At Pro-Metrics, we uphold the highest standards of editorial ethics, transparency, and academic integrity in all our publications, including journals, book series, and individual volumes. Our policies adhere to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the guidelines of OASPA, and international best practices in scholarly publishing, such as the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB).

Since each publication type (journal, book, or series) might have specific requirements, contributors are encouraged to review the relevant policy sections on the respective journal or series page.

1. Open Access Policy

All Pro-Metrics journals are published in full open access, consistent with the criteria of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Likewise, all chapters in our book series are made openly accessible.

Most of our academic books are also published in open access, as defined by the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB); however, some titles follow alternative publishing models agreed upon with authors or institutions. In these cases, digital versions may be openly accessible while print editions are sold through distribution partners.

2. Copyright & Licensing

Authors and editors retain copyright for journal articles, book chapters, and individual book editions. For collective works, such as series volumes or multi-author books, Pro-Metrics holds rights to the complete publication for commercial distribution and print sales purposes, while individual authors retain rights to their own contributions.

All publications are formally registered with DOI, ISBN, or ISSN identifiers as applicable. Details on licensing models can be found on our Publishing Models & Licensing page.

By default, our journals, book chapters, and open-access books are released under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Alternative CC licenses may apply in co-published or sponsored editions, depending on specific editorial agreements.

3. Archiving & Preservation

Pro-Metrics ensures the long-term preservation of its publications through:

• Legal deposit in the National Library of Estonia.
• Trusted digital preservation networks: CLOCKSS and LOCKSS.
• Optional archiving in institutional or thematic repositories, depending on agreements with authors or partners.

4. Advertisement & Marketing Policy

Pro-Metrics does not allow third-party advertisements. Any promotional content is strictly limited to our own books, journals, services, or events and consistently aligns with our academic mission.

In accordance with OASPA’s Code of Conduct, our marketing practices adhere to principles of data protection, privacy, and responsible targeting.

• Compliance with GDPR and equivalent data protection regulations.
• Segmented and relevant communications, avoiding duplication or excessive messaging.
• All communications include a clear unsubscribe option.
• Privacy and data policies are publicly available, explaining how data is used and stored.

There are no advertisements associated with editorial content, user behavior, or random displays; all communication is institutional, transparent, and ethical.

5. Publication Fees & Waivers

Transparent information about publication fees is available on each journal and book series page, including instances where no fees are charged. Discount policies, such as reviewer discounts, and waiver options for authors from low-income countries are also outlined on these pages.

6. Authorship & Contributions

We support clear authorship and contribution practices. While a Contribution Statement (e.g., CRediT taxonomy) is encouraged, it is not required for all works.

Authors must declare no conflicts of interest before publication. To prevent authorship disputes, all contributors are required to sign a publication agreement that outlines intellectual property and authorship terms.

Changes in authorship, whether prior to or following publication, require:

• Unanimous written approval of all co-authors.
• A formal statement explaining the reason for the change.
• For post-publication cases, a correction notice is issued by the editorial office.

7. Conflicts of Interest

All contributors (authors, editors, reviewers) must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal interests that could affect objectivity. This includes funding sources, institutional ties, or potential royalty arrangements.

If there are no conflicts, authors must explicitly state: “The author(s) certify that no conflict of interest exists.”

8. Research Data, Transparency & Supplementary Materials

Authors are encouraged to share their data openly through repositories, supplementary files, or upon request. They must include a data availability statement clarifying the status of their data.

Supplementary materials such as figures, datasets, multimedia, and appendices may be published alongside the main work. Authors can also deposit their materials in reputable external repositories.

9. Studies Involving Humans or Animals

All works involving human or animal research must comply with internationally recognized ethical standards:

• Informed consent for all human participants.
• Ethics committee approval for studies involving risk.
• Humane treatment guidelines for animal research.
• Data anonymization when confidentiality is required.

10. Misconduct, Corrections & Retractions

Allegations of plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, or authorship disputes are investigated impartially by the editorial office.

Corrections and retractions follow COPE guidelines. Each case is reviewed through our editorial email system, ensuring fairness, evidence-based decisions, and transparent public notices.

11. Preprints & Repository Deposits

Authors may deposit their works in preprint servers prior to submission. This is not considered a duplicate publication.

Once accepted, authors may deposit journal articles, book chapters, and open-access books in institutional or subject repositories, in both the accepted manuscript version and the final, formatted version.

Pro-Metrics reserves the right to publish the final version first. Details of our policy are also registered in the Open Policy Finder (formerly Sherpa Romeo).

12. Use of Third-Party Materials

Authors must obtain and document permission to reproduce any third-party content (figures, images, tables, datasets). Proper attribution is required in captions or acknowledgments.

13. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Authors may use AI tools for language editing, visualization, or analytical support, but not for generating substantive content or authorship.

Authors are encouraged to explicitly state if AI tools were used and for which aspects of their work. AI tools cannot be credited as authors.

Editors and reviewers must not upload unpublished manuscripts to AI platforms in order to preserve confidentiality.

14. Editorial Process Transparency

All submissions undergo:

• An initial editorial assessment to confirm scope, originality, and suitability.
• Plagiarism checks using iThenticate.
• Assignment of reviewers by editors-in-chief, guest editors (journals), volume editors (series), or collection editors (books).

Peer review is conducted under a double-blind model. Final editorial decisions rest with the editors-in-chief of each journal or the responsible editors for books and series.

15. Roles & Responsibilities

• Authors: Responsible for originality, accuracy, and ethical compliance.
• Editors: Ensure fair evaluations, manage peer review, and prevent conflicts of interest.
• Reviewers: Provide timely, objective, and constructive evaluations.

16. Special Issues & Edited Volumes

Special issues (journals) and edited volumes (books/series) are subject to the same ethical standards. Guest editors are not permitted to publish their own research articles or chapters within the issues or volumes they manage.