One set of editorial policies, every Calm Publika journal.

Aim & Scope

Calm Publika doesn't publish under one subject-matter scope — each journal defines and holds its own aims, scope and disciplinary focus, set by its own editorial board. What's shared across every title is the editorial process below, not the subject matter.

For the specific aims and scope of each journal, see the full directory.

Publication Ethics

Every Calm Publika journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices. We expect honesty, fairness, transparency and accountability from everyone involved in the publication process — authors, reviewers and editors alike.

Misconduct we act on includes data fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, undisclosed conflicts of interest, simultaneous submission to more than one journal, image or citation manipulation, and attempts to manipulate the peer-review process. Suspected misconduct is evaluated fairly, confidentially and in line with COPE's guidance — responses range from requesting clarification to correction, expression of concern or retraction.

Editors evaluate manuscripts on their merits regardless of the authors' race, gender, nationality or institutional affiliation, protect the confidentiality of submissions under review, and disclose their own conflicts of interest.

Authors submit original work, represent their findings honestly, properly cite and acknowledge the work of others, disclose funding and conflicts of interest, and cooperate with the editorial process — including providing underlying data if requested during review.

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts objectively within their area of expertise, keep the content of submissions confidential, decline to review where a conflict of interest exists, and flag concerns about originality or ethics to the editor.

Complaints about an editorial decision, the review process, or the conduct of an editor or reviewer can be raised through our contact page — every complaint is handled confidentially and in writing.

Peer Review Process

Every submission to every Calm Publika journal goes through double-blind peer review — reviewer and author identities are withheld from each other in both directions, so the argument is judged on its own merits.

• Initial screening. Incoming manuscripts are checked against the journal's scope, formatting requirements and originality before being sent to reviewers.
• Review. At least two independent reviewers, chosen for relevant expertise, evaluate each manuscript.
• Decision. The handling editor weighs reviewer recommendations and issues one of: accept, minor revisions, major revisions, or decline.
• Revision. Authors respond with a point-by-point account of how each comment was addressed.

Timelines are communicated up front when a submission enters review, with reminders along the way — not open-ended waiting.

Open Access Policy

Every article, in every Calm Publika journal, is free to read immediately on publication — no subscription, registration or paywall, for anyone, anywhere. There is no embargo period.

Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Readers may copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build on the material for any purpose, including commercially, provided appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source.

Originality & Plagiarism Screening

Every submission is screened for originality before it reaches reviewers, not after. Plagiarism — presenting another author's language, data or ideas as one's own without proper attribution — is not tolerated at any level, including self-plagiarism of an author's own previously published work.

We are in the process of formalizing the specific screening tool and similarity thresholds used across all four journals; this section will be updated with those specifics once finalized. Until then, every manuscript is reviewed for originality as a standard part of the editorial process.

Generative AI Policy

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as an author or co-author on any Calm Publika publication, and cannot be held accountable for a submission's content — that responsibility always rests with the named human authors.

For authors: AI-assisted tools may be used for language editing or improving readability. Using generative AI to create or alter research data, figures or images intended for publication is not permitted without full disclosure in the manuscript. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy of anything an AI tool contributed to.

For reviewers and editors: uploading a manuscript under review into a generative AI system is a breach of confidentiality and is not permitted. Editorial decisions and review recommendations must reflect independent human judgment.

Retraction, Withdrawal & Correction

Retraction. An article may be retracted for major scientific error that invalidates its findings, redundant publication, or serious ethical breaches such as plagiarism or fabricated data. Retractions follow COPE's retraction guidelines: the editor reviews the case, the author is given the opportunity to respond, and — if retraction proceeds — a public retraction notice is linked to the original article, which remains accessible and marked as retracted.

Correction. Minor errors that don't affect a paper's validity or conclusions can be corrected through a published erratum (publisher's error) or corrigendum (author's error), linked to the original article.

Withdrawal. Authors who wish to withdraw a submission still under review should contact the editorial team as early as possible through the journal's own submission system. Requests are evaluated case by case.

Copyright & License

Authors retain copyright to their own work. By publishing with a Calm Publika journal, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute and preserve the article — they don't sign copyright away.

Published articles carry a CC BY 4.0 license (see Open Access Policy above). Authors are free to reuse, archive and redistribute their own published work — in an institutional repository, on a personal site, or in a future publication — with attribution to the original journal.

Privacy Statement

Names and email addresses entered into any Calm Publika journal's submission system are used exclusively for that journal's stated editorial purposes — communicating about a submission, review, or publication. They are never sold, shared with third parties, or used for any other purpose.

Journal Business Model

Calm Publika does not charge readers anything, at any journal, ever — every article is free to read from the moment it's published.

Publication is supported in part by an Article Processing Charge (APC), paid by authors (or their institution/funder) only once a manuscript is accepted — never at submission, and never as a condition of peer review. The exact APC amount is still being finalized and will be published here, and on each journal's own site, before it takes effect.

There is no charge to submit a manuscript, and no charge if a manuscript is declined.

Advertising Policy

Calm Publika does not currently carry third-party advertising on any journal site. Editorial decisions are made independently of any commercial relationship, and no advertising placement will ever influence what gets published or how it's presented.

Archiving

Published articles are intended to remain accessible independently of any single journal's continued operation. We are in the process of formalizing long-term digital preservation arrangements (such as a LOCKSS Private Network or an equivalent archive) across all four journals — this section will be updated with the specific arrangement once it's in place.