Focus and Scope

The profile of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation covers scientific publications in the area of social sciences and other disciplines addressing the issues of alternative dispute resolution. The Editorial Board admits for publication original papers representing high cognitive value for science and practice and which can be of interest not only to the Polish but above all to the international academic community.

The purpose of the journal is to disseminate research results in open access at national and international levels, taking into account the importance of the impact of social sciences on the socio-economic environment.

Section Policies

Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

§ 1

1. The review helps the editor in making editorial decisions and may also help the author improve the text through communication between the Editorial Board and the author.
2. The Editorial Board sends the following texts for review: scientific articles, commentaries on judicial decisions (glosses), reviews (review articles), and reports from scientific conferences.
3. Before sending for review, all texts submitted for publication are verified using anti-plagiarism software, the report from the verification being made available to reviewers by the Editorial Board, without revealing the identity of the Author.

§ 2

To assess each publication, at least two independent reviewers shall be appointed from outside the scientific unit affiliated by the author and from outside the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Maria Skłodowska University in Lublin

§ 3

The author and reviewers shall not know the identities of one another (double-blind review process).

§ 4

The reviewers are appointed by the Editor-in-Chief in cooperation with the Managing Editor or head of editorial committee in consultation with Editorial Board members. As necessary, he shall consult competent members of the Academic Advisory Board.

§ 5

1. The reviewer, upon accepting the request for reviewing a manuscript submitted to ADR. Arbitration and Mediation, shall make a declaration that there is no conflict of interest.
2. A conflict of interest shall be deemed to be the relationship arising from a competitive activity, cooperation or other personal, financial or professional relationships of the reviewer with any of the authors or institutions related to the manuscript submitted.

§ 6

1. The review shall be made in writing and shall be concluded with a proposal to either publish the text or reject it.
2. The reviewer shall prepare the review in electronic form on his individual account on the www.adraim.... website, and shall publish it in the journal's system. The journal's system does not allow the identification of both the author of the manuscript and the reviewer.
3. Within the journal's system, the reviewer is given individual access to the author's text file and the report on the verification of the submitted manuscript with anti-plagiarism software. The file with the author's text and anti-plagiarism software report provided to the reviewer does not allow identification of the author.
4. The reviewer may choose the following recommendations about the manuscript being reviewed: the manuscript may be published as submitted; the manuscript may be published provided that indicated changes are made; the manuscript is not suitable for publication.
5. In situations of controversy or in the event of inconsistent reviews, the admission to publication shall be decided by an editorial board, which may appoint an additional reviewer or reviewers.
6. Only manuscripts which have got two positive reviews shall be allowed for publication.

§ 7

1. Once the review is received, their content shall be communicated to the author without disclosing the identity of the reviewers.
2. The author of the text is obliged to respond substantively to all comments and conclusions posted in the review.
3. In the case of conditional reviews, the editorial board may allow the manuscript for publication provided that the author modifies the text as indicated by the reviewer and confirms this fact in the relevant statement, which should be submitted to the editor.

§ 8

1. The names of reviewers of individual articles shall not be disclosed.
2. The journal shall publish once a year a list of all cooperating reviewers.

Publication Frequency

ADR. Arbitration and Mediation is published twice a year:

No 1 - scheduled date of issue: before the end of June

No 2 - scheduled date of issue: before the end of December

The Editorial Board may decide to release an additional special issue beyond the publishing schedule or a thematic issue as part of the regular publishing schedule.

Open Access Policy

ADR. Arbitration and Mediation is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI (Budapest Open Access Initiative) definition of open access. The articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

§1

1. The rules of publication ethics applicable in ADR. Arbitration and Mediation are in line with the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
2. The editorial board of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation has implemented the guidelines of The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) contained specifically in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and in the Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
3. The editorial board of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation cooperates both with authors and peer reviewers towards promoting, developing knowledge and raising the awareness of the publication ethics rules defined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
4. All manuscripts submitted for publication in ADR. Arbitration and Mediation are subject to verification in terms of their compliance with the rules of publication ethics.
5. The editorial board of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation recommends that authors and peer reviewers read not only the ethical rules presented below but also the materials posted on the website of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org).

§ 2

1. All parties involved in the publishing process (the author, editors, peer reviewers and the publisher) are committed to adhering to the ethical rules at each stage of the publishing process in ADR. Arbitration and Mediation.
2. The assessment of the text shall not be affected by: the nationality, ethnic origin, race, gender, sexual orientation or religious and political beliefs of the authors.

EDITOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Ethical rules compliance supervision

§ 3

The editorial board of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation exercises supervision over the compliance with ethical rules related to publishing scientific texts in the journal and counteracts practices that are inconsistent with the ethical standards adopted.

Accountability

§ 4

1. The Editorial Board of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation is responsible for deciding which articles, commentaries on judicial decisions (glosses), reviews and reports from scientific conferences submitted to the journal should be published and is accountable for everything published in the journal.
2. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers when making publication decisions.
3. The editor may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding issues such as libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism.
4. The editor should maintain the integrity of the academic record, preclude business needs from compromising intellectual and ethical standards, and always be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies when needed.

Decisions regarding publications

§ 5

1. A decision on whether to publish or not to publish a submitted manuscript shall be made by the editorial board of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation.
2. When making the decision, the editorial board takes into account both the content of peer reviews along with peer reviewers' recommendations and the significance, originality and transparency of the manuscript and conformity with the profile of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation.

Anti-plagiarism system

§ 6

1. To prevent plagiarism or redundant, multiple (duplicate) publication, ADR. Arbitration and Mediation uses the plagiarism checker software iThenticate - Crossref Similarity Check (https://www.ithenticate.com).
2. Prior to sending the manuscript to peer reviewers, the editorial board of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation checks all the texts submitted for publication using the iThenticate plagiarism checker.
3. The definition of plagiarism and redundant, multiple (duplicate) publication adopted by the editorial board of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation has been determined herein in the section: AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES / Originality and Plagiarism / Redundant, multiple (duplicate), or concurrent publication (§ 23-24).
4. In case of suspected plagiarism or a suspected redundant, multiple (duplicate) publication, the editorial board shall initiate a relevant procedure as described in detail at the ADR. Arbitration and Mediation website under the tab Standards of proceeding in the event of suspected infringement of ethical rules, which is based on the guidelines presented in the form of  flowcharts by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts).

Peer review

§ 7

1. The editor shall ensure that the peer review process is fair, unbiased, and timely.
2. Research articles must typically be reviewed by at least two external and independent reviewers, and where necessary the editor should seek additional opinions.
3. The editor shall select reviewers who have suitable expertise in the relevant field and shall follow best practice in avoiding the selection of fraudulent peer reviewers. The editor shall review all disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and suggestions for self-citation made by reviewers in order to determine whether there is any potential for bias.

Fairness

§8

1. The editor should evaluate manuscripts for intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the author(s).
2. The editor will not disclose any information about a manuscript under consideration to anyone other than the author(s), reviewers and potential reviewers, and in some instances the editorial board members, as appropriate.

Confidentiality

§ 9

The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

§ 10

1. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author.
2. The editor is committed to ensuring that advertising, reprint or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions.
3. The editor should seek to ensure a fair and appropriate peer review process. Editors should recuse themselves (i.e. should ask a co-editor, associate editor or other member of the editorial board instead to review and consider) from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or (possibly) institutions connected to the papers. Editors should require all contributors to disclose relevant competing interests and publish corrections if competing interests are revealed after publication. If needed, other appropriate action should be taken, such as the publication of a retraction or expression of concern.

Involvement and cooperation in investigations

§ 11

1. Editors should guard the integrity of the published record by issuing corrections and retractions when needed and pursuing suspected or alleged research and publication misconduct.
2. When ethical complaints have been filed concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper, the editor should take reasonably responsive measures and initiate the procedure described at the website of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation under the tab Standards of proceeding in the event of suspected infringement of ethical rules. If there a conflict of interests within the editorial board, the ethical complaint should be filed with the Publisher (wydawnictwo@umcs.eu).
3. The editor will be guided by COPE’s Guidelines for Retracting Articles (https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines) when considering retracting, issuing expressions of concern about, and issuing corrections pertaining to articles that have been published in ADR. Arbitration and Mediation.
4. Editors should pursue reviewer and editorial misconduct.

Journal metrics

§ 12

The editor must not attempt to influence the journal’s ranking by artificially increasing any journal metric. In particular, the editor shall not require that references to that (or any other) journal’s articles be included except for genuine scholarly reasons and authors should not be required to include references to the editor’s own articles or products and services in which the editor has an interest.

Complaints and appeals

§ 13

1. A complaint against ADR. Arbitration and Mediation may concern the activity of the journal itself, members of the editorial board, members of staff of the journal or the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University Publishing House (MCSU Publishing House – Wydawnictwo UMCS).
2. The complaint may specifically address negligence or undue performance of tasks, as well as infringement of appellant's interests by ADR. Arbitration and Mediation.
3. A complaint against the journal, Editorial Board members or employees of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation shall be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief or the Managing Editor.
4. A complaint against the Editor-in-Chief or Managing Editor must be submitted to the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University Publishing House (wydawnictwo@umcs.eu).
5. A complaint against the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University Publishing House must be submitted to the Rector of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (rektor@umcs.pl).
6. The competent supervisory body shall notify the person/entity whose activity is covered by the complaint of the content of the complaint and shall obligate the person/entity to respond to the allegations.
7. The entity competent for settling the complaint should settle the complaint not later than within a month from its submission, notifying the appellant of the manner of its settlement.

REVIEWER RESPONSIBILITIES

§ 14

When preparing a review in an electronic form on his/her individual account at the webpage of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation, the reviewer receives, apart from reviewer guidelines, also full information on the ethical rules applicable to the reviewing process.

Contribution to editorial decisions

§ 15

Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and, through the editorial communication with the author, may also assist the author in improving the manuscript.

Promptness

§ 16

Any invited referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its timely review will be impossible should immediately notify the editor so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.

Confidentiality

§ 17

Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except if authorized by the editor.

Standards of objectivity

§ 18

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable. Referees should express their views clearly with appropriate supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of sources

§ 19

1. Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation.
2. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published data of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and conflict of interest

§ 20

1. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
2. Reviewers should not consider evaluating manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the submission.
3. Where there is a suspicion of an undisclosed conflict of interest, the Editorial Board shall initiate the approproate procedure based on guidelines developed in the form of flowcharts by the Committee  on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts).

AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES 

Reporting standards

§ 21

Authors reporting results of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the manuscript. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention

§ 22

1. Authors may be asked to provide the research data supporting their paper for editorial review and/or to comply with the open data requirements of the journal. 
2. Authors should be prepared to provide public access to such data, if practicable, and should be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable number of years after publication.

Originality and Plagiarism

§ 23

1. The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.
2. The editors of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation consider plagiarism to be as either the acquisition of someone else's work in whole or in large part in its unchanged form or with minor modifications (explicit plagiarism), or the presentation of someone else's work in a modified form, while retaining the creative and individual characteristics given to it by the actual author (hidden plagiarism).

Redundant, multiple (duplicate), or concurrent publication

§ 24

1. An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Parallel submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
2. The editors of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation consider a redundant, multiple (duplicate) publication to be understood as a manuscript in which the author reproduces his/her own previously published papers in the form of a literal or partial repetition of his/her own publications or the submission of a text published in another language.

Acknowledgement of sources

§ 25

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should also cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Authorship of a manuscript

§ 26

1. Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study.
2. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.
3. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors (according to the above definition) and no inappropriate co-authors are included in the author list of the manuscript and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.
4. To prevent cases of 'ghostwriting' and 'guest (gift) authorship', when submitting a manuscript for publication in ADR. Arbitration and Mediation, a scan of the declaration on the percentage contribution to the publication  signed by all co-authors must be attached as an additional file.
5. In the event of suspected occurrence of 'ghostwriting' or 'guest (gift) authorship', the editorial board shall initiate the relevant procedure described in detail on the website of Studia Iuridica Lublinensia under the tab Standards of proceeding in the event of suspected infringement of ethical rules, which is based on the guidelines presented in the form of flowcharts by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts).
6. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be named in an Acknowledgement section.
7. Authors take collective responsibility for the work. Each individual author is accountable for ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

§ 27

1. All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or their interpretation in the manuscript.
2. The authors should inform the editorial board of ADR. Arbitration and Mediation about the sources of funding for the publication, contribution of scientific research institutions, associations or other entities ('financial disclosure').

Fundamental errors in published works

§ 28

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal’s editor or publisher and cooperate with them to either retract the paper or to publish an appropriate erratum.

PUBLISHER’S CONFIRMATION

§ 29

In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication or plagiarism the publisher, in close collaboration with the editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and to amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum or, in the most severe cases, the complete retraction of the affected work.

§ 30

The Maria Curie-Skłodowska University Publishing House applies the rules of publication ethics according to the guidelines of  the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and supports ADR. Arbitration and Mediation in this matter, in particular by consultancy and professional legal assistance, provision of access to the plagiarism checker software iThenticate-Crossref Similarity Check (https://www.ithenticate.com), access to and technical assistance for Open Journal Systems (OJS), which should allow the editorial board to manage the publishing process in accordance with the highest quality and ethical standards.