Publication of a peer-reviewed article in the “Yearbook of College of Tourism – Blagoevgrad” is an immediate expression of the in-depth work of established and young researchers and is one of the foundations in building a comprehensive and authoritative network of knowledge and its practical application.

The Editorial Board strives to follow the best practices in terms of publication ethics and one of the main tasks of the team is to prevent possible violations and abuses in this area. The Editorial Board of the Yearbook adheres strictly to the requirements of the academic publisher Elsevier and to the best publishing practice guidelines developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The peer-reviewed articles are based on a thorough scientific approach and strict copyright compliance. This requires agreement on standards of publication and ethical conduct by all parties in the publication process to prevent possible breaches and abuses of publication ethics.

Ethical rules for publication should be seen as part of the general ethical rules applicable to scientific and professional circles, complemented by legal provisions and self-regulation of the scientific community. Their operation relies especially on the mechanisms of the scientist’s personal and professional ethics and conscience, on his integrity and honesty.

The rules regulate both the behavior of the Editorial Board of the “Yearbook of College of Tourism – Blagoevgrad” as well as the standards of ethical behavior of all participants in the publication process: authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher – College of Tourism – Blagoevgrad.

Obligations of the authors
Standards of exposition	The authors’ texts must present unbiased research work on the topic and its relevance, scientific importance and practical applicability must be noted. The texts should be scientifically justified and with appropriate evidence, and the source data forming the basis of the publications should be presented correctly and accurately. It is unacceptable to present and support opinions and claims that are not based on scientific evidence. The articles should provide citation and reference information and should detail the literature used in the development to allow for comment and discussion of the work. Objectivity and accuracy should also be present in scientific communications, reviews, and referees. The editorials should be clearly identified.
Originality and plagiarism	The authors should ensure that their work is entirely original and if other people’s work and/or text is used, this should be explicitly disclosed (with citation, references, etc.). Plagiarism in any form is unethical behavior and is unacceptable. The use of other people’s work or parts of it without accurate and correct citation of the source is unacceptable and will be dealt with as plagiarism. Every manuscript received will be checked for plagiarism. If plagiarism is detected, the following actions may be taken: rejection of the manuscript and/or banning the authors from further publications in the Yearbook.
Access to and storage of data	For the purposes of possible editorial review, the authors should be prepared to provide access to the data on which the text is based, if requested. The authors must retain the data for a reasonable period after publication of the article.
Multiple, Duplicate and Simultaneous Publications	It is unacceptable to submit the same manuscript to two or more journals at the same time, and to submit manuscripts for publication containing the same research already offered to other journals i.e. the multiplication of the content and results of a particular study in multiple texts submitted to different journals. In the case of republication of the same text in another publication, the consent of the author and the publisher who first published the text is required.
Collective authorship	In the case of collective authorship (co-authorship) of a publication, all authors who have contributed to the conception, interpretations, and overall composition of the text should be presented. The co-authors should certify that they are familiar with and agree with the version of the manuscript provided.
Errors in previously published research	In the case that authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in a submitted manuscript, they should immediately inform the Editorial Board of these and cooperate with the editor in making the necessary corrections or withdrawing the manuscript. If such errors are identified by third parties, it is the responsibility of the authors to withdraw the manuscript or make the necessary corrections, assuring the Editorial Board of the correctness of the text.
Disclosure of conflicts of interest	All authors should disclose possible conflicts of interest that could be considered to influence the results presented in the article or their interpretation.
Responsibilities of the editors
Decision to publish	The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which of the submitted articles will be published. He proposes, and the editorial board decides, which of the submitted manuscripts should be published. The Editorial Board evaluates the submitted manuscripts on their scientific merit only. The Editorial Board takes into account the opinion of the reviewers and adheres to the editorial policy of copyright protection and against all forms of plagiarism, fraud, and any possible offensive qualifications.
Equality of authors	The Editorial Board members should evaluate manuscripts according to their scientific content regardless of the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, citizenship, or political philosophy.
Confidentiality	The Editorial Board should ensure a two-way peer review process in which authors and reviewers are anonymous. The Editorial Board members should not disclose any information about the submitted work to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and publisher representatives.
Disclosure of Conflict of Interest	The Editorial Board members should not disclose the contents of unpublished material from accepted manuscripts or use them for their own research without the written consent of the author(s).
Responsibilities of the peer reviewers
Contributing to Editorial Decisions	The peer reviewers contribute to the editorial process and decisions regarding submitted manuscripts. The peer reviewing of articles helps the Editorial Board in making decisions about their publication, as well as authors in improving their manuscripts.
Untimely Refusal to Review	A peer reviewer who considers himself/herself insufficiently qualified to peer review the proposed research or determines that the manuscript cannot be reviewed in a timely manner must immediately notify the Editor-in-Chief and withdraw from the peer review process. Failure to submit a review in a timely manner will result in the replacement of the reviewer by decision of the Editorial Board.
Confidentiality	Scientific manuscripts received for peer review must be treated as confidential and copyright documents. Reviewers must respect the principle of confidentiality and not discuss with third parties the content of the manuscript, or any information related to their proposed manuscript unless authorized by the Editor-in-Chief and the authors.
Objectivity	The peer reviews should contain reasoned and objective evaluations of the manuscripts. Showing subjectivism towards the content of the text is unacceptable. The peer reviewers should express their strong opinions clearly and based on supporting scientific arguments, competent comments, and conclusions. The peer reviews are the basis for the Editorial Board’s decisions on publication.
Confirmation of Sources	The peer reviewers are expected to determine that authors correctly and honestly reference the sources used. They are required to notify the Editorial Board of any instances of omitted citation, as well as similarity or overlap of the manuscript with other publications with which they are personally familiar. The peer reviewers are also expected to identify relevant published work that has not been cited.
Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest	The peer reviewers must maintain confidentiality and not use for their own research purposes information and research theses contained in manuscripts submitted to them. The peer reviewers must not evaluate manuscripts and must decline to review manuscripts provided they have a conflict of interest arising from competition, collaboration, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions associated with the research activities of the author(s) of the manuscript.
Obligations of the publisher
Independence of editorial decisions	The publisher cannot participate in the decisions made by the Editorial Board on the publication of individual articles. The editorial independence is strictly adhered to, and publication strategy and practices are the sole responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board. The publisher guarantees that advertising, reprinting or other commercial activity related to the publication will have no impact on editorial decisions.
Communication with other publishers	The publisher shall assist and facilitate communication with other journals and publishers when it is of benefit to the Editorial Board or to a peer reviewer.
Alignment with international standards	Publishers collaborate with other prominent publishers and industry associations in the process of establishing best practice standards related to publication ethics, errors, and retractions.