About the Journal

Aim of the Journal is to advance national scholarship and integrate Ukrainian linguistics into the global academic community by publishing the results of current research in philology (linguistics), ensuring open access to scholarly information, upholding the principles of academic integrity, and implementing transparent peer-review procedures in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

Objectives of the Journal:

• Ensuring the quality of publications. To select and publish original research articles of theoretical and/or practical significance through a mandatory independent double-blind peer-review process.
• Development of open access. To provide free and unrestricted access to full-text articles in order to enhance the visibility and citation impact of research results.
• Transparency of editorial policy. To publish clear guidelines for submission, peer review, and selection of manuscripts, as well as evaluation criteria and procedures for handling appeals and ethical issues.
• Adherence to academic integrity. To prevent plagiarism, self plagiarism, and other forms of academic misconduct; to use appropriate screening tools; and to follow international standards of publication ethics.
• Internationalization and indexing. To expand the journal’s international presence by involving foreign authors and reviewers, publishing in foreign languages, and ensuring inclusion in international indexing databases and repositories.
• Regularity and sustainability of publication. To maintain an approved publication schedule and ensure the timely release of journal issues.
• Support for early-career researchers. To create opportunities for PhD students and early-career scholars to publish their research with high-quality peer review.
• Development of scholarly communication. To provide a platform for academic discussion, exchange of research results, and dissemination of contemporary linguistic approaches.
• Compliance with the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. To ensure that the journal meets the current criteria for Category B scholarly publications, including editorial board composition, international representation, publication regularity, article structure, and formatting standards.

 

Peer Review Procedure

The primary objective of the peer review process is to select for publication research that demonstrates scientific novelty and theoretical and/or practical significance. The journal applies a double-blind peer review model, ensuring the anonymity of both authors and reviewers.

Before a manuscript is sent for review, the editorial office conducts several stages of preliminary screening:

• compliance with submission requirements;
• initial assessment by the Editor-in-Chief or Deputy Editor;
• identification and elimination of potential conflicts of interest at the initial stage;
• verification of the manuscript’s relevance to the journal’s scope;
  technical anonymization of the manuscript.

The anonymized manuscript is sent to two independent external reviewers—PhD holders or equivalent specialists working in the relevant field. Reviewers must not be affiliated with the author’s institution, must have no conflicts of interest, and are expected to provide an expert evaluation based on their scholarly competence.

During the review process, reviewers assess the following criteria:

• relevance of the manuscript to the stated topic;
• scientific relevance and originality;
• validity of conclusions and practical significance of the research;
• potential contribution to the field and value for readers.

Based on their evaluation, reviewers may recommend:

• acceptance of the manuscript without revisions;
• acceptance subject to minor revisions (as indicated in the comments);
• revision and resubmission with a recommendation for re-review;
• rejection in its current form with the possibility of resubmission after substantial revision;
• outright rejection as a manuscript unsuitable for a peer-reviewed journal.

In cases of rejection or required revision, reviewers provide a reasoned explanation for their decision. Reviews are retained by the editorial office for three years following publication of the respective issue.

Authors receive notification of the editorial decision along with anonymized reviewer comments.

Manuscripts requiring revision must be resubmitted. Reviewers may request further clarification or changes. Submission of a revised manuscript does not guarantee acceptance; insufficient revision may result in rejection.

If one negative review (“reject”) is received, a third reviewer is assigned. If two negative reviews are received, the manuscript is rejected. All decisions are documented in the journal’s electronic system.

The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the reviewers’ reports and makes the final decision regarding publication. The Editor-in-Chief does not participate in the evaluation of manuscripts authored by themselves, their relatives, or colleagues. In such cases, the final decision is made by the Deputy Editor, and the review process remains independent.

Review Timeline
Typical review period: 2–4 weeks
Average time to first decision: 4–8 weeks

 

Publication Ethics Policy:

Publication ethics
Policy of ethical behavior of the editorial board, reviewers and authors of a scientific professional publication.

The editorial board of the scientific journal “LANGUAGE: Codification, Competence, Communication” in its activities adheres to the principles of academic integrity and is guided by the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of education and science, the provisions of the Code of Ethics of a Scientist of Ukraine, as well as international standards of publication ethics and best practices of the scientific publishing process. The work of the journal takes into account the key recommendations of the Core Practices COPE, which determine the basic ethical principles of the activities of scientific journals and publishers.

The editorial board ensures transparent, objective and impartial selection of manuscripts for publication, organizes their independent review, complies with the requirements for the protection of copyright and related rights, pays special attention to the scientific quality of the submitted research and categorically does not allow plagiarism. In addition, the editorial office ensures compliance with the established publication schedule.

Ethical standards for editors
1. General obligations and responsibilities of editors
The editors of the journal are responsible for adhering to high standards of scientific ethics and
ensuring a fair and transparent process for reviewing manuscripts.

Editors are obliged to:
- make decisions on the publication of articles solely on the basis of their scientific value, relevance of the research, originality of the results and compliance with the thematic focus of the journal;
- ensure the objectivity and impartiality of editorial decisions regardless of the nationality, gender, religious beliefs, institutional affiliation or political views of the authors;
- organize independent and confidential review of manuscripts, ensuring compliance with the principle of double-blind review;
- prevent conflicts of interest in the process of reviewing manuscripts and refrain from making decisions regarding materials in which there is a potential conflict of interest;
- take necessary measures in case of detection of violations of academic integrity, in particular plagiarism, falsification of data or unscrupulous publication practices;
- ensure the timeliness of editorial procedures and contribute to maintaining a high level of quality of scientific publications.

Editors should be guided by the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and contribute to the formation of a culture of ethical scientific publishing. In particular, they should support research aimed at improving the efficiency of the review process, ensure transparency of editorial procedures by publishing the working rules of the journal and periodically reviewing them taking into account the development of modern publishing practices. Editors should also contribute to ensuring the necessary resources for the functioning of the journal, attracting professional experts and supporting initiatives aimed at preventing violations of academic integrity and raising awareness of researchers about the ethics of scientific publications.

2. Relations with authors

Editors of the journal are obliged to ensure fair, transparent and impartial consideration of manuscripts submitted for publication. Decisions on acceptance or rejection of an article should be based solely on the scientific significance of the research, its novelty, methodological soundness, logical presentation of the material, the reliability of the obtained results and compliance with the topic and scientific profile of the journal.

Editorial decisions should be stable and reviewed only in cases where, after the acceptance of the article for publication, significant problems related to the reliability of the results, violation of academic integrity or other serious ethical violations are revealed. Similarly, the new editorial board should respect the editorial decisions made by previous editors, except in cases where there are reasonable grounds for revising them.

Editors ensure strict adherence to the review procedures specified in the journal. They should ensure the transparency of this process and be prepared to justify any deviations from the established rules. The editor-in-chief organizes the involvement of competent scientists who have the appropriate expertise and are not in a conflict of interest with respect to the submitted study.

The journal should provide authors with the opportunity to appeal editorial decisions. To this end, the editorial board supports a clear and open mechanism for submitting appeals and re-considering materials.

Editors are also obliged to ensure that authors have access to complete information about the requirements for preparing manuscripts, the rules for submitting materials, and the criteria for their evaluation. Such requirements should be regularly reviewed and updated in accordance with the development of scientific standards and editorial practice.

An important aspect of interaction with authors is the definition of authorship criteria and recognition of the contribution of persons who participated in the preparation of the study. The editorial board should adhere to international standards for determining authorship and require authors to disclose information about possible conflicts of interest that may affect the results of the study or their interpretation.

In cases of suspected violations of academic integrity, unscrupulous scientific conduct, or disputes over authorship, editors should act in accordance with the procedures and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). In order to ensure transparency in the publication process, the journal editorial board also reports the dates of receipt of the manuscript by the editorial board, review, and final decision on its publication.

 

3. Relations with reviewers

The editorial board of the journal ensures an independent, professional and impartial process of reviewing scientific manuscripts. Reviewing is one of the main mechanisms for assessing the scientific quality of research, confirming the reliability of results and maintaining high standards of academic publishing.

Editors should involve specialists in reviewing who have appropriate scientific qualifications, research experience in the relevant field and are able to provide an objective expert assessment of the submitted materials. The formation of the circle of reviewers is carried out on the basis of professional competence, scientific reputation and the absence of conflict of interest.

The editorial board publishes clear requirements for reviewers, which include rules for preparing reviews, criteria for evaluating manuscripts, confidentiality principles and ethical norms for interaction with the editorial board and authors. These requirements are regularly reviewed and updated in accordance with the international recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), to which a corresponding link is provided in the editorial policy of the journal.

Before commencing the review, the editorial board must obtain from the potential reviewer confirmation of the absence of a conflict of interest. Reviewers are required to inform the editorial board of any professional, financial or personal circumstances that may affect the objectivity of their assessment.

Editors ensure that the review process is confidential. Manuscript materials submitted to the journal cannot be transferred to third parties or used in reviewers’ own research without the permission of the editorial board and authors.

The editorial board encourages reviewers to pay attention not only to the scientific quality of the work, but also to possible ethical aspects of the research. In particular, reviewers should inform the editorial board of potential signs of unethical scientific practice, unethical research methods, data manipulation, duplication of publications or possible plagiarism.

Editors should provide reviewers with information support, including access to sources necessary for a qualitative analysis of the manuscript, in particular to bibliographic databases, related publications or cited sources.

All comments from reviewers are communicated to the authors in full, except in cases where they contain offensive, discriminatory or defamatory statements. The editorial board also promotes the constructive nature of reviews and adherence to professional ethics in scientific communication.

The editorial board recognizes the important contribution of reviewers to the development of the journal and the scientific community. Where possible, the editorial board may recognize their participation in review, support initiatives for academic recognition of reviewer activity, and encourage scientific institutions to take such activity into account in the professional assessment of scientists.

The editors also monitor the quality of reviews and create a database of reviewers, which is regularly updated based on the results of their work. In case of systematic violation of professional or ethical standards (late, unfounded or incorrect reviews), the editorial board may terminate cooperation with the reviewer in question.

The search for new reviewers is carried out using various sources, including scientific publications, scientometric databases, editorial board recommendations and author suggestions. This approach allows maintaining a relevant and diverse expert community of the journal.

In cases of violations of ethical norms during the review process, the editorial board is guided by the procedures and recommendations of COPE, applying appropriate mechanisms to resolve the situation.

4. Relations with editorial board members
Editors ensure appropriate interaction with editorial board members, informing new members of their roles, responsibilities, and expectations for participation in editorial activities. Current editorial board members should receive timely information about changes in editorial policies, review procedures, and other aspects of the journal’s work.

The editorial board strives to adhere to the principles of COPE best practices, ensuring transparency and impartiality in editorial procedures. In particular, rules should be in place to ensure that manuscripts submitted by editorial board members are reviewed on the same basis of objectivity and independence as manuscripts from other authors.

Editors determine the role and extent of participation of editorial board members in the development of the journal and maintaining its scientific level. Their functions may include representing the journal in the scientific community, promoting it, attracting promising authors and high-quality manuscripts, participating in peer review or providing recommendations to competent experts for evaluating submitted materials.

Editorial board members may also participate in the preparation of editorial articles, reviews or commentaries within their scientific specialization, as well as contributing to the development of the journal's thematic areas.

The editorial board periodically analyzes the effectiveness of the editorial board's activities and, if necessary, updates its composition in order to maintain a high level of scientific expertise and compliance of the journal with modern standards of scientific publishing.

In order to ensure effective cooperation, the editorial board holds regular consultations with the editorial board members, informs them about the results of the journal's activities, discusses changes in editorial policy and determines priority areas for further development of the publication.

5. Relations with readers

The editorial board of the journal ensures openness, reliability and high scientific quality of all publications, creating an atmosphere of trust in the results of research. The key principles of interaction in accordance with the best practices of the Committee on Ethics of Scientific Publications (COPE) are:
Transparency of information: Providing readers with complete data on the conditions of research, sources of their funding and the absence of conflict of interest.

Quality assurance: Mandatory independent review of all materials to confirm the objectivity of the conclusions.

Feedback: Prompt response to comments, requests and comments from readers regarding the content of published articles.

Accessibility: Providing free access to the editorial policy, ethical standards and procedures of the journal to promote open scientific communication.

6. Relations with the owners of the journal and publishers
The editorial policy of the journal “LANGUAGE: Codification, Competence, Communication” is based on the principle of editorial independence. Interaction with the owners (founder) and the publisher is carried out on the basis of professional ethics and separation of powers:
Principle of autonomy: Owners and publishers do not have the right to interfere in the process of reviewing, selecting and making decisions regarding the publication of specific scientific materials. All editorial decisions are made by the editor-in-chief and the editorial board solely on the basis of scientific value, relevance and quality of manuscripts.
Compliance with standards: The publisher provides technical and legal support for the journal’s activities, guaranteeing compliance of publishing processes with international ethical standards (COPE) and the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
Transparency of management: The editorial board and the owners of the journal work together on the strategic development of the publication, however, any business interests or administrative factors cannot influence the objectivity of the expert assessment.
Confidentiality: The publisher undertakes to comply with the rules of protection of personal data of authors and reviewers and not to disclose information about manuscripts until their official publication.

7. Protection of personal data
The editorial board of the journal ensures the protection of personal data of all participants in the publication process – authors, reviewers, members of the editorial board and other persons involved in the preparation and publication of scientific materials.

Personal data is processed in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine and taking into account generally accepted international standards of information protection. Personal data is used exclusively for the purpose of organizing the editorial process, in particular to ensure communication with authors and reviewers, conducting peer review, preparing materials for publication and indexing the journal in scientometric databases. The editorial board does not transfer personal data to third parties without the consent of the relevant subjects, except in cases provided for by law or necessary to ensure the publication process.

The editorial board guarantees the confidentiality of information obtained during the submission and review of manuscripts. Personal data of reviewers and authors are not disclosed, except in cases provided for by the selected review model or subject to the provision of appropriate consent.

The editorial board takes the necessary organizational and technical measures to prevent unauthorized access, loss or damage to personal data.

8. Intellectual property
Editors must pay due attention to issues of intellectual property protection and interact with the publisher in cases of detection or suspicion of violation of copyright or other intellectual property rights. Editors who adhere to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) best practice guidelines should also:
- use tools to detect plagiarism and unfair borrowing (including specialized software, text similarity analysis, source checking) during manuscript review or when suspected;
- help protect authors’ rights in cases of intellectual property infringement, including plagiarism or misuse of research results;
- be prepared to work with publishers, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to resolve copyright infringement, including initiating procedures for retractions or removal of improperly placed materials;
- ensure compliance with the requirements for proper citation and use of sources in scholarly publications;
- respond to inquiries regarding possible intellectual property infringement in accordance with established editorial procedures and COPE guidelines.

 

Ethical norms for the editorial board

The activities of the editorial board of the journal are aimed at the development of science, the dissemination of new knowledge and ensuring its social significance. In their work, the members of the editorial board are guided by the principles of academic integrity, responsibility to the scientific community and society, as well as the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and international standards of scientific publishing.

The editorial board ensures the selection for publication of original scientific works that are characterized by novelty, validity of the results obtained and objectivity of their presentation. Decisions on publication are made on the basis of the scientific value of the research, its relevance and compliance with the thematic profile of the journal.

Members of the editorial board are obliged to adhere to the principles of objectivity, impartiality and independence, preventing the influence of personal, professional or other interests on editorial decisions. Any manifestations of unscrupulous scientific practice, in particular plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, manipulation of research results or unethical influence on the scientific process, are unacceptable.

The editorial board ensures compliance with the principles of transparency at all stages of the editorial and publishing process, including the organization of independent review, compliance with the confidentiality of manuscripts and protection of copyright. Members of the editorial board must respect intellectual property and ensure the correct use and citation of scientific sources. The use of materials from other authors is allowed only if proper reference is made or appropriate permission is obtained.

The editorial board has the right to refuse to publish materials containing unreliable, unfounded or scientifically unconvincing results, and is also obliged to take measures in case of violations of academic integrity. In case of establishing facts of violation of copyright or ethical norms, the editorial board may initiate the procedure for withdrawing (retracting) the article with appropriate information to the authors and institutions where the research was performed.

Members of the editorial board participate in the formation and improvement of editorial policy, contribute to the development of the journal, its international visibility and popularization in the scientific community. They may also be involved in reviewing manuscripts or recommendations of competent reviewers, adhering to the principles of professional ethics and confidentiality. The editorial board ensures an appropriate response to substantiated comments and appeals regarding the content of publications.

 

Ethical norms for reviewers
Reviewers play a key role in ensuring the quality of scientific publications and the reliability of research results. In their activities, they must be guided by the principles of professional ethics, academic integrity, objectivity and confidentiality.

A reviewer should accept an invitation to review only within the limits of his own scientific competence, having a sufficient level of knowledge and experience to carry out a professional assessment of the manuscript. In the review process, he is obliged to adhere to the principles of equality and non-discrimination, ensuring equal treatment of all authors regardless of their personal or professional characteristics.

The evaluation of the manuscript must be objective, reasoned and based solely on the scientific value of the research, its novelty, methodological soundness and reliability of the results. Critical comments must be constructive, correct and aimed at improving the quality of scientific work, without resorting to personal assessments of the author.

The reviewer must adhere to the principles of scientific integrity in the process of expert review, ensuring the factual validity of the conclusions, the accuracy of the formulations and the prevention of distortion of the content of the study. An important condition is to maintain independence of judgments and prevent any external influence on the results of the review.

All information obtained during the review is confidential. The reviewer does not have the right to disclose the content of the manuscript or use unpublished materials for his own scientific or other purposes. If signs of unethical scientific behavior, in particular plagiarism, falsification or other ethical violations are detected, the reviewer must inform the journal editorial office. Further resolution of such issues is carried out in accordance with established editorial procedures and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The reviewer must also inform the editorial office of a possible conflict of interest and, if such circumstances exist, refrain from participating in the review.

Ethical norms for authors

Authors must adhere to the principles of academic integrity, ensure scientific novelty, reliability and validity of research results, and bear full responsibility for the content of submitted materials.

The manuscript must contain a sufficiently complete description of the research with proper citation of sources. Authors are required to avoid plagiarism, double submission and re-publication of the same results without appropriate reference. Only persons who have made a significant scientific contribution to the research are included in the composition of the authors. All co-authors must agree to the submission of the article for publication.

Authors are required to report a possible conflict of interest, comply with copyright and, in case of errors, inform the editorial office in a timely manner for their correction. Criticism in scientific publications must be justified and correct, without resorting to personal assessments.

 

Compliance with the Principles and Recommendations of COPE, WAME, DORA

The editorial board of the journal adheres to international standards of publication ethics, editorial integrity, and transparency in scholarly communication. In its activities, the journal follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), as well as the principles of open science and good editorial practice.

Editorial Principles:

• objective and independent peer review;
• compliance with the principles of academic integrity;
• prevention of plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification of research results;
• transparency of editorial procedures and article acceptance criteria;
• non-discrimination of authors on any grounds;
• ethical handling of conflicts of interest, complaints, and appeals.

The editorial board supports responsible research assessment and recognizes the priority of scholarly quality and academic integrity over formal scientometric indicators.

 

Licensing Terms for the Use of Copyrighted Materials

All materials published in the academic journal “Language: Codification, Competence, Communication” are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

This means that users are free to:

• read, download, and copy the journal’s materials;
• share them in any medium or format;
• reproduce, adapt, translate, and use the materials for scientific, educational, and research purposes.

Under the following conditions:

• appropriate credit must be given to the author(s) and the original source of publication;
• a link to the license must be provided;
• any changes made to the material must be clearly indicated;
• the use of materials for commercial purposes is prohibited without prior permission from the copyright holder.

Authors retain copyright of their work while granting the journal the right of first publication. After publication, authors are permitted to deposit their articles in institutional repositories, on personal websites, or other platforms, provided that proper reference to the original publication in the journal is included.

The editorial board supports the principles of open access and promotes the free dissemination of scholarly knowledge in compliance with academic integrity standards and copyright regulations.

 

Open Access Policy

«Language: Codification, Competence, Communication» is an open access journal, which means that all of its contents are available free of charge for all individuals and their institutions.

There is no charge for open access.

Access Rights
All articles published open access will be immediately and permanently free for everyone to read, download, copy, and distribute.

User Rights
Permitted third party reuse is defined by the following user license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY NC). The full details of the license are available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.en

Copyright
Authors will retain copyright alongside scholarly usage rights and «Language: Codification, Competence, Communication» will be granted publishing and distribution rights. Full-text access to scientific articles of the journal is presented in the Archive.

The Journal develops various procedures aimed at ensuring permanent access to the
content hosted on its servers:

• backup;
• monitoring of technological aspects to prevent possible format conversions or outdated software;
• digital preservation metadata;
• use of digital object identifiers (DOIs).

The Journal stores its metadata in Institutional Repository of Cherkasy State Technological University.

Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine (VNLU) is an independent scientific repository where issues of our journal are archived and openly stored. Its platform provides long-term access, preservation and dissemination of scientific content, ensuring the reliability and academic integrity of our publication.