Policies

1. Editorial responsibilities and decision-making

The editorial board assesses manuscripts fairly, without bias based on personal or demographic factors. It ensures expert reviewers evaluate submissions and carefully considers both the manuscript and reviewers’ feedback before making final decisions on acceptance, revision, or rejection. Contact details published in the journal are used solely for publication purposes and not shared with third parties.

Editors avoid conflicts of interest by recusing themselves from handling submissions where personal or professional ties to the authors exist. They require all contributors to disclose any competing interests and will publish corrections or take other actions if conflicts come to light after publication.

The editorial board is committed to addressing ethical concerns or complaints promptly, working with authors, institutions, and publishers to investigate and resolve issues. This may result in corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, even if problems arise years after publication.

2. Peer review process and reviewer duties

Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent experts who provide anonymous, unbiased assessments. Reviewers must recuse themselves if unqualified or unable to review promptly. All manuscripts under review are confidential and must not be shared or discussed without the editor’s permission.

Reviews should be objective, respectful, and focused solely on the content, avoiding personal criticism and supported by clear reasoning. Reviewers are responsible for alerting the editor to any significant overlap with previously published work they are aware of. They should also identify any relevant literature not cited by the authors but must avoid suggesting their own work as references unless genuinely relevant.

Unpublished material seen during review must not be used for personal research or advantage without the author’s consent. Reviewers should disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves if personal or professional relationships might bias their judgment, ensuring fairness and integrity throughout the process.

3. Author responsibilities and submission policies

Policies regarding authors
Manuscripts submitted must be original and not under consideration elsewhere. Authors are fully responsible for the content and for securing any necessary permissions for published material. They must carefully review and approve the final proofs before publication and ensure proper rights are obtained for any visuals or third-party contributions.

Authorship and acknowledgement

Authorship should be credited only to those who have made significant intellectual contributions to the study’s design, data collection, or analysis; contributed substantially to writing or revising the manuscript; approved the final version for publication; and take responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the entire work. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Each author should know which co-authors are responsible for specific parts and trust the reliability of their contributions. The corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the article and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Any financial or personal relationships that could influence research or editorial decisions must be disclosed. Authors should clearly state all funding sources supporting the study. Examples of conflicts to disclose include employment, consulting roles, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications, and grants. Such disclosures should be made as early as possible in the publication process.

Publication of research data

In line with the principles of open science, and with the aim of ensuring transparency and reproducibility, not only scientific articles but also all results of research work, including research data, are made publicly available. More information on open data is available at: https://dirrosdata.ctk.uni-lj.si/en/raziskovalni-podatki/. As open access is becoming an increasingly important part of the research process, many research funders already require the public disclosure of research data. We recommend that authors check the specific requirements of their funders before submitting a manuscript. Regardless of the formal requirements of funders, the editorial board of Urbani izziv encourages authors to publish their research data openly. This data can be published in specialized repositories (e.g., Social Science Data Archives) or in general repositories (e.g., Zenodo). If authors wish, the editorial board of Urbani izziv can arrange for the publication of research data in the DiRROS repository.

4. Research ethics and integrity

Research ethics

Urbani izziv is committed to publishing research conducted in full accordance with national and international standards for ethical practice,. Authors must ensure that their work complies with relevant legal requirements, institutional guidelines, and recognised international frameworks, such as The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and the Montreal Statement on Research Integrity in Cross-Boundary Research Collaborations. Ethical approval, permits, and consent documentation must be secured before research begins, and full details provided in the manuscript.

Research involving humans

Research involving people, their data, or biological material must be conducted with informed consent and respect for privacy. Ethical approval from a recognized institutional review board or equivalent committee is required and must be documented in the manuscript. Special care is required when research involves children, vulnerable groups, or indigenous communities. Researchers must protect participants’ identities and sensitive information, sharing data only in ways that safeguard anonymity unless explicit consent is given otherwise.

Author responsibility

Researchers should report their methods and findings truthfully, acknowledging limitations and avoiding fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data. It is the responsibility of authors to ensure that all ethical requirements are met before submission. Manuscripts that do not include the necessary ethical statements, permits, or consent confirmations will not be considered for publication. Breaches of this policy may result in rejection, withdrawal, or retraction of the article.

5. Publication integrity and misconduct

Publication integrity policy

Urbani izziv is committed to the highest standards of academic honesty and research integrity. Selected submissions are screened with plagiarism-detection tools, and any potential breaches are investigated in line with international publishing ethics guidelines.

Plagiarism

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism in any form. Use of data, images, text, or ideas, whether quoted, paraphrased, or adapted from print or electronic sources, must be properly attributed. If authors believe parts of their work could be viewed as plagiarism, even when cited, they must disclose this upon submission. Confirmed plagiarism will result in rejection or retraction.

Self-plagiarism

Reusing substantial parts of one’s own previously published work without proper citation is considered self-plagiarism. Authors must reference any material drawn from their earlier publications and explain its inclusion in the submission. Significant undisclosed reuse will lead to rejection or retraction.

Overlapping text and duplicate submission

Manuscripts must not substantially overlap with works already published, under review, or submitted elsewhere. This includes identical or closely similar text, data, figures, or ideas. When submitting, authors must fully disclose any content that overlaps partially or wholly with previous publications, including abstracts, posters, papers, books, databases, or archives, whether publicly accessible or not. Breaches of this policy may result in rejection, withdrawal, or retraction.

The responsibility for ensuring the originality, transparency, and ethical soundness of the work lies entirely with the authors.

6. Corrections and retractions

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their published work. Before final publication, the corresponding author receives the galley proof and must review and correct it carefully and promptly, typically within one to three days. When errors or ethical breaches are discovered post-publication, the journal will act promptly to correct or retract articles as necessary to protect the scholarly record.

7. Complaint and appeal policy

Urbani izziv is committed to addressing all concerns fairly and transparently.

Scientific content appeals

If authors dispute a rejection, the Editor-in-Chief reviews the authors’ arguments and reviewer feedback to decide whether to uphold the decision, seek an independent opinion, or reconsider the appeal. The complainant is informed of the final decision, which is binding. New submissions take priority over appeals.

Process complaints

Concerns about review timelines or editorial procedures are investigated by the Editor-in-Chief and relevant editors or staff. Complainants receive appropriate feedback, and findings are used to improve journal processes.

Ethics complaints

Allegations regarding ethical issues involving authors, reviewers, or research conduct are handled according to Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. The Editor-in-Chief may consult the publisher for guidance on complex cases. Complainants are kept informed, and if unsatisfied, they may escalate the matter directly to COPE.

8. Open access and licensing

The content of the journal is fully open accessed. Electronic versions of articles are accessible to readers, without any fees or registration. The distribution of published articles and any related material is subject to the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.

9. Use of artificial intelligence in publishing

Urbani izziv recognises the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic research and publishing. AI tools can help researchers explore new ideas, organise information, and support analysis, but their use must be responsible, transparent, and firmly guided by human expertise. Authors remain fully accountable for the originality, validity, and ethical integrity of their work, regardless of the technologies involved.

When generative AI is used in preparing a manuscript, e.g., in drafting text, analysing data, or assisting in other stages of research, its contribution must be openly declared. Any AI-generated content should be clearly identified, and the relevant prompts, instructions, or queries disclosed in the Acknowledgments, Materials and Methods, or Comments to the Editor.

Authors must ensure that AI use respects standards of confidentiality, data security, and copyright protection. Permission from copyright holders must be obtained before including protected material in AI-assisted processes. Generative AI must not be used to replace the core intellectual and creative work expected of authors.

Furthermore, the use of AI in the peer-review process is strictly limited to minor tasks such as text polishing. AI must not be used to make substantive judgments or replace the expertise and ethical responsibility of human reviewers.

The journal expects all manuscripts to meet the highest standards of scholarly practice. Whether AI is part of the process or not, the ultimate responsibility for the work lies with the author.