Publication Ethics

Spirituality Studies acknowledges, honors and applies all standards of publication ethics in accordance with general consensus as promulgated in

and other catalogs of ethical standards. Spirituality Studies refuses plagiarism of any kind.

By the very act of submitting articles to Spirituality Studies authors affirm that their contents are original and their article had neither been published elsewhere, nor it is under review for publication anywhere. The following duties are obligatory for authors, editors, reviewers and the publisher of Spirituality Studies.

Reporting Standards: Authors of research studies should present an accurate account of their original research, whether theoretical or empirical, as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works and they appropriately refer to works and/or words of other authors.

Data access and Retention: In case of research studies of empirical nature authors should provide raw data related to their manuscripts for editorial review, and they also must retain such data.

Multiple Publications: Manuscripts based on the same research are usually published exclusively in only one journal. In case of an update or extension of a previously published article, a reference to the original publication ought to be explicitly acknowledged.

In justified cases, the Editorial Team may decide to publish a manuscript that had been previously published in another media, either in its original or modified form. Such cases include, for instance, an extraordinary contribution to human understanding of the matter provided by the article. Then an explicit reference to the original publication is made in the re-published paper along with copyright acknowledgements.

Acknowledgement of Sources: Authors should acknowledge all sources of data used in their articles and refer to all publications they had been working with.

Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study.

Use of Artificial Intelligence: Generative AI tools may not be credited as an author or co-author, as they cannot be held accountable for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript. Where such tools are used in the preparation of a submission, authors must disclose the tool used and its specific purpose (e.g., language editing); such tools may be used only for auxiliary tasks and not to generate analysis, argumentation, interpretation, or personal accounts of spiritual experience. Authors remain solely responsible for verifying the accuracy of all AI-assisted content and for ensuring the absence of plagiarism or fabricated sources.

Disclosure of Financial Support & Conflicts of Interest: Authors should disclose any conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results of their manuscript. Sources of financial support for the article should be also disclosed.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works: If at any point of time, authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in submitted manuscript or published work, then the error or inaccuracy must be reported to the Editor-in-Chief without delay.

Publication Decisions: The Editor-in-Chief is authorized to accept, reject, or request modifications to all articles submitted to Spirituality Studies.

Review of Manuscripts: Two reviewers are appointed by the Editor-in-Chief from the internal database of reviewers for double-blind review based on the topic and character of the reviewed academic papers and research studies. Reviewers are obliged to make an explicit and reasonable recommendations to publish the manuscript in its present form, or to modify it or to reject it.

Fair Play: Manuscripts are evaluated solely on their scholarly merit without regard to authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or views.

Conflicts of Interest & Recusal: Where the Editor-in-Chief or another member of the Editorial Team is an author, co-author, or otherwise has a competing interest in relation to a submitted manuscript – whether arising from authorship, institutional affiliation, or a personal, professional, or financial relationship with the author(s) – that individual must disclose the conflict and take no part in the manuscript’s peer review, editorial evaluation, selection of reviewers, and publication decision. Editorial responsibility for the manuscript is delegated to an independent editor who has no competing interest in relation to it. The conflicted individual has no access to confidential reviewer identities, reports, or editorial deliberations concerning the manuscript beyond what is normally available to any other author. Where the conflict concerns the Editor-in-Chief specifically, final editorial authority for that manuscript passes to an independent editor for the duration of its handling.

Confidentiality: Editors must not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than its authors and reviewers or potential reviewers. Unpublished materials disclosed in submitted manuscripts must not be used in favor of anyone who has a view of the manuscript. The relationship between authors and reviewers is anonymous on both sides.

Development: Editors should strive to meet the needs of readers and authors, continually improve the journal, ensure the quality of the published material and protect freedom of expression.

Double-blind Review: The Editor-in-Chief is authorized to appoint two reviewers for double-blind review of academic papers and research studies who are experts in the given field and come from different institutions than the author of the submission.

Promptness: If it is not possible for a reviewer to complete a review of a manuscript within the time limit of 30 days, the Editor-in-Chief appoints another reviewer.

Confidentiality: Information regarding manuscripts submitted by authors are kept confidential.

Use of Artificial Intelligence: Reviewers must not upload manuscripts under review, or any part thereof, to AI tools or other external platforms, in order to preserve confidentiality and protect the authors’ intellectual property.

Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers must ensure that authors have acknowledged all sources of data used in the research, both theoretical or empirical. The Editor-in-Chief is immediately notified about any kind of similarity with any other published paper of which reviewer has knowledge and had not been acknowledged by the author(s).

Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Any kind of personal criticism of the author(s) is unacceptable. Reviewers are obliged to express their views explicitly and support them by relevant arguments.

Conflict of Interest: Reviewers should not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors or institutions connected to the manuscripts.

The publisher respects privacy of authors and reviewers, protects intellectual property and copyright, and fosters editorial independence.