Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe (OPREE) is committed to upholding the highest standards for research integrity and publishing ethics. The editor-in-chief, with the guidance of co-editors and advisory editors, is ultimately responsible for deciding which of the papers submitted to the journal to publish. Manuscripts are evaluated without regard to the authors' ethnicity, religious affiliation, race, gender, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics. The decision is based on the paper’s importance, academic quality, and relevance to the journal's scope.

Articles accepted are expected to be unique and not previously published elsewhere. On rare occasions OPREE may accept an article, exploration, or report that has been published elsewhere, usually from a source or in a language not read widely. In such cases there is a clear statement to that effect, and that permission by the copyright holder has been granted. Those authors who request peer-reviews will be provided such service, which will indicate an even greater professional level. Peer-reviewed articles are clearly marked as such.

The initial purpose of OPREE was to counter the misinformation and propaganda that the communist governments of Eastern European countries disseminated in regard to religious liberties. Therefore we decided to offer reliable and truthful insights and analyses expecting that our authors will abide by scholarly norms in their articles. This continues to be the guiding editorial principle of OPREE even under the changed situation of the post-communist times.

Authors should follow common ethical guidelines by submitting only their own original work (no plagiarism), and by contacting the editor if they discover a significant error or inaccuracy which requires an erratum. The practice of purchasing articles written by anonymous professional and publishing them under their own name is odious and endangers the reputation of those who avail themselves of this unethical practice. Authors must not make deceitful use of data, plagiarize, falsely claim authorship written by others, or coincidentally submit articles to several journals.

Authors retain copyright. OPREE is open-access, but endeavors to protect the author's copyright by intervening against unauthorized republication. OPREE neither pays fees nor charges the authors for publishing articles.