Journal Policies

General Principles

• The journal and all parties involved in its publication process adhere to common international standards of publication ethics. For an example, please see COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).
• Valonia charges no Article Processing Charge or other publishing fees to authors.
• All articles are published under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license, and thus PDF versions of articles will be freely available to authors and readers alike.

Plagiarism

• Authors acknowledge that submitted work is free from plagiarism, that all opinions expressed in it are their own, and that no parts of their work could infringe upon the rights of third parties.

Peer Review Policy

• Upon submission, manuscripts are reviewed by the editorial team for style, format, and scope. If the manuscript meets Valonia's standards in these areas, it is sent for double-blind peer review, in which the identities of both authors and reviewers remain mutually anonymous. Authors are required to suggest the names of at least three potential peer reviewers upon manuscript submission, which the Editorial Board takes into consideration in its selection of reviewers. Reviews are conducted through our online submission system, where reviewer instructions can be found. When two peer reviews are completed, an initial decision is made on the manuscript based on reviewers' feedback, discussion amongst the Editorial Board, and consultation with the Advisory Board, as appropriate.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity

• Valonia is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment and strives to provide a platform accessible to researchers of all ages, cultural backgrounds, disabilities, ethnicities, genders, races, religions, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses. It urges equity, respect, and integrity in its peer-review and publication processes and withholds the right to reject manuscripts that contravene these values.

Ethical Oversight

• Authors must disclose whether research involves human subjects or animals. If so, authors must demonstrate compliance with relevant ethical standards and obtain necessary approvals from institutional review boards or ethics committees.

Conflicts of Interest

• Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of their research.
• Reviewers and editors must disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from the review process if necessary.