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RULES APPLICABLE TO THE JOURNAL

• SCIENTIFIC QUALITY OF THE JOURNAL
  The publication management and the editorial board seek to constantly improve the scientific quality of the journal. They regularly renew their reviewers and committees (every 5 years). They ensure that the affiliations of the various committees are mentioned on the journal’s website.

• FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND SCIENTIFIC DEBATE
  The Editorial Board selects articles with a concern for impartiality. It pays particular attention to articles that contribute to scientific debate. Any article presenting a pertinent criticism of an article published in the journal may be proposed for publication. Authors may also submit a response to a criticism of their article in the journal.

• RELATIONS WITH READERS
  Any sources of funding for the research presented in the journal are mentioned where appropriate. The Editorial Board also undertakes to respond to any complaints made by readers about the journal.

• RELATIONS WITH AUTHORS
  Articles are selected on the basis of their intellectual or scientific content, without distinction as to the race, sex, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, nationality, academic affiliation or political philosophy of the authors.

• RELATIONS WITH THE ASSESSORS
  The tasks of the assessors are set out in the magazine and updated regularly. The Editorial Board guarantees the anonymity of reviewers.

• POLITICAL OR COMMERCIAL INTERESTS
  Articles are selected on the basis of the academic interest they represent for readers and not on the commercial or political gain they may bring. The Editorial Board also ensures that the journal is independent of its publisher and owner(s). If the journal publishes advertisements, these will be clearly distinguished from the scientific content of the journal.

• COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS
  The Editorial Board, in conjunction with the publication management, seeks to identify and prevent any behaviour contrary to scientific integrity, such as infringements of intellectual property rights, plagiarism, fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements or defamatory statements.
  In its decisions, the Editorial Board takes account of legal requirements and breaches of scientific integrity.
  It undertakes to conduct an investigation in the event of a complaint against the journal, in accordance with the procedure described below. The author must then answer for the alleged offence. The Editorial Board is always prepared to publish corrections, apologies and explanations if necessary.
  The Editorial Board also undertakes to respond to complaints lodged by readers against the magazine. A complaint about a practice contrary to scientific integrity may be lodged at any time by anyone with the journal’s Editorial Board.
  The person lodging the complaint must provide the elements justifying his/her complaint. All complaints are taken seriously and treated until they are resolved.
  All complaints will be dealt with, regardless of the date of publication of the article concerned. Documents relating to the handling of the complaint will be kept. The following measures may be implemented in the event of a complaint to the magazine:
  – A letter will be sent to the author detailing the offence and serving as a warning.
  – A letter will be sent to the author’s employer.
  – Publication of an editorial informing the readership.
  – Withdrawal of the article from the magazine and from the indexing databases, and notification of the readership.
  – An embargo is placed on all new articles by this author for a specified period.
  – Referral to an external organisation or body with authority to deal with the complaint.

• EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE
  The Publication Management undertakes to ensure that the potential for advertising, reprints or other commercial income has no impact or influence on editorial decisions.

• ADVERTISING
  The Publication Management is solely responsible for the decision to publish advertisements. Advertisements may be institutional or related to products and services. Online advertisements are displayed randomly and are not linked to the behaviour of Internet users.

RULES APPLICABLE TO APPRAISERS

• MISSION OF THE EVALUATORS
  Assessors are selected for their intellectual and scientific expertise. They are responsible for evaluating manuscripts on the basis of their content, without distinction as to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, nationality, academic affiliation or political philosophy. The reviewers’ opinions must be objective. They will be provided with an evaluation grid to support their work.
  If they are aware of them, reviewers are required to indicate all articles that are similar to the article submitted to the journal, as well as any significant publication related to the article that has not yet been cited.

• CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND CONFIDENTIALITY
  Members of the Editorial Board and reviewers must recuse themselves if they have a conflict of interest with one of the authors or with the content of the manuscript to be reviewed. In addition, any reviewer who knows that he or she is not qualified to review a manuscript or who knows that he or she will not be able to do so within the allotted time must inform the Editorial Board and recuse him or herself.
  Competing interests of editors include both financial and non-financial interests, such as:
  – Current academic affiliations or other editorial roles. Examples include: employment, consultancy assignments, professional affiliations, advisory positions, board membership or expert witness roles (in each case, paid or unpaid).
  – Financial interests, including patents or patent applications, travel grants, property, directorships. Minor investments in listed shares (less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the listed company) or investments through mutual/pension funds are excluded.
  
  Manuscripts received for review are treated as confidential documents. No information about a manuscript submitted for review will be disclosed to anyone other than the author(s), potential reviewers and the editorial team.Reviewers agree not to retain or copy a manuscript received for review.The data presented in the articles submitted must not be used, prior to their possible publication, in the research work of a member of the editorial board or a reviewer, without the explicit written consent of the author.

• USE OF IA (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) IN THE EDITORIAL PROCESS
  Managing the editorial evaluation of a scientific manuscript involves responsibilities that can only be assigned to humans.
  Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies are not used to assist in the evaluation or decision-making process of a manuscript, as the critical thinking and original evaluation required for this work is beyond the scope of this technology and there is a risk that the technology will generate incorrect, incomplete or biased conclusions about the manuscript. The publication is responsible for the editorial process, the final decision and its communication to the authors.
  Manuscripts, in whole or in part, are never subjected to generative AI tools, as this may violate the confidentiality and property rights of authors and, where the article contains personally identifiable information, may breach data privacy rights.
  This confidentiality requirement extends to all communications concerning the manuscript, including notification or decision letters, as these may contain confidential information about the manuscript and/or the authors.