Publishing responsibilities of authors
The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. It is a direct reflection of the quality of work of the author and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior.
By signing the Letter of Submission, which includes the Copyright and Warranty Form, the Corresponding Author and all the co-authors jointly and severally warrant and represent the following:
- The submitted article is original.
- The submitted article does not contain any statements or information that is intentionally misleading or inaccurate.
- All Authors have been informed of the full content of the submitted article at, or prior to the time of submission.
- The submitted article has not been previously published. An exception can be made for papers published at a conference by the Authors themselves, whereby a significant modification and extension of the already published work has been conducted thus justifying publication in FUArchCivEng.
- The submitted article is not being considered for publication elsewhere in any form and will not be submitted for such consideration while under review by FUArchCivEng.
- Nothing in the submitted article violates any right of privacy or infringes any intellectual property rights (including without limitation copyright, patent, or trademark) or any other rights of any kind of any person or entity, and does not contain any material or instructions that might cause harm or injury.
- Nothing in the submitted article infringes any duty of confidentiality which the Author(s) may owe to another party or violates any contract, express or implied, that the Author(s) may have entered into.
- Permission has been obtained and included with the submitted article for the right to use and authorize use in print and online formats, or of any format that hereafter may be developed for any portions that are owned or controlled by a third party.
- The authors disclose any conflict of interest they have or they declare no conflict of interest (for more information see the text at the bottom of this page).
Reporting standards
Authors of reports 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 paper. 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.
Review and professional publication articles should also be accurate and objective, and editorial 'opinion' works should be identified as such.
Hazards and human or animal subjects
If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript. If the work involves the use of animal or human subjects, the author should ensure that the manuscript contains a statement that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institutional committee(s) has approved them. Authors should include a statement in the manuscript that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human subjects. The privacy rights of human subjects must always be observed.
Use of patient images or case details
Studies on patients or volunteers require ethics committee approval and informed consent, which should be documented in the paper.
Appropriate consents, permissions and releases must be obtained where an author wishes to include case details or other personal information or images of patients and any other individuals in Facta Universitatis, Series: Architecture and Civil Engineeing publication. Written consents must be retained by the author and copies of the consents or evidence that such consents have been obtained must be provided to Facta Universitatis, Series: Architecture and Civil Engineeing on request.
Particular care should be taken with obtaining consent where children are concerned (in particular where a child has special needs or learning disabilities), where an individual's head or face appears, or where reference is made to an individual's name or other personal details.
Failure to meet any of the above-mentioned standards and requirements will lead to rejection of the submitted manuscript or retraction of the already published article.
Conflict of interest
All manuscripts submitted to the journal must be accompanied by a conflict of interest disclosure statement or a declaration by the authors that they do not have any conflicts of interest to declare.
All authors must disclose all their potential conflicts of interest to the editors of the journal already at the time of submission. These include all financial and non-financial interests and relationships (e.g. full-time or part-time employment, negotiations regarding future employment, grants or research funding, consultancies, travel grants, speaking or writing fees, honoraria, paid expert testimony, strong views relevant to the topic, etc.), direct employment with a private sector entity (whether full or part-time), and service on private sector and non-profit Boards and advisory panels, whether paid or unpaid. Authors should also disclose any conflict of interest that may have influenced either the conduct or the presentation of the research, such as academic interests and rivalries, and similar.
A submission must be accompanied by a Letter of Submission, in which the authors, besides the Copyright Form, must include a draft statement that discloses all relevant conflicts of interest and affiliations, or a declaration that they do not have any conflicts of interest to report.
The invited reviewers and handling editors are also obliged to report any conflict of (financial or non-financial) interest to the Editorial Board, which will then suitably act to avoid the reported conflict of interest. A paper submitted by an editor will be handled by one of the other editors who does not have a conflict with the review and who is not at the same institution as the submitting editor. The handling editor and reviewers will not be from the same institution as any of the authors of the submitted paper, or have any kind of relationship to the authors.