Editorial Policies – Scientific Journals

Editorial Policies and Procedures for the Organization of the Publication of Scientific Journals at the Medical University of Varna

 

Article 1. These regulations define the procedures for publishing scientific journals at the Medical University of Varna (MU-Varna), as well as the governing bodies and the responsibilities of individuals involved in the publishing process.

Article 2. The governing bodies responsible for the scientific journals at the Medical University of Varna include the Academic Council, the Vice-Rector for Research, and the Editor-in-Chief of each publication, supported by:

1. The Ethics Committee for Scientific Research at MU-Varna;
2. The Publishing Department.

(1) The Academic Council determines the general policy for the publication of scientific journals at the Medical University of Varna, including:

1. The number and type of journals;
2. Thematic scope;
3. Frequency of publication;
4. Language of publication;
5. Peer review methodology;
6. Editorial board;
7. Acceptable similarity thresholds in plagiarism and similarity checks.

(2) The Vice-Rector for Research oversees compliance with the publication policies established by the Academic Council and submits for approval to the Academic Council the editorial boards approved by the Faculty Council. Additionally, the Vice-Rector proposes the similarity thresholds for plagiarism checks to the Academic Council for adoption.

(3) The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the overall management of each scientific journal.

Article 3.

(1) The Editorial Board of each journal consists of:

1. Editor-in-Chief;
2. Deputy Editor-in-Chief;
3. Section Editors;

(2) The Editor-in-Chief:

1. Proposes a Deputy Editor-in-Chief to the Faculty Council;
2. Proposes Section Editors in the respective fields to the Faculty Council;
3. Proposes members of the editorial board to the Faculty Council;
4. Selects a technical executive for each journal;
5. Makes the final decision on the publication of journal issues;
6. Approves potential reviewers, who are regularly proposed by the editorial board.

(3) Deputy Editor-in-Chief:

1. Assigns articles to the section editors.
2. Requests an opinion from the Ethics Committee for Scientific Research in cases of violations of the Ethical Principles of Publication.
3. Coordinates with the Editor-in-Chief regarding the printing and/or publication of the respective issue.

(4) Section Editor:

1. Assigns reviewers to each submitted manuscript based on the peer review method used by the specific journal.
2. Distributes and directs articles to reviewers and, if revisions are required, returns them to the authors.
3. Has the right to propose the transfer of articles to another journal published by the Medical University of Varna if it better aligns with the content and objectives of that journal. The author(s) have the right to decline such a transfer and withdraw their article.

(5) Members of the Editorial Board:

1. Recruit new members for the editorial board.
2. Engage new reviewers.
3. Attract new authors.
4. Promote and enhance the reputation of the journal.
5. Assist the section editor upon request.
6. Recommend experts in various scientific fields as potential reviewers.

Article 4

(1) Editors-in-Chief may be:

1. The Rector serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Scripta Scientifica Medica.
2. The Deans of the respective faculties serve as Editors-in-Chief for:

• Scripta Scientifica Medicinae Dentalis,
• Scripta Scientifica Pharmaceutica,
• Scripta Scientifica Salutis Publicae.

3. The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Varna Medical Forum.
4. The Director of the Medical College of Varna serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Varna Medical College.

(2) Deputy Editors-in-Chief may be:

1. Habilitated individuals who are experts in the scope of the respective scientific journal.
2. Vice-Deans of faculties with specialties corresponding to the journal’s field.
3. Directors of MU-Varna branches with specialties corresponding to the journal’s field.
4. The Deputy Director of the Medical College of Varna.

(3) Section Editors may be habilitated individuals who are experts in the scope of the respective scientific journal.

(4) Members of the Editorial Board may be recognized Bulgarian and international experts in the scope of the respective scientific journal.

Article 5. Responsibilities of the Editorial Board:

1. Developing, regularly updating, and promoting the journal’s concept, policies, author guidelines, and reviewer instructions.
2. Engaging reviewers with appropriate qualifications and expertise relevant to the journal’s thematic scope.
3. Recruiting editors with diverse international affiliations.
4. Attracting authors with diverse international affiliations.
5. Making decisions on justified rejections of submissions that are meaningless, duplicate existing work, or do not meet the predefined criteria.
6. Analyzing submitted reviews and, in cases of misconduct or superficial evaluation, removing the respective reviewer.
7. Deciding on incentives for reviewers.

Article 6. Duties of Reviewers:

1. Evaluate the submitted manuscript objectively.
2. Support their evaluation with objective arguments and constructive criticism.
3. Monitor the correctness of citations and promptly inform the editor in cases of incorrect citations or similarity with other scientific works.
4. Prepare their review with a length of at least 200 words and fill out an online questionnaire, then forward it again to the section editor, who, based on the reviewer’s conclusion, will decide whether the manuscript will be accepted for publication directly, after revision, or rejected.

Article 7. Duties of the Technical Executor:

1. Perform a technical check to ensure compliance with the Publishing Guidelines for the respective scientific journal and correspond with the authors when necessary.
2. Direct articles that have successfully passed the technical check and similarity check to the section editor.
3. Conduct plagiarism checks on manuscripts and inform the chief editor if any plagiarism is detected.

Article 8. Research Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Varna:

1. Accepts Ethical Principles for Publishing and, if necessary, issues opinions on violations and their rectification.
2. Proposes critical similarity thresholds during similarity checks.

Article 9. The Publishing Department at MU-Varna performs the following activities to support publishing:

1. Develops and maintains a system to automate the publishing processes of scientific journals – Scientific Online Resource System (SORS), through which authors submit their manuscripts.
2. Conducts comprehensive monitoring of the publications uploaded to the SORS platform.
3. Alerts the respective section editor in case of irregularities in the manuscripts.
4. Provides language editing and prepress for the articles accepted for publication.
5. Coordinates the prepress version of the manuscript with the authors.
6. Coordinates the final publication of the issue with the chief and/or deputy chief editor.
7. Publishes and/or prints the issue approved by the chief editor.

 

Transitional and Final Provisions

• 1. These internal rules are adopted based on Article 13, Paragraph 2 of the Regulations for Publishing Activities of the Medical University of Varna, and they annul the rules adopted by the decision of the Academic Council under Protocol No. 7/12.08.2020.
• 2. The internal rules may be amended and supplemented according to the procedure of their adoption.
• 3. Ongoing and incomplete procedures as of the date of adoption of these internal rules will be completed according to the rules adopted by the decision of the Academic Council under Protocol No. 7/12.08.2020.
• 4. As of 01.01.2025, the publication of the journal Scripta Scientifica Vox Studentium will be discontinued, and materials from student scientific events will be published in volumes with abstracts or full-text articles.
• 5. The internal rules were adopted by the decision of the Academic Council on 16.12.2024, under Protocol No. 15, and come into effect on the date of their adoption.