Academic Integrity Policy

The Editorial Board of the Bulletin of the Lviv State University of Life Safety considers only original manuscripts that have not been previously published and are not under consideration by other journals.

1. Similarity screening

All submissions are screened using StrikePlagiarism.com and in accordance with the internal university document «Code of Academic Integrity and Corporate Culture of the Lviv State University of Life Safety» and «Policy on Academic Integrity and Ethics of Academic Relations at Lviv State University of Life Safety». Breaches of academic integrity in scholarly publishing are considered serious and contradict the principles outlined in the Publication Ethics section.

The Editorial Board reviews each case and reserves the right to reject a manuscript from further consideration.

2. Interpreting similarity results (thresholds)

Manuscripts are evaluated taking into account the indicative level of text similarity according to the StrikePlagiarism  report:

  • up to 10% — generally an acceptable similarity level (minor matches);

  • 10%–30% — acceptable provided citations and references are properly formatted;

  • 30%–40% — may be considered after revision by the author(s) and removal of improper borrowings/matches;

  • above 40% — generally not considered due to a substantial amount of borrowings/matches.

Note: The StrikePlagiarism report is a preliminary screening tool. The Editorial Board considers the nature of matches (proper quotations, reference list, standard phrases, legal/normative references, etc.) and does not make decisions solely based on a percentage score.

3. Self-plagiarism, duplicate submission, and redundant publication

Authors must submit only original work that is not published elsewhere and is not simultaneously submitted to other journals. Self-plagiarism, redundant publication, or reproduction of substantial parts of the authors’ previous work without proper citation and explanation is considered a breach of academic integrity.

If a manuscript has a prior version (e.g., conference proceedings/abstracts or a preprint), authors must disclose this at submission and provide a link or identification details.

4. Citation manipulation

The journal does not support practices aimed at artificially increasing citations (e.g., adding irrelevant references to inflate an author’s or a journal’s metrics). If such practices are identified, the journal may require the reference list to be corrected or may reject the manuscript from further consideration.

5. Data fabrication and falsification

Fabrication, falsification, or distortion of data (including manipulation of images, tables, or figures) is unacceptable. If such concerns arise, the Editorial Board conducts an assessment and may reject the manuscript from further consideration.

6. Handling suspected misconduct

In cases of suspected misconduct, the Editorial Board conducts an assessment in line with Committee on Publication Ethics guidance. Authors are given an opportunity to respond and provide supporting documentation. Where appropriate, the journal may contact the authors’ institution or other competent bodies.

If misconduct or a major error is confirmed after publication, the journal follows the procedures described in the “Post-publication Corrections and Retractions Policy”.

For academic integrity enquiries, contact: [email protected]

7. Editorial actions and possible consequences

Depending on the nature and confirmation of the issue, the journal may:

  • reject the manuscript from further consideration;

  • request revisions (e.g., to ensure correct citations and references);

  • initiate additional peer review;

  • notify the authors’ institution where appropriate;

  • apply post-publication actions (corrections, expression of concern, retraction) in accordance with the relevant policy.

8. Related policies

Publication ethics principles are described in the “Publication Ethics” page. Post-publication actions (corrections, expression of concern, retraction) are governed by the “Post-publication Corrections and Retractions Policy”.