Publication Ethics Statement

PUBLICATION ETHICS
Fundamentum: Journal of Legal and Judicial Reform is a peer-reviewed national journal, available in print and online, and published twice a year. This statement describes the ethical behavior of all parties involved in the act of publishing articles in this journal, including authors, editor-in-chief, editorial board, bestarial partners, and Brajamusti Publisher.

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication
Publishing an article in the peer-reviewed Fundamentum: Journal of Legal and Judicial Reform is an important building block in the development of a coherent and respected knowledge network. It is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. Therefore, it is important to agree on expected standards of ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: authors, journal editors, reviewers, publishers, and the public. Fundamentum: Journal of Legal and Judicial Reform as a publisher takes its trusteeship over all stages of publishing seriously and we are aware of our ethical and other responsibilities. We are committed to ensuring that advertising, reprints or other commercial revenues have no impact or influence on editorial decisions.

Issuance Decision
The editor of the Fundamentum: Journal of Legal and Judicial Reform is responsible for deciding which articles to publish. The validity of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers should always underlie such decisions. The editor may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and limited by the legal requirements then in force regarding defamation, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers in making these decisions.

Fair Play
The editors at all times evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality, or political philosophy.

Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff should not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisors, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished material disclosed in the submitted manuscript may not be used in the editor's research without the written consent of the author.

REVIEWER DUTIES

Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review helps editors in making editorial decisions and through editorial communication with authors can also help authors in improving the manuscript.

Timeliness
Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in the manuscript or knows that prompt review is not possible should notify the editor and excuse himself/herself from the review process.

Confidentiality
Any manuscript accepted for review should be treated as a confidential document. Manuscripts should not be shown or discussed with others unless authorized by the editor.

Objectivity Standard
Reviews should be done objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgments to Resource Persons
Reviewers should identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors. Any assertion that an observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers should also inform the editor of any substantial similarities or overlaps between the manuscript under consideration and other published manuscripts of which they are personally aware.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review should be kept confidential and not used for personal gain. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts that have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with authors, companies, or institutions associated with the manuscript.

AUTHOR'S DUTY

Reporting Standard
The author of the original research report must present an accurate account of the work done as well as an objective discussion of its significance. The underlying data must be accurately represented in the paper. The paper should contain sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or deliberately inaccurate statements constitute unethical and unacceptable behavior.

Originality and Plagiarism
Authors should ensure that they have written a wholly original piece of work, and if they use the work and/or words of others, these should be properly cited or quoted. 

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publications
An author should generally not publish a manuscript describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously is unethical and unacceptable publishing behavior.

Acknowledgments to Resource Persons
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others should always be given. Authors should cite publications that were influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Paper Authorship
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, conduct or interpretation of the reported research. All persons who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. If others participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included in the manuscript and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and approved its submission for publication.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to affect the outcome or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for this project must be disclosed.

Fundamental Errors in Published Work
When an author discovers significant errors or inaccuracies in his or her published work, the author is required to notify the journal editor or publisher immediately and work with the editor to withdraw or correct the manuscript.