Publication Ethics

Ex Novo Journal of Archaeology

Ex Novo Journal of Archaeology is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity. In line with guidelines followed by leading archaeology journals, we expect all participants in the editorial process—authors, editors, and reviewers—to comply with these principles.

 

General Principles & Scope

  • We adopt the core principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as the foundation of our practices.
  • The journal expects that submitted manuscripts will not be under consideration or accepted in another journal or venue at the same time, unless prior permission is obtained and clearly disclosed.
  • However, the deposition of a preprint in an institutional repository or recognized preprint server is permitted, provided it is clearly disclosed and does not conflict with copyright or publisher policy.
  • Authors should follow high standards of honesty, transparency, and responsible conduct of research (e.g. accurate reporting, acknowledgment of uncertainties, disclosure of limitations).

 

Duties of Editors

  • Fair and impartial editorial review: Manuscripts will be handled fairly, on their intellectual merit, regardless of the authors’ nationality, institutional affiliation, race, gender, or political viewpoints
  • Conflict of interest & disclosure: Editors must recuse themselves from decisions in which they have a competing interest (financial, institutional, personal), and so should associate editors or other editorial staff.
  • Confidentiality: Editors must treat submitted manuscripts and reviews as confidential documents and must not share them beyond the review process.
  • Due diligence in misconduct investigations: If concerns of plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation, or other unethical practices arise, editors may request original data, consult external reviewers or ethics bodies, and cooperate with institutions or funders as needed
  • Corrections, retractions, expressions of concern: The journal will issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern according to the severity of issues and following COPE retraction guidelines.

 

Duties of Reviewers

  • Timeliness and professionalism: Reviewers should complete evaluations promptly and adhere to professional standards of conduct.
  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must not share manuscripts or use their content for personal advantage, and must treat them as privileged communications.
  • Impartiality & objectivity: Reviews should be constructive, well-argued, and focused on the scientific and methodological quality of the work (not personal criticism).
  • Disclosure of conflicts of interest: If a reviewer identifies a conflict (e.g. difficult professional relationship, competition, close collaboration), they should decline or recuse themselves.
  • Identification of prior work & ethics issues: Reviewers should point out relevant literature the authors may have missed, and flag possible ethical concerns (e.g. plagiarism, redundant publication, questionable data) to the editor.

 

Duties of Authors

  • Originality & plagiarism: Submitted work must be original. All sources (text, data, figures) must be properly cited. Self-plagiarism (text recycling) should be minimized and clearly disclosed.
  • Single submission / redundant publication: Authors must not submit the same work (or substantial overlapping parts) to more than one journal unless explicitly disclosed and approved.
  • Accurate reporting & integrity: Authors must honestly present data, analyses, and interpretations. Fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data (including imagery) is unacceptable.
  • Authorship & contributorship: All listed authors should have made a significant intellectual contribution (e.g. conceptualization, design, execution, interpretation). Others who contributed in lesser capacity may be acknowledged. All authors must approve the final version and agree to its submission.
  • Acknowledgment of sources: Proper and full attribution must be given for prior work, unpublished data, and contributions by others.
  • Disclosure of financial or other conflicts of interest: Authors should declare any funding, institutional, or personal interests that could influence the research or its interpretation
  • Ethical compliance in archaeological practice: Authors must comply with national and international ethical/heritage laws, permits, and standards governing archaeological excavation, survey, collections, and cultural heritage. The submission should include statements of relevant permits, institutional approvals, and adherence to ethical guidelines in archaeology
  • Correction of errors: If significant errors or omissions are discovered after publication, authors must promptly notify the editor, and cooperate in issuing corrections or retracting the article.

 

Duties of the Publisher

The publisher and editorial board of Ex Novo ensure that good practice is maintained throughout the publication process. The journal is committed to:

  • Preserving academic integrity.
  • Safeguarding intellectual property rights.
  • Ensuring that corrections, clarifications, or retractions are issued when needed.