double-blind peer review and careful editing.

The journal fully preserves published articles and guarantees the long-term preservation of all published content through the LOCKKS system.

 

 

Complaints and Appeals

Complaints of an ethical or moral nature and unfair practices (by way of non-exhaustive examples: serious errors, conflict of interest situations, plagiarism) may be identified by anyone but must be brought in writing to the attention of the editor, the editorial board or the publisher, with due support of information and evidence sufficient to initiate an internal investigation. The editor will conduct this investigation, which may or may not involve the editor, at his discretion if the report does not directly implicate him. If the report directly concerns Viella, the editor will necessarily be involved.

In the case of minor violations concerning the editorial staff, the magazine's employees, and the publishing house, an internal investigation will be carried out. The accused will be provided with all documentation on the accusations made against him, and he will be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations.
In the case of major violations, the academic and institutional structures of the accused may also be involved, and a committee of external experts will examine the evidence.
In the case of civil violations, the editor or editorial staff will report them to the relevant authorities.
If the accused is a journal member, his or her position within the journal will be revoked; the offender will also receive a letter of warning about his or her future conduct.
In the event that the accused is an author, the scientific committee or the editor may invite the guilty party to formally withdraw their contribution or decide to revoke publication of the same. A formal embargo on future donations may also be imposed on the offending author.
On a case-by-case basis, consideration will also be given to sending a formal letter to the department or institution to which the offending author is accountable, informing them of the offending author's malpractice. A formal, public notice of the malpractice may also be published.

 

Corrections after publication

Every article published by the AND journal, whether in print or online, constitutes the Version of Record ( VoR): the final, definitive and citable version of the scientific record (see NISO, 2008)

The VoR comprises:

• The article, reviewed and accepted after peer review, is in its final form, including the abstract, text, references, bibliography, and all attached tables, illustrations, and data.
• Any supplementary materials.

To recognise a published article as a final VoR is to expect that it can be relied upon as accurate, complete, and citable. However, it is sometimes necessary to make changes to the VoR after an article has been published. This will be done after careful evaluation by the editorial director, supported by AND, to ensure that the necessary changes are made by Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

 

Corrections, expressions of concern and retractions

All necessary changes will be accompanied by a post-publication notice permanently linked to the original article, ensuring readers are fully informed. This could be a correction notice, an expression of concern or a retraction. The objective of this mechanism of making permanent and transparent changes is to protect the integrity of the scientific documentation. All corrections, expressions of concern, and retraction notices are available upon publication. When responding to concerns about AND publications, we adhere to our journals' policies, publication criteria, editorial standards, and COPE guidelines where applicable. AND cooperates with editorial directors in cases involving severe ethical or integrity concerns after publication, including those that warrant an expression of concern or retraction. If you wish to notify AND of an error in a publication that may require correction, please email the journal directly with details (article citation and DOI, description of error).

 

 

Corrections

Corrections to AND articles are published when it is necessary to correct an error or omission that may affect the article's interpretation but where the article's academic integrity remains unaffected (e.g. incorrect captioning of a figure, lack of clear information on funding or author conflicts of interest). AND may also publish a correction to rectify an error in the publication's metadata (e.g., an incorrectly spelt author's name or errors in conflicts of interest, funding or data availability statement). Typically, a correction notice appears as a post-publication notice linked to the original AND article, with the following actions:

• Add a footnote to the published version of the record showing the electronic link to the correction notice.
• Lay out and make the correction notice available in the journal's online issue, with an electronic link to the published version of the record.

Corrections of typographical errors or other minor problems that do not significantly impact the scientific integrity, comprehension or indexing of the article will not be published.

 

 

Retractions

As discussed in the COPE Retraction Guidelines, retraction is a mechanism for correcting the literature and informing the academic community about concerns about an article's integrity, validity, or reliability. If editors believe unresolved issues in discussions with authors warrant retraction by COPE guidelines, AND will retract the article. Authors and institutions may request retraction of their articles if their reasons meet the retraction criteria.

If a severe error (e.g. in analysis or methods) invalidates the conclusions of the article, or if misconduct has occurred in the research or publication, a retraction notice will be issued (e.g. research without the necessary ethical approvals, falsified data, manipulated images, plagiarism, duplicate publication, etc.). When the decision is made to retract an article, AND will:

• Publish a separate retraction statement, entitled 'Retraction: [title of article]', with a link to the retracted article.
• The retraction statement will be paginated and made available in the journal's online issue.