General provisions
Binding force of the Rules
The following Rules for Publishing and Publication Ethics (the Rules) of "Az-buki" National Publishing House for Education and Science (the Publisher) regulate the relationship between Author and Publisher related to publishing original manuscripts in "Az-buki" National Publishing House’s journals, including concession of the rights to use original content. The Rules are binding for the Authors, Reviewers, Editors, and the Publisher.
Each of the journals, published by "Az-buki" National Publishing House (the Journals) provides additional conditions that complement the Rules, as follows:
· Strategies for Policy in Science and Education
· Bulgarian Language and Literature
· History
· Pedagogy
· Natural Science and Advanced Technology Education
These Rules aim to implement good practices and standards for ethical conduct for all participants in the publishing process. The Rules are to be interpreted in accordance with Bulgarian law and the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Access and licensing of the Journals
"Az-buki" National Publishing House’s journals are published with completely open access. They provide immediate open access to their contents in order to accelerate the unimpeded distribution of scientific knowledge.
Publishing in the journal is free both for the authors and for their scientific or scholarly organisations.
From 2026 onward, all the Journals are published with open Creative Commons license Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0.)
The author may freely share their manuscript in the version it was originally submitted for consideration to the Journal (a preprint). Should the text be accepted, after publication the Author should add to the shared manuscript the name, volume and issue of the Journal where it is published.
In the case that an Author of a publication in one of the Journals, published in 2025 or earlier, would like for the access to that particular text to be restricted, they should inform the Publisher and/or the Editor of that particular Journal.
Editorial processing of submitted materials
All materials, submitted for publication, are subject to a strict review process by at least two anonymous and independent reviewers, who are experts in the scientific field of the manuscript in question. If the two Reviewers’ opinions differ, a Super-Reviewer is assigned, whose evaluation is accepted as final. The decision for publication is based on the value and significance of the manuscript, on the comments and recommendations of the Reviewers and on adherence to the requirements and guidelines of the Journal in question. Every article, accepted for publication, is edited for grammar.
During the initial evaluation the Editors-in-Chief or the Scientific Editors examine the manuscript for adherence to the guidelines and scope of the Journal. At this point they may reject the manuscript without sending it for an expert review, provided they list the reasons for doing so. The most common ones are not adhering to the scope or policies of the Journal and/or low scientific or linguistic quality. In such cases the Authors are encouraged to significantly improve their manuscript and to resend it for review.
Should the manuscript be a good fit for the Journal, but requires corrections in a technical or linguistic aspect, it will be returned to the Authors for improvement.
Digital archiving and preservation
The Publishing House follows a general policy for digital archiving and preservation, which includes actions related to the inclusion of published materials into digital repositories and libraries.
All issues of the Journals are deposited in the “Sts. Cyrill and Methodius” National Library.
All issues of the Journals are deposited in and accessible through the Central and Eastern European Online Library (CEEOL).
Guidelines for the Authors
Authorship and originality
The Аuthor guarantees that they have written and submitted a wholly original work. Publications are subject to an automated plagiarism check.
Only persons with significant contributions to the conception and execution of the scientific research or who participated in the creation of the final version of the text and its submission for publication may be included as Аuthors.
Any change to the list of Аuthors must be approved by all Аuthors, including the ones removed from it.
Multiple, repeated or simultaneous publication
The manuscripts submitted for publication in the Journal must be original research, which has not been published before or submitted for publication elsewhere. Submitting the same manuscript to two or more publications simultaneously is impermissible.
Presenting the research
Authors must present accurate information about their work and its results, as well as objective reasoning for their significance. The manuscript should contain sufficient details and references so as to accommodate reproduction of the methodology and results.
Sources and citation
The Authors guarantee that they have written and submitted a wholly original manuscript and that they have diligently recounted all sources used in the research, as well as publications by other Authors which had significant influence on their work and research.
Referencing the sources is done in accordance with the Journals’ guidelines, listed below:
· Strategies for Policy in Science and Education
· Bulgarian Language and Literature
· History
· Pedagogy
· Natural Science and Advanced Technology Education
Usage of others’ work or parts thereof without precise and accurate citation is impermissible.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools do not meet the criteria for authorship and therefore may not be included as Authors, or cited as such.
Unconscientious and dishonest citation practices, such as conjunctive, cluster or forced citation, are prohibited. Materials, for which it is ascertained that the Authors have included references solely to enhance the number of citations of a particular original publication or of articles in a particular Journal, shall not be accepted. Self-citation in any manuscript must not exceed 20% of all cited sources. Should the percentage of self-citation be higher, the Editors may request written justification from the Authors.
Access to scientific and research data
Along with the manuscript, Authors may be asked to grant the Editors access to the primary data from their research. They must be prepared to make these data publicly accessible.
Authors are to guarantee access to these data for other scientists and researchers post-publication of the manuscript, on the condition of compliance with the rules of copyright and ownership of the primary information.
Regardless of the above-mentioned, the Publisher supports maximal transparency of scientific results and encourages the publication and sharing of scientific and research data with open access and according to the FAIR Data principles in compliance with open license conditions. The data may be published in various ways, depending on the policies and specific technical means of the particular Journal, for example through preservation in a data repository linked to the article (including institutional repositories, the Bulgarian Portal for Open Science, as well as the Bulgarian Portal for Open Data), or as data file additions to the published article itself. It is advised that the data be published under the same license as the main article, i.e. the Creative Commons license Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0.)
Usage of artificial intelligence
Authors may use tools with generative artificial intelligence to better the language, grammar and style of the text; regardless, they bear full responsibility for maintaining the truthfulness and originality of any contents presented in their manuscripts.
Using tools with generative artificial intelligence in order to fabricate research data, sources, analyses, or to generate parts of the manuscript is impermissible. In case the use of artificial intelligence tools is a part of the research itself, that should be described in a sufficiently detailed manner in the “Materials and Methods” part of the manuscript (or in an appropriate alternative section thereof).
Using tools with generative artificial intelligence to generate or modify figures and images is prohibited (unless it is to technically improve the quality). This is permitted solely in case it is a part of the research’s design, in which case it should be explicitly stated; reproducibility should also be guaranteed.
Each and every use of a tool with artificial intelligence should be explicitly stated by the Authors in an Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Statement within the text of the manuscript. All necessary inclusions in the AID Statement (e.g. name of the tool, purpose and degree of use, etc.) are listed within the policies of the particular Journal.
Copyright waiver
The Author waives to the Publisher the rights for the use of the materials submitted for publication (articles, images, graphs, databases) in full, for an unlimited period of time and on unlimited territory.
All published materials are made public, with open access and on the conditions of the Creative Commons license Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0). This means is that reuse is permitted, provided the Author is appropriately credited and all changes are denoted properly.
The Publisher informs the Authors that the CC-BY 4.0. license is, by its nature, an open-source license which meets various financing organisations’ requirements for publishing the results of scientific research on the condition of open access and free reuse. The license does not permit later retraction and termination.
The use of third-party images and other materials within the materials submitted is permissible solely with the agreement of the original Author (including in cases when those images were published under an appropriate standard license, compatible with CC-BY 4.0.) and provided the source is referenced correctly. In case the submitted materials include items created by third parties, the Author declares and guarantees that they have permission from the creators to use those items under the terms of the Rules described here. Should the Publisher use the submitted materials, the Author is wholly responsible for possible violations of copyright and similar rights by those third parties.
Conflict of interest and financial support transparency
The authors must declare all possible professional, financial or personal interests by other parties, or other conflicts of interest which may be interpreted as influencing the results or their interpretation in the manuscript. The declaration of possible conflict of interest is a mandatory step in the process of submitting a manuscript. Materials with undeclared conflict of interests, which is uncovered at a later stage, may be rejected.
The sources of funding that aided the creation of the text, if there are any, must be declared openly. It is recommended that other types of aid, e.g. access to infrastructure, etc., be clearly stated in the manuscript, usually within the Acknowledgements section.
Assistance during the review process
The Publisher utilizes the process of double-blind peer review, which means that the names of both the Reviewer and the Author are concealed throughout the entire review process. With respect to this, the Authors must guarantee that their manuscripts are prepared in such a manner so as not to damage their anonymity.
The Authors are obligated to promptly answer the Editors’ questions related to the primary data for their research, clarifications on the manuscript’s text, or issues regarding copyright.
Authors must respond to the Reviewers’ comments promptly; additionally, within 14 days of receiving the review, they must make the necessary corrections, complying with the notes given, and resubmit the manuscript, or otherwise provide a motivated written account as to why those notes were not taken into consideration.
Authors are informed whether their manuscript has been accepted for publication or rejected as soon as the review process is over.
Publishing errors and corrections
Should the Authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their own text, it is their obligation to immediately inform the Editors or the Publisher and to cooperate in correcting or possibly retracting the article.
Should a third party report that the published text contains a significant error or inaccuracy, the Authors are obligated to immediately correct or withdraw the manuscript, or, alternatively, to provide the Editors with proof that the text in its current version is correct.
Guidelines for the Reviewers
All of the Publisher’s journals utilize the process of double-blind peer review, which means that the names of both the Reviewer and the Author are concealed throughout the entire review process.
The Reviewer is not expected to provide comprehensive linguistic editing or grammar corrections of the manuscript; rather, they ought to focus on the text’s relevance, argumentation, significance and originality, as well as on its style in general, which should comply with the good practices for clear and concise academic writing. In case the Reviewer deems that a particular manuscript requires language editing, they must inform both the Authors and the Editors in their report.
By accepting their role, the Reviewer binds themselves to these Rules, including, but not limited to, the obligations regarding privacy, timeliness and declaring any conflict of interest.
Privacy
All manuscripts submitted for consideration are private documents and should be treated as such. Violation of the confidentiality of copyrighted work is not permitted, nor is any other action that may lead to leaking unpublished information or violating intellectual property rights.
The manuscripts or related primary or other data are not to be shown to or discussed with persons not authorized by the Editor-in-Chief. This rule also applies to Reviewers who have declined the invitation to review a manuscript.
Uploading manuscripts or parts thereof, as well as related primary data or other scientific and research data online, to platforms or services intended to process, summarise and analyse content, including tools with general artificial intelligence, constitutes a form of sharing the manuscript and data and is prohibited.
Timeliness
Each invited Reviewer should agree to review a manuscript only in case they are confident that they can complete the review within the suggested or agreed-upon timeframe and must immediately inform the Editors, should they need an extension.
Assistance in the decision for publication
The review aids the Editors in making editorial decisions and can help the Authors improve their manuscripts through communication between the Authors and Editors.
Objectivity
The reviews must be completed in an objective manner and the conclusions must be clearly formulated and supported by compelling evidence, so that the Authors may use them to improve upon their manuscript. Personal critique towards the Authors is impermissible.
Correctness in regard to the sources and ethical violations
The Reviewer must inform the Editors if they discover sources that have been used by the Authors, but have not been referenced or cited, as well as in case of any significant similarities between the manuscript under review and any other text.
The Reviewer must immediately inform the Editors in case they encounter irregularities, if they have concerns about the ethical aspects of the work, if they know of the simultaneous submission of the text in another Journal or published article, or if they suspect misconduct during the research, writing or submission of the manuscript, including the use of content generated with artificial intelligence systems.
Conflict of interest and procedure transparency
Any invited Reviewer, who has a conflict of interest with any of the Authors, firms or institutions connected to the manuscript due to competitive or other relationships, must immediately declare this conflict of interest to the Editors, so as to give them the opportunity to choose another Reviewer.
Unpublished material presented in the submitted manuscript may not be used by the Reviewer to conduct their own research without the express written permission of the Authors. Privileged information or ideas conceived during the review process must remain private and are not to be used by the Reviewers for personal gain.
Guidelines for the Editors
Decisions for publication
The Editors of the Journals accept and evaluate manuscripts based on their scientific merit (originality, clarity, topicality, relevance), regardless of gender, race, ethnic background, political or religious philosophy, social or institutional affiliation.
Prior to forwarding a submitted manuscript for review, the Editors evaluate whether the article fits the profile and thematic scope of the Journal, whether it has been prepared correctly and whether it meets the basic technical requirements. In case these conditions are not met, the manuscript is returned to the Author(s).
The Editors guarantee that all manuscripts submitted for publication are reviewed by at least two Reviewers, who are experts in the respective field.
When working on improving the text or making corrections, the Editors must consider the interests of the Authors and readers.
All decisions for editing or publication of texts are taken by the Journal’s Editorial Board with no outside interference.
Privacy
The Editors and Editorial Board are not to reveal any information concerning a submitted manuscript to anyone except for the people directly involved in the evaluation and publication process – the respective Author, Reviewers, or Publisher.
The Editors and members of the Editorial Board are not to use or provide third parties with access to unpublished information concerning a manuscript without the Authors’ written consent. Any information resulting from processing the manuscript is considered privileged and is not to be used for personal gain.
The Editors may not upload manuscripts or parts thereof, as well as related primary data or other scientific and research data online, to platforms or services intended to process, summarise and analyse content, including tools with general artificial intelligence, as this constitutes a form of sharing the manuscript and data and is prohibited.
Conflict of interest
The Editors declare that they will not participate in the evaluation process for manuscripts that may lead to a conflict of interest – including, but not limited to, on the basis of competitive, collaborative or any other kind of relationship with an Author or an affiliated institution. In such cases the Editor in question is to request that another member of the Editorial Board be responsible for the manuscript.
Publisher policies
Responsibilities of the Publisher
The Publisher has a responsibility to preserve the published information about the scientific research and to ensure access to it – through partnership with organisations and maintaining their own digital archive.
The Publisher commits to guaranteeing the autonomy of Editorial Board decisions, with no interference from advertisers or other business partners.
The Publisher assists communication with other journals and/or publishers, provided this benefits publishing activity.
The Publisher collaborates with other publishing houses and organisations to define standards for publishing ethics.
Privacy statement
The names and email addresses included in the Journals shall be used exclusively for the purposes indicated and shall not be accessible for other uses.
Advertisement policy
The Publisher permits limited, adequate and occasionally targeted advertisement on the final pages of the Journals. The advertisements must be independent from the Editor’s decisions and clearly discernible from the contents.
Editors reserve the right to reject or retract any advertisement that raises suspicion of contradicting the good practices of scientific publishing or its ethical principles.
The Journals are published by Az-buki National Publishing House, which is a secondary distributor with budget appropriations toward the Ministry of Education and Science. The editorial independence is observed strictly, while the strategy and practices of publishing are the sole responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and of the Editorial Board. In this and in every other regard, commercial reasonings are not taken into account.
Procedure for corrections, complaints, objections, detection of violations and retractions
Cases of violating the Rules
In cases of suspected or proven scientific contradiction, fraud, or plagiarism, the Publisher, in close collaboration with the Editors, shall take all necessary measures to resolve the situation. If needed, these may include the immediate publication of a notice, clarification or, in the case of the most serious violations, retraction of the manuscript in question.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism in all its forms is regarded as illegal, unethical and unacceptable behaviour. All manuscripts submitted for publication are checked with the aid of specialized tools (such as StrikePlagiarism) in order to detect similarities between the submitted materials and other publications. The Journals reserve the right to refuse to publish a text, for which the check reveals a degree of similarity higher than 20%.
If plagiarism is discovered during the review process, the manuscript shall be rejected. If plagiarism is discovered post-publication, an investigation shall be conducted and measures shall be taken in compliance with the Publishing House’s policies.
Duplicate publications. Unauthorised use of artificial intelligence
The Publisher monitors that all publications in the Journals be original research, which has not been previously published, has not been submitted to other journals and is not machine-generated.
Cases when the Authors reuse extensive parts of their previous publications without a clear reference to the original source are considered duplicate publications. In the case multiple, repeated or simultaneous publication is detected during the review process, the manuscript shall be rejected. If this is detected after publication, an investigation shall be conducted and measures shall be taken in compliance with the Publishing House’s policies for article retraction.
The same rules are applied in the case of discovering that submitted or already published content is in fact synthetic, i.e. a generative artificial intelligence system has been used for the creation of the text and/or the data.
Materials, for which it is discovered that the Authors have fabricated or falsified the results, including the manipulation of images, shall not be published; if such a case is detected in articles already published, they shall be retracted.
Manipulation of citations
Routine checks are conducted to detect excessive self-citation, to prevent manipulation or purposeful focus on the contents of a particular Journal. The permitted total percentage of self-citation for every of the Publishing House’s Journals must not exceed 15% of all citations in a single volume. All instances of inappropriate self-citation shall be processed in a timely and transparent manner in compliance with the established publication ethics.
Procedure in the case of objections and allegations of possible misconduct
If they believe that the review process has been improperly conducted or if they judge the received review to contain factual mistakes, unjust or inappropriate comments, Authors have the right to submit an objection to the decision for rejection of their article.
In the case of complaints concerning the ethical aspects related to a submitted manuscript or an already published article, the Editor is obligated to take the necessary measures. Those include contacting the article’s Author and thorough examination of the submitted complaint, as well as informing the Publisher of the allegations of possible misconduct, who is to run a detailed investigation of the situation.
In case the complaint is upheld, it is recommended that a notice of corrections, retraction, opinion, objection, etc. be published.
In cases when the allegations concern Authors, the review and publication process for materials submitted by them shall be halted until conclusion of the abovementioned investigation. Should the misconduct be proven as real, the manuscript shall be rejected or retracted.
In case the allegations concern Reviewers or Editors, they shall be replaced in the review process for the duration of the investigation. Editors and Reviewers for whom misconduct is proven shall be terminated from further association with the Journal and their affiliated institution shall be notified.