Code of Ethics
In Medias Res – A journal on press freedom and the rules of the public sphere
The editorial board of the In Medias Res – journal on freedom of the press and the rules of the public sphere respects the freedom of scientific research and strives to preserve the purity of scientific life in its activities; therefore, the journal’s editorial staff, editorial board, reviewers and authors set out the following moral and ethical principles.
The editorial staff invites a reviewer to review the studies. The reviewer shall only recieve the text of the manuscripts; the author of the study shall only recieve the content of the review (double-blind review). For this reason, all stakeholders contributing to the publication of the manuscript (author, journal editor, reviewer, and publisher) must accept the terms set out in this Code of Ethics. The  Code of Ethics is based on the Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, issued by the COPE (Publication Ethics Committee, publicationethics.org/core-practices).
By submitting a manuscript for review and accepting the invitation to review, the parties agree to the rules of moral conduct set forth in the Code of Ethics.
I. Obligations of the editorial staff
- Publication decisions
The editorial staff of the journal shall decide on the publication of the manusrcipts received. The editorial staff shall aim to publish the submitted manuscripts if they meet the content and formal requirements. The editorial staff shall respect the freedom of scientific research in accordance with the Fundamental Law of Hungary; however, it must refuse the publication of manuscripts that violate copyright in all instances, pursuant to the Hungarian legislation in force. The editorial staff may therefore use plagiarism detection software or use a service to detect plagiarism. - Equal opportunities
The editorial staff shall evaluate submitted manuscripts regardless of the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious and ideological beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political views. - Confidentiality
The editorial staff and its members shall not disclose or share any information about the manuscripts submitted for publication. This rule shall not apply to the author, the reviewers, the persons who may be considered as reviewers, and the publisher. - Publication and conflict of interest
Members of the editorial staff shall not use the unpublished materials of the submitted manuscript for their own research without the written consent of the author.
II. Obligations of the reviewers
- Assistance with editorial decisions
The reviewer assists the editorial staff in decision-making processes, proposes to publish or reject the submitted manuscript, and, if necessary, supports the author in increasing the scientific quality of the article by making reviewer comments and suggestions. - Efficiency
The invited reviewer must declare within a reasonable period whether he or she can undertake the evaluation of the selected manuscript. If the invited reviewer has a reasonable belief, that he or she is not professionally prepared / unqualified to evaluate the research presented in the assigned manuscript, or affirms that he or she cannot meet the deadline of providing an expert opinion, he or she shall notify the editorial board and excuse himself/herself from reviewing the manuscript. - Confidentiality
All manuscripts received for evaluation must be processed in a confidential manner. Manuscripts may only be disclosed to or shared with the permission of the editorial staff. - Objectivity
The evaluation of the paper must be carried out objectively. Reviewers should clearly articulate their views and substantiate them with arguments. - Reference to sources
Reviewers must draw attention to relevant scientific work/scholarly articles not cited by the authors. Any statement that contains an observation, line of thought or argument from previously published work should be appropriately referenced. However, the reviewer immediately notify the editorial staff of any material similarities or overlaps between the manuscript under review and another paper either published or under consideration by another journal.
- Publication and conflict of interest
Individual, original findings or ideas learned during the review process of the manuscript should be kept confidential and should not be used for personal advancement. Reviewers may not evaluate the manuscript if they have a conflict of interest with authors, companies or institutions related to the study due to any competitive situation, collaboration or other relationship. Reviewers are obliged to inform the editorial staff immediately of any reasons for a conflict of interest.
III. Obligations of authors
- Guidelines for publication
Manuscripts submitted for publication are expected to present a particular subject or issue thoroughly, presenting the relevant literature and different approaches, in accordance with the criteria of scientific research. The interpretations and conclusions in the manuscript shall require impartial and thorough justification. The background data of the study, as well as the circumstances related to the author that may affect the interpretation of the text, must be accurately presented or revealed. False or knowingly inaccurate claims are considered unethical and unacceptable behavior. - Originality and plagiarism
Authors must guarantee that the submitted manuscripts the result of their individual, original intellectual creation and, if they have used the work or words by others, appropriate citations and references are required. - Prohibition of multiple, parallel or simultaneous publication
It is not good practice to include a manuscript presenting the same research in different stand-alone publications or journals. Submitting the same manuscript to several journals at the same time is unethical and unacceptable. - Reference to sources
The cited works must always be professionally and accurately referenced. Authors must refer to all publications that have influenced their work. - Acknowledgement of paper authorship
All persons who have made a substantial contribution to the basic idea, design, wording or interpretation of the study presented must be included as authors. All individuals who have significantly contributed to the study must be identified as co-authors. At the same time, all those who were involved in certain relevant stages of the research process must be mentioned as contributors. The author must guarantee that all significant co-authors have been mentioned in the study and that no unentitled persons have been identified as co-authors, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the study and agreed to its publication. - Publication and conflict of interest
All authors are required to publish in their manuscript any economic circumstances that may affect its results or interpretation. If the research has received a grant, all sources of its financial support must be made public.
- Basic errors in published works
If the author discovers a material error or inaccuracy in his/her already published work, he/she must notify the editor or publisher of the journal without delay and cooperate with the editor in withdrawing or correcting the study.