Editorial Policies

The journals hosted on the rivisteopen.unimc.it platform adhere to an Open Access publishing model, under which content is freely available online without financial restrictions or technical barriers. This choice promotes the widest possible circulation of research results, enhancing scientific impact, transparency, and innovation. The aims are to:

• Make the results of published research available to everyone, at no cost to the reader

• Increase the visibility and impact of publications by enabling the immediate use of their content

• Facilitate compliance with the policies of funding bodies that require dissemination in Open Access (e.g. Horizon Europe)

Operational arrangements

• Articles are available to read and download in digital format immediately after publication and are generally not subject to an embargo period

• Creative Commons licences (CC BY or CC BY-SA, depending on the specific policies of each journal) are adopted to guarantee free reuse, with the requirement that the author and the publisher are correctly acknowledged.

EUM encourages authors to deposit their articles or manuscripts in institutional or disciplinary repositories, promoting the dissemination of research in line with the principles of Open Science.

Types of deposit

Pre-print (version prior to peer review): Authors may deposit the original version of their manuscript, prior to peer review, in personal, institutional, or subject repositories, clearly indicating that it is a pre-print.

Post-print (accepted version, after peer review): In accordance with EUM guidelines and the standards of Open Access publishers, authors may archive the accepted version of the manuscript, without the publisher’s layout. No embargo periods are foreseen.

Version of record (final PDF): Authors are entitled to deposit the final, publisher-formatted version (PDF) of their articles in institutional or disciplinary repositories. Such deposit, in line with editorial policies and with the publishing agreements concluded, requires the inclusion of:

• a complete bibliographic reference (including DOI, journal title, and publication details);

• a link to the article on the journal’s website.

This approach ensures the widest possible dissemination and visibility of research, while at the same time meeting the requirements of transparency and traceability laid down by Open Access policies.

Compliance with Open Access Policies

The policy of rivisteopen.unimc.it is aligned with the Open Access Policy of the University of Macerata and with the obligations laid down in the Grant Agreements of the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme. These commitments include the obligation to make the results of funded research available immediately (or with a minimal embargo period), in line with the principles of Open Science and the proper management of copyright.

• Open Access Policy of the University of Macerata: Participating journals follow the University’s guidance on Open Access publishing, promoting the deposit of articles in institutional repositories, the transparent sharing of research data, and the use of open licences that ensure the widest possible dissemination of content.

• Horizon Europe: In line with the contractual provisions of the European Union’s main research and innovation funding programme, the journals adopt editorial procedures that ensure full compliance with Open Access requirements. This includes the immediate and free publication of contributions, the correct acknowledgement of funders, compliance with provisions on intellectual property, and appropriate traceability through the use of persistent identifiers (DOIs).

The publishing agreement sets out the rights and obligations of authors and publisher, regulating the use and dissemination of the work. The agreement takes into account Open Access policies, the transparency requirements imposed by funders, and the safeguards relating to copyright.

Duration and scope: The agreement specifies the duration of the licence to use the work and the scope of dissemination (digital and/or print).

Grant of non-exclusive licence: The author retains the moral rights in the work and most economic rights, while granting the journal a non-exclusive licence to publish and distribute it.

Permissions: The author warrants that they hold the necessary permissions for the reproduction of copyright-protected content (texts, images, tables) and assumes responsibility for any infringements.

In cases of ethical or legal breaches, the publisher may suspend publication or withdraw from the agreement. Likewise, the author may request the withdrawal of the publication in specific cases provided for by law or by editorial policies.

The journals typically adopt Creative Commons licences (for example, CC BY or CC BY-SA), which allow the sharing and reuse of published contributions, thereby promoting the dissemination of research in an ethical and lawful manner:

• CC BY (Attribution): This licence allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the original work, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the author and the journal.

• CC BY-SA (Attribution – ShareAlike): This licence allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the work, including for commercial purposes, provided that the author is credited and that any derivative works are released under the same licence.

As a rule, the author retains the copyright in the work, while the journal acquires a licence to exploit the work limited to the publication and dissemination of the article.

Authors may reuse the content (texts, data, images) of their articles in other publications, presentations, or books, in accordance with the terms of the licence.

Authors are required to ensure that the images (photographs, illustrations, maps, etc.) used in their contribution fall into one of the following categories:

• Original and owned by the author

• Free from restrictions (e.g. in the public domain or released under an open licence)

• Authorised for use by the rights holder, if protected by copyright.

Request for written permission

If images are not in the public domain or are not released under a free licence, the author must obtain written permission from the rights holder, including permission for reproduction and dissemination in Open Access. The author must attach a copy of the permission to the manuscript so that the Editorial Office can verify its validity; responsibility for any infringements arising from the unauthorised use of images lies with the author, who indemnifies the journal and the publisher against any liability or claim.

Graphs, tables, diagrams, drawings, photographs, etc. may be subject to rights different from those governing the text of the article when they derive from third-party sources:

• Where they are derived from other works, the original source must be cited clearly and in full

• Where they are published under an open licence (e.g. CC BY, CC BY-SA), they may be reused provided that the conditions of attribution and, where applicable, ShareAlike are respected

• Where they are protected by copyright, explicit permission from the rights holder is required to allow reuse in an Open Access context.

Reuse by third parties

Third parties may reuse graphs, tables, and similar material published in EUM journals where the licence allows it, provided that the conditions of attribution and, where applicable, of sharing under the same licence are observed.

The journals comply with the international ethical standards promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). To this end, they adopt procedures to address cases of plagiarism, conflicts of interest, data manipulation, and other forms of research misconduct.

Duties of the parties involved

Authors: Authors must declare the intellectual authorship of the work, cite correctly the sources and contributions of others, avoid plagiarism, and present truthful data. They are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest or funding received.

Reviewers: Reviewers must conduct peer review confidentially and impartially, basing their assessment exclusively on scientific and methodological merit. Any conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the editor.

Editor: The editor is responsible for selecting the articles to be published, on the basis of relevance, originality, scientific rigour, and compliance with the editorial guidelines. The editor undertakes to avoid discrimination based on gender, geographical origin, religious belief, or political orientation.

In cases of suspected ethical breach (e.g. plagiarism, data manipulation, duplicate publication), the journal initiates an internal investigation process, in accordance with COPE procedures, which may result in actions such as the correction of the article or its retraction.

In accordance with generally accepted standards in academic publishing, EUM journals are committed to ensuring that published articles are complete, accurate, and unaltered. This practice safeguards the integrity of scientific publications and helps to strengthen confidence in academic communication.

However, where significant errors or suspected misconduct are identified, EUM will issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, in line with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Where substantial errors are detected that compromise or hinder the correct understanding or assessment of an article, the journal will publish a correction notice associated with the article already published. In this way, the original article remains unchanged but is accompanied by an explicit indication of the error.

To report an error that may require a correction, it is possible to contact the publisher at ceum.riviste@unimc.it, indicating:

• The full bibliographic details of the contribution (title, DOI, journal reference)

• Description of the error

• Text of the proposed correction

• Any supporting files.

In line with the COPE Retraction Guidelines, the publisher may decide to retract an article where:

• There is clear evidence that the research findings are unreliable, due to major errors or to data fabrication/falsification

• The article constitutes plagiarism

• The findings have already been published previously, without appropriate citation of the original source or permission from the publisher (undeclared duplicate publication)

• It contains material or data used without the necessary permission

• There is a copyright infringement or a serious legal issue (e.g. defamation, breach of privacy)

• It reports studies or experiments conducted in an unethical manner

• It has been published following a peer-review process that has been manipulated or compromised

• The author or authors have failed to declare a serious conflict of interest capable of influencing the interpretation of the results.

Retraction notices must contain a link to the retracted article in all online versions and must clearly specify the title and authors. Such notices, explicitly labelled as “retraction”, must be published promptly in order to minimise any harm. They must also be accessible to all readers and must indicate who is retracting the article and the reasons for the retraction, using objective, fact-based language and avoiding value judgements.

To report to EUM an issue relating to the integrity, validity, or reliability of an article, it is possible to contact ceum.riviste@unimc.it, copying in the editorial team of the journal concerned, and indicating:

• The full citation and DOI of the article in question

• Specific details regarding the issues raised.

In this way, EUM and the associated journals work to ensure a transparent publication process, safeguarding the integrity of the scientific record and adherence to the ethical standards shared by the international academic community.

EUM journals are committed to ensuring the preservation of their content in secure, long-term digital archives. Published articles are deposited in the internal repositories of the universities (where available) and made accessible in accordance with Open Access principles.

The rivisteopen.unimc.it platform is in the process of joining third-party archiving services (LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, Portico, PKP PN, etc.) designed to guarantee the robustness and durability of content.

The assignment of a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) to each article ensures a permanent reference, facilitating citation and discoverability.

To support the rapid dissemination of research results, some journals offer an “Online First Manuscript” option. Articles approved following the peer-review process are made available online before the full issue is released. Authors thus see their findings disseminated more quickly, increasing impact and potential citations.

Each “Online First” article is identified by a DOI and may be cited as an online version, ensuring the traceability of its content. When the article subsequently appears in its final form within an issue, editorial changes are minimal. Where necessary, any corrections or updates are clearly signalled, preserving the version history.