ETHICAL GUIDELINES AND STATMENT OF ABUSE

ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR THE PUBLICATIONS IN THE JOURNAL »GRADBENI VESTNIK« AND STATEMENT OF ABUSE

Gradbeni vestnik is a peer-reviewed professional and scientific journal, which is the only Slovenian professional and scientific journal that presents scientific and professional achievements in all fields of civil engineering and building materials to the domestic and foreign professional public. The journal has been published since 1951, the founder and publisher of the journal is the Association of Civil Engineers and Technicians of Slovenia (ZDGITS), and since 2002 its co-publisher is the Main Section of Civil Engineers at the Chamber of Engineers of Slovenia. All those involved in the planning and publication of the journal are committed to uphold the highest ethical standards of publications in the journal as set out in this document and summarized according to the principles of COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics (https://publicationethics.org/).

1. AREA AND OBJECTIVES OF THE JOURNAL »GRADBENI VESTNIK«

The journal »Gradbeni vestnik« is published with the aim of informing the Slovenian professional public about scientific and professional achievements in the field of civil engineering at home and abroad, and it is also intended for the members of the founder and other civil engineers as supplementary professional education. The journal systematically and permanently contributes to the development and implementation of Slovenian scientific and professional terminology in the field of civil engineering.
The published articles and texts deal with all areas of construction and related activities, in particular:

  • the field of engineering structures and buildings;
  • activities in the fields of conception, analysis and design, construction, supervision and control;
  • scientific and research and development activities in the aforementioned fields;
  • standardisation;
  • regulations in the field of planning, design, construction and use as well as disposal facilities;
  • current problems of construction as an industry;
  • vocational training and adult education in the field of civil engineering;
  • informing the members about the activities and issues of ZDGITS, its members and co-financiers of »Gradbeni vestnik«;
  • notifying about important events, exhibitions and educational seminars relevant for the construction industry;
  • notifying about anniversaries and deaths of prominent persons in the field of Slovenian civil engineering;
  • data on the diploma theses of new graduates of civil engineering at the University of Ljubljana and the University of Maribor.

All professional and scientific articles published in the journal are peer-reviewed.
»Gradbeni vestnik« is a free / open access journal. It is published monthly in printed and digital form.
The main distribution area for the printed version of the journal is the Republic of Slovenia. Individual printed copies of the journal are also delivered to subscribers abroad and are exchanged with related organizations and libraries.
The entire content of an individual issue of Gradbeni vestnik in digital form is available to all on the publisher’s website immediately after publication. Since summer 2016, all issues of the journal from 1951 onwards have been available in the digital archive of Gradbeni vestnik.

2. PUBLISHING BOARD

The Publishing Board of “Gradbeni vestnik” consists of recognised experts in the field of civil engineering, delegated by professional associations that participate in the financing of the journal. The Publishing Board consists of:

  • three representatives of ZDGITS, one of whom is the chairman of ZDGITS,
  • three representatives of the Slovenian Chamber of Engineers
  • one representative of the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana
  • one representative of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Architecture, University of Maribor
  • one representative of Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute.

The Executive Committee of ZDGITS, as founder of the journal, appoints the members of the Publishing Board by a special resolution on the proposal of the aforementioned organizations. The term of office of the members of the Publishing Board is four years, reappointment is possible.
The organizations delegating members of the Publishing Board may at any time replace members who do not fulfil their obligations.
The members of the Publishing Board are responsible for their work to the organizations that delegated them.
On the proposal of the ZDGITS Executive Committee the members of the Publishing Board appoint from among themselves, at their first meeting, the chairman of the committee.
The meetings of the Publishing Board shall be convened by its chairman at least once a year, or on its own initiative, on the initiative of the Editor-in-Chief, the ZDGITS Executive Committee and organizations delegating members, or on the initiative of at least two members.
Meetings of the Publishing Board are public.

2.1. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PUBLISHING BOARD

The Publishing Board of Gradbeni vestnik:

  • prepares proposals for the concept of its program, which must define the types of  program content, its division into individual sets, the qualitative relationship between individual sets, and the amount of advertising content. The program design is confirmed by the ZDGITS Executive Committee;
  • evaluates the implementation of the program concept and editorial policies and makes suggestions for improving the content of the journal;
  • addresses problems in the provision of articles and contributions in accordance with program design and participates in the procurement of articles at the request of the  Editor-in-Chief. Submits suggestions for improvement to the organisations involved and to the ZDGITS Executive Committee;
  • analyses financial data of the journal’s operations, the cost structure and proposes appropriate measures to improve the material situation of the journal to the ZDGITS Executive Committee as needed;
  • discusses and adopts positions, when necessary, on individual published information or articles;
  • regularly monitors the publication of the journal;
  • also deals with other issues set out by the law and the rules related to the publication of the professional and scientific journal »Gradbeni vestnik«, and strives, among other things, to prevent fraud, publication of falsehoods, plagiarism and copyright infringement;
  • the chairman of the Publishing Board informs the Executive Committee of ZDGITS in writing at least once a year about the program concept, editorial policy, financial operations of the journal as well as about his/her work and the problems in operations.

3. EDITORIAL BOARD

The journal has an Editorial Board with headquarters at Karlovška cesta 3 in Ljubljana. The Editorial Board consists of at least two members, appointed and dismissed by the ZDGITS Executive Committee on the basis of the provisions of the Media Act and the provisions of the ZDGITS Statute. Prior to appointment or dismissal, the ZDGITS Executive Committee shall seek the opinion of the Publishing Board. The term of office of a member of the Editorial Board is four years, reappointment is possible after the expiration of this period.

3.1. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The Editorial Board of Gradbeni vestnik:

  • takes care of and is responsible for the implementation of the program concept and editorial policy;
  • is in charge of the continuous delivery of articles and addresses and resolves  problems in accordance with the program concept;
  • edits articles and participates in all stages of preparing texts for publication;
  • is in charge of the continuity in the publication of the journal;
  • discusses and develops proposals, opinions, initiatives to improve the content of the journal;
  • considers suggestions and comments from readers and authors of articles.

The members of the Editorial Board and the authors of the articles are independent and autonomous in their work within the program concept. The Editorial Board is chaired by the Editor-in-Chief.

4. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE JOURNAL

The Editor-in-Chief is appointed by the Executive Committee of ZDGITS. The term of office of the Editor-in-Chief is four years, reappointment is possible at the end of this period.

4.1. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Editor-in-Chief:

  • is responsible for implementing the program concept and the agreed types of the program concept;
  • prepares the content of each volume of the journal;
  • prepares the editorial report on the realisation of the annual program for the past year;
  • prepares the program concept for the journal based on the proposal of the Editorial Board for the current year and performs other tasks specified in the Rules of Procedure for the publication of the ZDGITS scientific journal »Gradbeni vestnik«.

The Editor-in-Chief has the right and duty to participate in the work of the Publishing Board.
The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for all information published, unless otherwise provided by law.
The Editor-in-Chief bears the ethical responsibility for the published texts. He/she decides independently or in consultation with other members of the Editorial Board on the selection of articles for publication in the journal. His/her decision must be impartial and based on the assessment of the quality, technical merit and relevance of the article to the scientific and professional public. The article must also conform to the journal’s domains and goals. It must also comply with the editorial policy established by the Publishing Board and all legal requirements, especially those dealing with copyright and plagiarism, and it is also his/her responsibility to monitor the ethical conduct of authors and reviewers.
In case of doubt about the publication of an individual text, the Editor-in-Chief may consult with the members of the Editorial Board or the reviewers.

5. EDITORIAL PROCEDURE

Prior to publication all professional and scientific articles that are deemed suitable for publication in the journal by the Editor-in-Chief and other members of the Editorial Board, will be reviewed by anonymous reviewers and proofread.

Reviewer’s comments are forwarded by the Editorial Board to the author of the article for review and addition. The reviewer’s expert opinion assists the Editorial Board in deciding whether to publish the article and the authors in improving the submitted article.
Reviews are free of charge.

5.1. CONFIDENTIALITY IN EDITORIAL PROCEDURE

The content of the submitted articles is confidential, which must be respected by all those involved in the editorial process. The confidentiality of all personal data of those involved in the process must also be respected.

5.2. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The Editor-in-Chief, a member of the Editorial Board or an individual reviewer who have a conflict of interest due to kinship with the author, co-authorship of the article, direct or indirect financial gain related to the publication of the article, are required to recuse themselves from decision making. Reviewers must give accurate, impartial, corroborated and reasoned opinions and keep them confidential. Reviewers may not use material submitted in the manuscript without permission.

5.3. PROCEDURES AND MEASURES IN CASE OF DISCOVERED VIOLATION OF ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

A violation of ethical principles may be reported by anyone in writing to the editor and / or publisher of the journal at any time. Any complaint of unethical conduct will be handled and investigated in accordance with the same procedure, even if it is filed several years after publication.
In case of suspicion of irregularities in the submitted articles, the Editor-in-Chief must communicate his/her doubts to the author of the article and give him/her an opportunity for appropriate explanations. In case of violation, the publication of the article will be refused.
In the event of a complaint about a breach of ethical principles in an article already published, the Editor-in-Chief must investigate the complaint and inform the author. In case of a minor breach of ethical principles, a correction may be published.

6. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AUTHOR

The journal is available free of charge on the website. Authors are aware of and agree to this before publishing the article.
Authors will not receive fees for publishing the article, nor will they be charged publishing costs.
The journal Gradbeni vestnik also publishes articles that have previously appeared in the proceedings of professional conferences. The aim of these publications is to reach a wider readership.
When writing articles, authors are required to follow the Instructions for Authors for Writing Articles, published on the first inside cover of the journal and on the journal website or on the journal publisher’s website.
Authorship of the article rests with those who made a significant contribution to the concept, implementation, design or interpretation of the research and the writing of the article. Persons who played a less crucial role may be listed as collaborators. The first author guarantees that all co-authors of the article agree to its publication. The authors are responsible for the content of the article.
Authors of the articles are responsible for the correctness and accuracy of the data published in the article. The data, statements, ideas and findings summarized by the author from other sources must be appropriately stated or cited. When publishing other people’s graphic material, the author must obtain the consent of the copyright holder.
Deliberately making false statements constitutes a breach of ethical conduct and is unacceptable.

6.1. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Any conflict of interest that could bias the results and findings of the article must be declared by the authors.

6.2. ERRORS IN THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE

In the event that the author discovers an error or irregularity in his/her article, he/she must inform the editor or publisher of the journal and prepare a correction.

7. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF REVIEWERS

Reviewers are unilaterally anonymous, which means that the author does not know the name of the reviewer, while the reviewer knows the name of the author of the article. The review process is the same for scientific and professional articles.
A reviewer who feels that he/she cannot adequately or timely assess the scientific or professional content of the article is required to inform the Editor-in-Chief and withdraw from the review process.
The content of the article received by the selected reviewer for professional evaluation is a confidential document for which the reviewer must ensure secrecy.
The peer review must be objective and substantiated. When reviewing, the reviewer fills out a review form.
The reviewer must identify the scientifically or professionally competent work. He/she is required to draw attention to the content that is not properly cited with appropriate references.

7.1. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

In the event of a conflict of interest that could affect the objective critical evaluation of the article, the reviewer must inform the editor and withdraw from the review.