Journal Regulations
Academicus International Scientific Journal (Academicus ISJ) is an independent, peer-reviewed scholarly journal founded in 2010 by Professor Arta Musaraj. Published in English twice a year, in January and July, the journal is dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of scientific knowledge.
Academicus ISJ focuses on the social sciences and humanities, particularly sociology, political science, economics, law, communication, education and philosophy. It welcomes interdisciplinary research that meets its scholarly, editorial, and ethical standards.
The journal encourages research that contributes to the understanding of social, economic, political, legal, and cultural developments, from the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean to Central and Eastern Europe and the wider international community.
Academicus ISJ follows a Diamond Open Access model: readers can access published research without charge, and authors are not charged submission or publication fees. The journal is guided by academic integrity, editorial independence, equal opportunities in scholarly publishing, and the belief that scientific merit—not financial means—should determine the opportunity to publish.
1. Journal specification
1.1. Academicus ISJ is an independent, non-profit scholarly journal published twice a year, in January and July. It publishes original research and scholarly contributions in the social sciences and humanities, including interdisciplinary work within its scope.
1.2. The journal aims to advance scientific knowledge, encourage international academic dialogue, and disseminate research relevant to regional and international scholarly communities.
1.3. The journal's editorial principles are originality, scholarly rigour, relevance, transparency, research integrity, and responsible publication practices.
1.4. Academicus ISJ welcomes submissions from researchers working in different countries, institutions, and disciplinary traditions. All manuscripts must meet the journal's academic, editorial, and ethical requirements.
1.5. The journal is managed by an international Editorial Board. The Editor-in-Chief oversees the journal's editorial direction and works with the Editorial Secretariat to coordinate submissions, peer review, editorial decisions, and publication.
1.6. The journal seeks to increase the visibility and discoverability of published research through appropriate scholarly platforms, bibliographic services, metadata practices, and digital preservation arrangements. Specific indexing, registration, and preservation information is provided in the relevant journal information sections.
2. Open access and article processing charges (APC) policy
2.1. Academicus ISJ operates under a Diamond Open Access model. Readers may access published articles online without subscription or access fees.
2.2. Authors are not charged submission fees, peer-review fees, article processing charges (APCs), online publication fees, or mandatory or voluntary contributions for publication.
2.3. The assignment of a DOI and the journal's standard procedures for online publication are provided to authors without publication charges.
2.4. Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, originality, relevance, methodological quality, and compliance with the journal's editorial and ethical standards. Financial considerations do not determine acceptance or rejection.
2.5. Academicus ISJ is sustained by the commitment and work of its academic and editorial community. Its publishing model is intended to reduce financial barriers to participation in scholarly communication.
2.6. Any print or electronic editions offered for sale are distinct from charges for publishing an article. No author is required to purchase copies or pay for publication.
3. Authors and submission requirements
3.1. Authors are responsible for preparing and submitting their manuscripts and for ensuring the accuracy, originality, scholarly quality, and ethical integrity of their work.
3.2. All listed authors must have made a genuine scholarly contribution, approved the submitted version, and accepted responsibility for the content. The corresponding author is responsible for confirming the agreement of all co-authors.
3.3. Manuscripts must be original and must not be under consideration by another journal. Prior dissemination, including preprints, working papers, conference papers, or repository deposits, must be disclosed to the Editorial Secretariat so that the journal can determine whether the submission is eligible under its publication policy.
3.4. Authors must acknowledge all sources, data, ideas, quotations, and contributions used in their work. Any third-party material must be appropriately credited, and any necessary permissions must be obtained.
3.5. Authors must disclose relevant funding, sponsorship, and actual or potential conflicts of interest. If no relevant funding or conflict exists, this must be stated explicitly.
3.6. Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's designated submission procedure (Author Submission). If the submission system cannot be used, authors may contact the Editorial Secretariat at info@academicus.edu.al for instructions.
3.7. Receipt of a manuscript does not imply acceptance. Submissions are checked for relevance, completeness, originality, ethical compliance, and suitability for peer review before proceeding to the next stage.
3.8. Authors may be asked to revise their manuscripts in response to editorial or reviewer comments. Revised manuscripts must be returned within the deadline communicated by the Editorial Secretariat.
3.9. Authors may withdraw a manuscript before publication by submitting a written request to the Editorial Secretariat. Withdrawal does not remove the obligation to address any legitimate concerns regarding research integrity that have arisen during the editorial process.
3.10. The journal may reject manuscripts that fall outside its scope, do not meet the required standards, contain unresolved ethical concerns, or fail to comply with its submission requirements.
4. Reviewers
4.1. The journal maintains a pool of at least five reviewers for each relevant Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) field. Upon submission, the manuscript’s UDC code identifies the relevant reviewer pool, and the manuscript management system (The Academicus Publication Management System) sends review invitations to all reviewers assigned to that field. The first two eligible reviewers who accept the invitation are assigned to assess the manuscript independently.
4.2. Reviewers are selected from relevant academic and scientific communities on the basis of their qualifications, subject knowledge, research experience, and ability to provide an independent and reasoned assessment.
4.3. The journal maintains a pool of reviewers across the scientific fields covered by its scope. Reviewer performance is assessed periodically, normally on an annual basis. The reviewer pool may be renewed every two years, taking into account performance and applications from qualified candidates, including those responding to calls for reviewers.
4.4. Reviewers are invited to assess manuscripts only when they have the appropriate expertise and can provide an impartial evaluation. They must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest and decline the invitation when such a conflict could compromise their independence.
4.5. Academicus ISJ normally seeks two independent reviews for each manuscript. Review invitations and assignments are managed through the journal's manuscript management system, subject to reviewer availability and the need to maintain an appropriate match between the manuscript and the reviewer's expertise.
4.6. Reviewers assess the manuscript’s scientific merit, originality, relevance, clarity, methodological soundness, use of sources, contribution to knowledge, and relevant aspects of research integrity and publication ethics, including potential plagiarism and the improper use of artificial intelligence.
4.7. Review Evaluation Form must be clear, constructive, sufficiently justified, and professionally expressed. Reviewers should identify strengths and weaknesses and provide specific recommendations that can help the author improve the manuscript.
4.8. Reviewers may recommend:
(a) acceptance;
(b) acceptance subject to minor revisions;
(c) major revisions and further assessment;
(d) rejection with encouragement to submit a substantially revised manuscript in the future, where appropriate; or
(e) rejection.
4.9. Reviewers are normally asked to submit their assessments within three weeks of accepting the assignment. If additional time is needed, they should inform the Editorial Secretariat promptly.
4.10. Reviewers are responsible for assessing the scientific merit of manuscripts and for providing their recommendations in accordance with the journal’s peer-review procedures. Neither the Editorial Secretariat nor the Editorial Board independently reassesses the scientific merit of a manuscript. The Editorial Board retains responsibility for the final editorial decision, taking into account the peer-review outcome and any substantiated concerns relating to publication ethics, research integrity, or compliance with the journal’s essential editorial requirements.
4.11. When the first two reviewers provide conflicting recommendations, the Editorial Secretariat activates the third-reviewer procedure by selecting the relevant option in the manuscript management system. The system then sends a new review invitation to the remaining eligible reviewers assigned to the same UDC field, excluding the two reviewers who have already assessed the manuscript. The first eligible reviewer who accepts the invitation is assigned to conduct the third independent review and complete the journal’s Evaluation Form. The final peer-review outcome is determined by the majority of the three reviewers: if at least two reviewers recommend acceptance, the peer-review outcome is positive; if at least two reviewers recommend rejection, the peer-review outcome is negative.
4.12. Reviewers must treat manuscripts and related correspondence as confidential. They may not use unpublished material for personal advantage or share a manuscript or its contents with others without editorial authorisation.
5. The peer review process
5.1. Academicus ISJ applies a double-blind peer-review process. The identities of authors and reviewers are kept confidential from one another throughout the review process. All communications between the journal, authors, and reviewers are managed through the Editorial Secretariat, which coordinates requests for clarification, comments, and any necessary follow-up while preserving anonymity. Authors and reviewers are not placed in direct contact with one another during the review process.
5.2. Before a manuscript is sent for peer review, the Editorial Secretariat carefully prepares an anonymised review copy. This includes removing or concealing authors’ names, institutional affiliations, acknowledgements, identifying information, and other details that could reveal the authors’ identities. Where necessary, identifying passages are redacted or otherwise masked to prevent reviewers from inferring the authors’ identities from the manuscript. These measures are intended to minimise potential bias related to nationality, institutional affiliation, academic reputation, or other factors unrelated to the scientific quality of the work. Although complete anonymity cannot always be guaranteed, the Editorial Secretariat takes reasonable and active measures to protect the double-blind review process.
5.3. The manuscript is assigned to reviewers according to its subject matter and Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) code. For each relevant UDC field, the journal maintains a pool of at least five reviewers. The manuscript management system sends review invitations to the reviewers assigned to the relevant field, and the first two eligible reviewers who accept the invitations are assigned to assess the manuscript independently. The system manages invitations and assignments, while the scientific assessment remains the sole responsibility of the reviewers.
5.4. Before accepting a review assignment through the journal’s manuscript management system, reviewers must confirm their availability and declare, by selecting the corresponding option, that they can undertake the review without a conflict of interest. Reviewers must assess the manuscript independently, objectively, and confidentially. All communications relating to the review are managed through the Editorial Secretariat, which forwards the reviewers’ comments to the authors without disclosing reviewers’ personal data.
5.5. Each manuscript is initially assessed independently by two reviewers selected through the journal’s manuscript management system from the reviewer pool assigned to the relevant UDC field. If their recommendations conflict, the Editorial Secretariat activates the third-reviewer procedure. The system invites the remaining eligible reviewers in the same UDC field, excluding those who have already reviewed the manuscript. The first eligible reviewer who accepts the invitation conducts an independent third review, without being informed of the recommendations or assessments provided by the first two reviewers or of the circumstances that led to the additional review. The third reviewer’s recommendation is then added to the first two recommendations, and the peer-review outcome is determined by the majority of the three reviewers: two positive recommendations result in a positive outcome, while two negative recommendations result in a negative outcome.
5.6. Reviewers are normally given three weeks to complete their assessments using the journal’s official Evaluation Form. Reviews are submitted through the journal’s manuscript management system, following the prescribed procedure for saving and finalising the review. Reviewers must provide reasoned, constructive, and professionally expressed comments, distinguishing between confidential comments intended for the Editorial Secretariat and comments intended for the authors. The manuscript management system handles routine notifications, including acknowledgements of submitted reviews. Where problems, clarifications, or other specific issues arise, the Editorial Secretariat communicates directly with reviewers and coordinates any necessary follow-up, while safeguarding confidentiality and the double-blind principle.
5.7. Following a positive peer-review outcome, the Editorial Secretariat completes its formal, documentary, bibliographic, and publication ethics checks and submits the relevant findings to the Editorial Board. Where substantiated concerns arise that require further examination, the Editorial Board may request additional assessment by the reviewers or take other appropriate editorial measures within its remit. The Editorial Secretariat coordinates the necessary communications and follow-up. The Editorial Board is responsible for publication planning, including the composition, order, and scheduling of accepted manuscripts across issues. Neither the Editorial Secretariat nor the Editorial Board independently reassesses the scientific merit of a manuscript, which remains the responsibility of the peer reviewers.
The Editorial Board retains responsibility for the final editorial decision and for the composition, order, and scheduling of manuscripts that have received a positive peer-review outcome. The Editorial Secretariat continues to monitor compliance with the journal’s formal, documentary, publication ethics, and research integrity requirements throughout the period between acceptance and publication. If new and substantiated concerns arise during this period, the Editorial Secretariat documents them and submits them to the Editorial Board for consideration and appropriate editorial action. Where further scientific assessment is required, the manuscript may be referred back to the peer reviewers. The manuscript management system administers the review workflow but does not assess scientific merit, which remains exclusively the responsibility of the peer reviewers. Decisions concerning the composition, order, and scheduling of accepted articles do not constitute a reassessment of their scientific merit.
5.8. Academicus ISJ endeavours to ensure that the peer-review process is conducted efficiently and that authors are informed of review outcomes and relevant editorial decisions without undue delay. Routine notifications are handled through the journal’s manuscript management system, while the Editorial Secretariat communicates directly with authors and reviewers whenever clarification, additional information, or further action is required. The time required to reach a final publication decision may vary depending on the completion of the reviews and the need for any additional checks or assessments.
5.9. Academicus ISJ is committed to conducting peer review in a fair, confidential, impartial, and transparent manner, in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics principles. The identities of authors and reviewers are protected through the double-blind procedure, and all communications relating to peer review are coordinated by the Editorial Secretariat. Reviewers are solely responsible for assessing the scientific merit of manuscripts, while the Editorial Board retains responsibility for editorial decisions and publication planning. The journal’s manuscript management system supports the administration of the review workflow but does not replace human scientific judgment. For a detailed description of the procedures, responsibilities, and decision-making stages, please consult the Full Peer Review Process.
6. Publication ethics and research integrity
6.1. Academicus International Scientific Journal (Academicus ISJ) is committed to ethical scholarly publishing, research integrity, transparency, and the fair treatment of authors, reviewers, and readers. The journal follows recognised publication ethics principles and takes account of relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
6.2. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts represent original scholarly work and that all sources, quotations, data, ideas, and contributions are properly acknowledged. Plagiarism, the misleading presentation of previously published material as original work, fabrication, falsification, and other forms of research or publication misconduct are not acceptable.
6.3. Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. Any substantial overlap with previously published work or other publicly available material must be disclosed and appropriately referenced. Previous dissemination, including preprints, working papers, conference papers, or repository deposits, must be disclosed so that the journal can determine whether the submission complies with its publication policy.
6.4. Authors must complete and submit the journal’s Author’s Declaration in the required form. The declaration addresses the originality of the work, authorship and responsibility for its content, disclosure of relevant funding and conflicts of interest, and compliance with applicable research ethics requirements.
6.5. Research involving human participants, personal data, interviews, surveys, or other ethically sensitive material must be conducted in accordance with applicable laws and recognised ethical standards. Where required, authors must confirm that appropriate ethical approval and informed consent were obtained.
6.6. Research participants must be treated with dignity and respect. Authors must take appropriate measures to protect participants from foreseeable harm, safeguard privacy and confidentiality, and obtain voluntary informed consent where required. Where participants are minors or lack legal capacity to consent, the necessary consent or authorisation must be obtained from a legally authorised representative in accordance with applicable law.
6.7. Authors must disclose any financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationship that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation. Editors and reviewers must also disclose relevant conflicts of interest and withdraw from the relevant editorial or review process where their impartiality could be compromised.
6.8. The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and other AI tools must not replace the author’s intellectual responsibility. Any substantive use of AI to generate or analyse scholarly content must be disclosed in accordance with the journal’s applicable requirements. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, integrity, originality, citations, data, and conclusions of their manuscripts, including any material produced or assisted by AI tools. AI-generated references, data, quotations, and other factual content must be verified by the authors.
6.9. Academicus ISJ conducts, as a minimum, two stages of checks relating to publication ethics and research integrity. The initial check takes place before a manuscript is sent for peer review. A further check is conducted after a positive peer-review outcome and before publication. These checks include the examination of textual similarities and potential plagiarism, the appropriate use of artificial intelligence, bibliographic references, possible duplicate publication, and other relevant indicators of research or publication misconduct.
6.10. Additional checks may be carried out whenever necessary, including when concerns arise during peer review or at any stage between acceptance and publication. Depending on the nature of the concern, the Editorial Secretariat may request explanations or supporting documentation from the authors, examine the available evidence, and document its findings. Where substantiated concerns require an editorial decision or further action, the matter is submitted to the Editorial Board for consideration within its responsibilities.
6.11. Software reports and automated detection tools, including plagiarism similarity reports and AI-detection tools, are treated as supporting evidence rather than conclusive proof of misconduct. Their results must be examined in context, taking into account the manuscript, the nature of the detected material, relevant sources, and any explanations provided by the authors. Any further action must be proportionate to the available evidence and consistent with recognised publication ethics principles.
6.12. The journal seeks to handle allegations and concerns relating to research integrity fairly, confidentially, and without prejudging the outcome. Where appropriate, authors are given a reasonable opportunity to provide explanations or relevant documentation before an adverse editorial decision is made.
6.13. The Editorial Secretariat coordinates preliminary and subsequent formal, documentary, bibliographic, publication ethics, and research integrity checks. It records relevant findings and communicates with authors and reviewers when clarification or further action is required. The Editorial Board considers substantiated concerns requiring an editorial decision and determines appropriate action within its remit.
6.14. The scientific assessment of manuscripts, including the evaluation of methodology, results, conclusions, originality, and contribution to knowledge, remains the exclusive responsibility of the peer reviewers. Neither the Editorial Secretariat nor the Editorial Board independently replaces or assumes the reviewers’ role in assessing scientific merit. Where a concern requires further scientific assessment, the manuscript may be referred to qualified peer reviewers for additional evaluation.
7. Author’s Declaration, Moral Rights, and Protective Copyright Assignment
7.1 Before a manuscript can proceed to official publication, the author or corresponding author must submit the journal’s Author’s Declaration, fully completed and signed in the required form. The submission of this declaration is a mandatory condition for publication.
7.2 The Author’s Declaration certifies the absolute originality of the manuscript, verifying that the submission represents authentic, previously unpublished scholarly research. It confirms authoring responsibility, proper acknowledgment of all contributing sources, disclosure of relevant research funding, absence of financial or ethical conflicts of interest, and full compliance with the editorial and ethical standards of Academicus ISJ.
7.3 Distinction Between Moral Rights, Scholarly Elevation, and Protective Copyright:
Academicus International Scientific Journal strictly recognizes, honors, and distinguishes the fundamental boundaries of scholarly authorship, publication infrastructure, and rights protection:
7.3.1. Inalienable Moral Rights & Pure Authorship: The intellectual creation, original scientific thought, and moral authorship belong permanently and exclusively to the author(s). The author remains the sole intellectual parent and creator of the underlying scientific work.
7.3.2. Institutional Elevation, Metadata Engineering, and Dual Preservation (Digital & Print): While the core knowledge originates from the author, the transformation of a raw manuscript into an internationally recognized, permanently citable scholarly record is the result of Academicus ISJ’s dedicated institutional commitment. The journal invests its resources in professional layout engineering, metadata aggregation, mEDRA DOI resolution, database indexing, and perpetual archiving across international preservation networks (such as Portico). Furthermore, Academicus ISJ elevates the work into a physical masterpiece through high-tier print editions distributed to major national and academic libraries worldwide, guaranteeing both immediate global Open Access and timeless physical preservation for generations to come.
7.3.3. Protective Copyright Assignment (Non-Commercial Stewardship): By signing the Author’s Declaration, the author grants Academicus ISJ the publishing and distribution rights required to produce, preserve, and disseminate the standardized work in all media. This assignment serves a strictly non-commercial, protective purpose. Unlike commercial publishing models that place research behind paywalls for profit, Academicus ISJ holds publishing rights solely as an institutional legal shield. This empowers the journal to actively defend the author's published work against web piracy, unauthorized commercial exploitation, content scraping, plagiarism, and unapproved distribution networks, guaranteeing that the published record remains authentic, uncorrupted, and freely accessible to the global scientific community.
7.4 Published works are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0). Under this framework, readers and researchers are free to access, share, and adapt the material for non-commercial purposes, provided that full and explicit attribution is given to the author as the original creator and to Academicus ISJ as the official publisher of record.
7.5 Third-Party Permissions:
Authors maintain full responsibility for ensuring that they possess all necessary legal rights or formal permissions for any third-party figures, tables, images, or extended excerpts included within their submission. Written authorization to reuse prior copyrighted material must be secured by the author prior to final publication.uthors retain the rights that remain theirs under applicable law. Published articles are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC 4.0). Reuse must comply with the terms of that licence, including appropriate attribution.
7.6. Authors may contact the Editorial Secretariat at info@academicus.edu.al with questions about the Author's Declaration, publishing rights, permitted reuse, or the applicable licence.
8. Presentation and structure of articles
8.1. Manuscripts must be written in clear academic English and prepared in accordance with the journal's submission instructions.
8.2. The manuscript should include the following elements, as applicable:
(a) Title and subtitle, if any. The title and subtitle should be concise and informative, each containing no more than 120 characters.
(b) Author information, including the full name of each author, academic title or qualification where appropriate, institutional affiliation, an appropriate email address, and ORCID identifier where available. Author-identifying information must be supplied through the designated submission fields or documents and handled in accordance with the journal's double-blind peer-review procedure.
(c) Abstract of 250–500 words, summarising the research question, objectives, approach, principal findings, and contribution.
(d) Keywords: four to seven terms that accurately represent the subject and scope of the article.
(e) UDC classification code corresponding to the principal subject of the manuscript.
(f) Main text, normally between 5,000 and 10,000 words, including the relevant scholarly analysis and discussion. The article should be logically structured and may include an introduction, methodology, analysis and results, discussion, and conclusion, as appropriate to the research.
(g) References and bibliography, normally not exceeding 50 entries, prepared consistently according to one of the recognised styles specified by the journal: APA, Harvard, Chicago, or MLA.
8.3. References must be complete and accurate, and every cited source must appear in the reference list. Authors must use one citation style consistently throughout the manuscript. Additional footnotes or endnotes must be used consistently and must not replace the required reference list.
8.4. Non-English sources should be cited in their original language where appropriate. Translated titles or explanatory information may be added when useful for international readers.
8.5. Figures should normally not exceed five in number. They must be legible, of suitable quality for publication, and supplied in an appropriate format. Each figure must have a number, caption, and source where applicable. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce material where required.
8.6. Graphs, diagrams, and other visual materials should be supplied in an editable or high-quality format wherever possible. Captions, legends, and sources must be provided in the manuscript text or in the appropriate figure description.
8.7. Tables must be editable and should not be submitted solely as images. Each table must have a number, title, and source or explanatory note where applicable.
8.8. Mathematical formulas must be editable and prepared using an appropriate equation editor rather than inserted as images, wherever possible.
8.9. Authors must ensure that the manuscript is internally consistent, that all figures and tables are referred to in the text, and that the presentation of data does not mislead readers.
8.10. The Editorial Secretariat may request technical corrections or formatting changes before the manuscript proceeds to peer review or publication.
9. Pre-Print Restrictions and Author Self-Archiving Policy
Academicus International Scientific Journal enforces a strict policy regarding manuscript original submission and self-archiving in order to protect the absolute integrity of the double-blind peer-review process:
9.1 No Pre-Prints or Prior Online Exposure
Academicus ISJ does not accept, consider, or publish manuscripts that have been previously posted online, distributed, or archived as pre-prints, working papers, institutional reports, or online drafts. Submitting works that are already publicly available online compromises the anonymization required for double-blind peer review and constitutes a policy violation.
9.2 No Self-Archiving During Peer Review and Processing
Authors are strictly prohibited from self-archiving, uploading, or distributing any draft, preliminary version, or revision of their manuscript on personal websites, open-access repositories, or social research platforms during the editorial evaluation and peer-review stages.
9.3 Post-Publication Definitive Version (Publisher’s PDF Only)
Authors are permitted to self-archive their work exclusively after official online publication on the Academicus ISJ website. Self-archiving is restricted strictly to the final, published version (Publisher’s Version / Definitive PDF) in its official journal format.
9.4 Mandatory Attribution and DOI Citation
Any permitted post-publication self-archiving in institutional or open-access repositories must explicitly cite Academicus ISJ as the original publisher of record and must include the full article citation, issue details, and the active official DOI link pointing to the article on the journal's website.
10. Post-publication policies
10.1. Academicus ISJ recognises that concerns about accuracy, research integrity, authorship, or publication ethics may arise after publication. Such concerns are considered in light of the available evidence, the journal's editorial policies, and relevant guidance on publication ethics.
10.2. Where a concern is raised, the journal may review the information available and contact the corresponding author to request an explanation, supporting documentation, or a response.
10.3. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue and the evidence available, appropriate editorial action may include a correction, an expression of concern, a retraction, or another suitable notice.
10.4. A correction may be appropriate where a published article contains an error that can be corrected without invalidating its overall findings. An expression of concern may be considered where a significant question remains unresolved. Retraction may be considered where the reliability or integrity of the publication is seriously compromised.
10.5. The journal aims to maintain the transparency and integrity of the scholarly record. Where an editorial notice is issued, it should identify the relevant article and explain the reason for the action, subject to applicable legal and ethical requirements.
10.6. Authors will normally be informed of concerns relating to their work and given a reasonable opportunity to respond before an adverse post-publication decision is made, except where urgent action is necessary to protect readers or the integrity of the scholarly record.
10.7. Authors may submit an appeal concerning a post-publication decision by providing relevant information or new evidence. The appeal is considered by the appropriate editorial authority, including the Publication Ethics Commission where applicable.
11. Open access and licensing policy
11.1. Academicus ISJ supports the principles of open access and open science. Published articles are freely available to readers online without subscription or access charges.
11.2. The journal's open access policy is intended to facilitate reading, discovery, citation, scholarly discussion, and responsible reuse of research while respecting the rights of authors and other rights holders.
11.3. Academicus ISJ does not charge authors publication fees. Access to published articles is free of charge to readers.
11.4. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC 4.0). Users must provide appropriate attribution, identify the original publication, and comply with the terms of the licence.
11.5. The applicable licence determines the uses permitted to readers and other users. Uses that fall outside the licence or an exception permitted by law require permission from the relevant rights holder.
11.6. Free access does not remove the obligation to respect authorship, attribution, and the terms of the applicable licence. Readers and users must acknowledge the author and the original publication in Academicus ISJ when reusing the work.
11.7. Academicus International Scientific Journal operates as an independent, non-profit scientific publication. The assignment or holding of copyright by the journal serves a purely non-commercial, protective purpose. Unlike commercial publishing models that utilize copyright for paywalls or financial monetization, Academicus ISJ holds copyright rights solely as an institutional and legal safeguard. This legal standing empowers the journal to actively defend authors' intellectual property against web piracy, unauthorized commercial exploitation, content scraping, plagiarism, and fraudulent third-party distribution networks, ensuring that published works remain secure and openly accessible
11.8. Academicus ISJ supports responsible sharing and dissemination of bibliographic metadata to improve the discovery, identification, and citation of scholarly research.
11.9. Information about digital preservation, repositories, and archiving arrangements is provided in the journal's relevant information sections.
11.10. Commercial republication, resale, or other use not permitted by the CC BY-NC 4.0 licence requires permission from the relevant rights holder. This does not restrict uses expressly permitted by the licence or by law.
12. Advertising and marketing policy
12.1. Academicus ISJ does not accept advertising of any kind in its journal publications or editorial content.
12.2. The journal does not engage in paid promotional placement, direct marketing for commercial purposes, or indiscriminate solicitation of manuscripts. Communications about issues, calls for papers, and journal activities may be made through official channels for informational and scholarly purposes.
12.3. Editorial decisions are based on the journal's editorial criteria, research integrity, and peer-review process. They are not for sale and must not be influenced by advertising, sponsorship, or commercial interests.
13. Privacy and data protection policy
13.1. Academicus ISJ handles personal information provided during manuscript submission and editorial communication for legitimate purposes connected with editorial assessment, peer review, publication, verification, and journal administration.
13.2. Information published with an article may include the author's name, academic title where supplied, institutional affiliation, ORCID identifier, and contact details designated for publication. Information required for confidential editorial purposes must be handled separately from information intended for publication, in accordance with the journal's procedures.
13.3. Personal information and correspondence not intended for publication must be treated as confidential and handled in accordance with applicable data-protection law.
13.4. The journal takes reasonable measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, or misuse.
13.5. Authors, reviewers, and other individuals may contact the Editorial Secretariat at info@academicus.edu.al with questions concerning the handling of their personal information or applicable data-protection rights.
13.6. Information about privacy, cookies, and other data-related technologies on the journal's website must reflect the website's actual configuration and applicable legal requirements.
14. Editorial Contacts, Governance, Enquiries and Complaints
Academicus International Scientific Journal welcomes inquiries, suggestions, feedback, appeals, and formal complaints from readers, authors, reviewers, and institutional partners. The Editorial Team, under the direct stewardship of the Editor-in-Chief, is committed to addressing all communications promptly and professionally, with target response times within 24 hours handled through the Editorial Secretariat.
For specific administrative, technical, or editorial matters, designated offices and officers can be contacted directly:
Editor-in-Chief: editor@academicus.edu.al
Editorial Secretariat (General Enquiries & Support): info@academicus.edu.al
Ethics Commission & Publication Integrity: Prof. Dr. Fernando Lopez Alves: journal@academicus.edu.al
IT Office & Support Management System: Engr. Gabor Vasmatics, Engr. Arjel Keci: itoffice@academicus.edu.al
English Editorial Office & Language Quality Control: Dr. Shpresa Gjergji, PhD: academicus@academicus.edu.al
Layout, Typesetting & Graphic Design: MSc Sindi Breshani (Episod Studio): sindi@episod.studio
All formal complaints regarding editorial decisions, peer review integrity, or publication ethics are routed to the Ethics Commission and handled with strict confidentiality in compliance with international publication ethics standards.
Academicus
International Scientific Journal
pISSN 2079-3715
eISSN 2309-1088
Address:
Sheshi i Flamurit, Rruga Muze
Al-9401 Vlorë, Albania
Tel: +355 68 60 60 555
info@academicus.edu.al
https://academicus.edu.al