About the Journal

Journal History

“Studia Politologica” is an academic journal publishing original research articles, reviews, research communications and reports in the fields of political science and public administration, security studies, and social communication and media studies. The journal is published by the Publishing House of the University of the National Education Commission, Krakow, as part of the Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis series. The Editorial Team is affiliated with the Institute of Journalism and International Relations.

The journal continues the tradition of the former Prace Ekonomiczno-Społeczne series published within the Roczniki Naukowo-Dydaktyczne WSP im. KEN. It has been published under its current title since 2002. Since 2011, two issues have been published annually. To date, 35 issues have been published, including special issues.

Aim and Scope

The aim of “Studia Politologica” is to provide a platform for the international exchange of scholarly ideas and to publish high-quality original research in the fields of political science and public administration, security studies, and social communication and media studies.

The journal welcomes diverse theoretical and methodological approaches. Its aim is to disseminate research that makes a significant contribution to the understanding of contemporary political, social and media-related phenomena, with particular attention to the European context.

Target Audience

The journal is addressed to a broad readership, including academics, researchers, analysts, students, as well as practitioners involved in public life – politicians, public officials and journalists – who are interested in in-depth reflection on politics and society.

Publication Frequency

“Studia Politologica” is published twice a year. New issues are released regularly on a semi-annual basis.

Peer Review Procedure

All submitted manuscripts are subject to an initial editorial assessment regarding their compatibility with the journal’s scope, academic quality and compliance with the basic editorial requirements.

The peer review process for research articles is supervised by editors and members of the Editorial Team whose academic expertise corresponds to the subject matter of the manuscript.

The first stage consists of an internal editorial assessment of the manuscript and its assignment to the appropriate section of the journal.

At the second stage, the article is reviewed by two external reviewers under a double-blind peer review procedure. Authors do not know the identity of the reviewers, and reviewers do not know the identity of the authors.

The review takes into account, in particular, the originality of the research problem, the appropriateness of the methodology used, the validity of the arguments and hypotheses, and the significance of the presented findings and conclusions for the development of knowledge in the relevant field.

Reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality and impartiality and to inform the Editorial Team of any potential conflict of interest or other circumstances that could prevent them from conducting an independent review.

Open Access Policy

All articles published in “Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis. Studia Politologica” are made available on an open access basis.

Publications are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Poland License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL).

The license allows the work to be copied and redistributed in an unchanged form for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the author and the original place of publication is indicated.

The Editorial Team supports open access to research results as a means of promoting the dissemination of knowledge and increasing the accessibility of scholarly publications.

Publication Ethics

The Editorial Team of “Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis. Studia Politologica” is committed to maintaining high standards of research integrity and publication ethics at all stages of the publishing process.

Authors, reviewers, editors and all other persons involved in the publication process are expected to comply with the principles of research integrity, intellectual property law and recognized good publication practices.

The journal follows recognized standards of publication ethics, including the principles set out in the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE Core Practices). When publication ethics concerns arise, the Editorial Team may refer to the relevant COPE guidelines and flowcharts.

Scientific and editorial decisions are made independently of commercial interests or other factors unrelated to the academic quality, integrity and relevance of the manuscript to the journal’s scope.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers of manuscripts submitted to the journal are expected to:

1. review assigned manuscripts thoroughly, objectively and impartially, and refrain from personal or non-academic criticism;
2. provide comments that may contribute to improving the academic quality of the manuscript;
3. inform the Editorial Team and decline the review if the subject matter of the manuscript falls outside their area of expertise or if a conflict of interest exists that could affect the independence of the review;
4. inform the Editorial Team of any suspected breaches of publication ethics, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data irregularities or other forms of research or publication misconduct;
5. maintain the confidentiality of all information and materials received in connection with the review process;
6. refrain from using information or content contained in an unpublished manuscript for personal, academic or professional benefit.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal are expected to:

1. present research findings accurately, reliably and in accordance with the actual results of the research;
2. submit original work and properly acknowledge and cite all sources and the contributions of others;
3. refrain from submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to another journal;
4. cooperate with the Editorial Team throughout the review, editing and proofreading process;
5. disclose information about the previous publication of all or part of the submitted material, where applicable;
6. disclose sources of research funding and other forms of support related to the preparation of the publication;
7. identify all persons who meet the criteria for authorship and refrain from listing as authors persons who did not make a genuine contribution to the work;
8. obtain any permissions required for the use of materials protected by copyright;
9. disclose any potential conflict of interest relevant to the preparation, assessment or publication of the manuscript;
10. promptly inform the Editorial Team of any significant error identified in a submitted or published article.

Submission of a manuscript by the corresponding author constitutes confirmation that all listed co-authors have been informed of the submission and have approved the version of the manuscript submitted to the journal.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Team

Members of the Editorial Team are expected to:

1. make decisions regarding manuscripts primarily on the basis of their academic quality, originality, scholarly value and relevance to the scope of the journal;
2. refrain from discriminating against authors on the basis of characteristics unrelated to the academic assessment of the manuscript;
3. ensure a transparent peer review process and communicate editorial decisions to authors;
4. maintain the confidentiality of information concerning submitted manuscripts and the review process;
5. withdraw from the assessment or decision-making process where a conflict of interest may affect impartiality;
6. respond to credible information concerning possible breaches of publication ethics, regardless of whether they relate to a manuscript under consideration or to an article already published;
7. take appropriate measures to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record published by the journal.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should accurately reflect the actual contribution of each person to the preparation of the publication. Only persons who have made a significant contribution to the work and accept responsibility for its content should be listed as authors.

All persons who meet the criteria for authorship should be listed as co-authors. Persons whose contribution does not justify authorship may be acknowledged in the acknowledgements section or in a contribution statement, subject to their consent.

The Editorial Team does not accept practices such as ghost authorship, guest authorship or gift authorship, including the omission of persons who made a genuine contribution to the work or the attribution of authorship to persons whose contribution does not justify author status.

In the event of an authorship dispute, the Editorial Team may request explanations concerning the contributions of the persons involved. If the dispute requires a determination that falls outside the competence of the Editorial Team, the matter may be referred to the relevant institution for clarification.

Changes in Authorship

Any request to add or remove an author or to change the order of authors after submission should be communicated to the Editorial Team together with an explanation.

The Editorial Team may require confirmation that all persons affected by the proposed change have agreed to it.

Changes to authorship after publication may only be made in justified circumstances and in a manner that preserves the transparency of the published record.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers and members of the Editorial Team are required to disclose circumstances that may influence, or may reasonably be perceived as influencing, the impartiality of the publication process.

Conflicts of interest may include, in particular, financial, professional, personal or institutional relationships.

A reviewer or editor whose conflict of interest may affect the independence of the assessment should withdraw from the review or decision-making process.

Authors are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest related to the research, preparation of the manuscript or its publication.

Research Misconduct and Manipulation of the Publication Process

The Editorial Team takes seriously credible information concerning possible research misconduct or manipulation of the publication process.

Unacceptable practices include, in particular:

• plagiarism and self-plagiarism;
• fabrication of data or research results;
• falsification, selective presentation or inappropriate manipulation of data;
• unauthorized duplicate or redundant publication of the same content;
• citation manipulation;
• dishonest authorship practices;
• manipulation of the peer review process;
• providing false or misleading information regarding the research, authorship, affiliations, funding or other material aspects of the publication.

Each justified suspicion is considered in light of the nature of the case and the information available. The Editorial Team may request explanations or supporting materials from the author, reviewer or any other relevant person.

Where clarification of the matter requires a formal investigation of research misconduct that falls outside the competence of the journal, the Editorial Team may refer the matter to the relevant institution.

Research Involving Human Participants and Privacy Protection

Authors reporting research involving human participants are responsible for ensuring that the research has been conducted in accordance with applicable ethical standards and legal requirements.

Where required by the nature of the research, authors should obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or other competent body and obtain informed consent from research participants.

Where ethics committee approval was not required, the Editorial Team may ask the authors to explain the basis for this determination.

Authors are required to protect the privacy of research participants and maintain the confidentiality of data where required by the nature of the research, applicable law or the conditions under which the data were obtained.

Information that could identify research participants should be published only where scientifically justified and consistent with applicable ethical and legal requirements.

Research Data

The journal supports transparency regarding the data underlying published research findings.

Where possible and consistent with applicable law, ethical requirements, personal data protection, confidentiality obligations and third-party rights, authors are encouraged to make research data available or to indicate how access to such data may be obtained.

Where research data cannot be made publicly available, authors may provide information explaining the reason for the restriction.

Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools

Artificial intelligence tools may not be listed as authors or co-authors of a publication.

Authors remain fully responsible for the content of the submitted manuscript, including the accuracy of information, citations and sources, as well as compliance with publication ethics and intellectual property requirements.

Where generative artificial intelligence tools have been used in a manner that has materially contributed to the preparation of the content of a publication, authors should disclose the nature and extent of their use in a way that ensures transparency regarding the preparation of the work.

The use of artificial intelligence tools does not relieve authors of responsibility for the originality, integrity and compliance of the publication with the journal’s policies.

Corrections, Notices and Retractions

The Editorial Team is committed to maintaining the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record published by the journal.

If a significant error is identified after publication but does not fundamentally undermine the reliability of the work, the Editorial Team may publish an appropriate correction or notice.

Where credible information suggests that the findings, results or conclusions of a published article may be unreliable, the Editorial Team may conduct an investigation and take measures appropriate to the nature of the case.

A published article may be retracted where its reliability has been fundamentally undermined, in particular as a result of a serious error, research misconduct, plagiarism, unauthorized duplicate publication or another serious breach of publication ethics.

Information concerning a correction, notice or retraction should be clearly and permanently linked to the original publication and should explain the reason for the action taken to the extent that such disclosure is appropriate and possible.

The Editorial Team also accepts substantiated concerns regarding published content and, where necessary, takes action to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Withdrawal of a Submission Before Publication

An author may request the withdrawal of a submitted manuscript before publication. The request should be submitted to the Editorial Team together with an explanation.

The Editorial Team may discontinue the processing of a manuscript where circumstances are identified that prevent further consideration, particularly in cases involving a serious breach of publication ethics.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors and other persons involved in the publication process may submit justified complaints to the Editorial Team concerning the editorial process, peer review, the conduct of persons involved in the process or other matters relating to the journal’s activities.

Complaints may be submitted to the Editorial Team using the contact details provided on the journal’s website.

An author may also submit a reasoned request for reconsideration of an editorial decision concerning a submitted manuscript.

Complaints and appeals should be considered impartially. Where possible, a person who is directly the subject of a complaint should not make the final decision in the matter.

Where the nature of the matter prevents it from being considered impartially at the level of the Editorial Team, it may be referred to the appropriate unit of the publisher or responsible institution.

Anti-Plagiarism Policy

The Editorial Team of “Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis. Studia Politologica” makes every effort to maintain high ethical standards and prevent dishonest publication practices. An important element of the journal’s commitment to research integrity is its anti-plagiarism policy.

Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism

Plagiarism is understood as claiming authorship of, or using, all or part of another person’s work, research results, data, findings, ideas or other content without proper acknowledgement of the source and authorship.

Self-plagiarism, understood as the reuse of substantial parts of one’s own previously published work without appropriate acknowledgement of the earlier publication, is also considered unacceptable.

The Editorial Team also does not accept ghostwriting, guest authorship or other practices that result in a misleading representation of the actual authorship of a publication.

Verification Procedure

Manuscripts submitted to the Editorial Team are subject to preliminary verification using the Uniform Anti-Plagiarism System (Jednolity System Antyplagiatowy – JSA). The procedure is intended to identify unauthorized use of existing content and to support the assessment of the originality of submitted manuscripts.

The result of the anti-plagiarism analysis does not replace editorial assessment. Where similarities are detected, the Editorial Team evaluates them in light of the nature and context of the content concerned.

Procedure in Cases of Suspected Plagiarism

Where there is a justified suspicion of plagiarism or other unauthorized use of third-party content, the Editorial Team takes appropriate steps to clarify the matter, taking into account the stage of the publication process and the nature of the case.

The Editorial Team may request an explanation from the author. Where a serious breach is confirmed before publication, the manuscript may be rejected.

If the issue is identified after publication, the Editorial Team may issue an appropriate correction, notice, retraction or take another measure necessary to preserve the integrity of the published record.

In justified cases, particularly where formal investigation of research misconduct is required, the Editorial Team may refer the matter to the relevant institution.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

The Editorial Team of “Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis. Studia Politologica” does not charge authors any fees at any stage of the publication process.

Submission, manuscript processing, including peer review and editorial work, publication and open access availability are free of charge for authors.

Copyright and Licensing

Authors publishing in “Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis. Studia Politologica” agree to make their articles available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Poland License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL).

Authors retain copyright in their works and grant the journal a non-exclusive license for first publication.

The license permits others to copy and redistribute the published work in an unchanged form for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the author and the original publication in the journal is properly acknowledged.