- » Aim and Scope
- » Section Policies
- » Publication Frequency
- » Archiving
- » Peer-Review
- » Publishing Ethics
- » Founder
- » Author fees
- » Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
- » Plagiarism detection
- » Preprint and postprint Policy
- » Revenue Sources
- » Themed issue policy
- » Data sharing policy
- » CrossMark policy
- » Generative AI usage policy
- » Open Access Policy
Aim and Scope
The journal publishes research papers on the development of the Baltic region. The editorial board aims to present a wider view of the processes taking place in the region. The journal is a venue for high-quality research focusing on the geographical, economic, political, sociological, and socio-cultural aspects of the region. The editorial board also encourages submissions on the theory and methodology of regional studies.
All submitted papers are peer-reviewed and checked for plagiarism.
The journal publishes original research papers, which have not been published earlier. By submitting a paper to the journal, authors take upon themselves the obligation not to publish it in full or in part in any other media without the consent of the editorial board.
Manuscripts should be formatted in accordance with the requirements given in the Guidelines for Authors and submitted only through the online submission system.
Section Policies
Open SubmissionsPublication Frequency
4 issues per year
Archiving
- Russian State Library (RSL)
- National Electronic-Information Consortium (NEICON)
Peer-Review
All submitted manuscripts are checked for their correspondence with the themes and formal requirements of the journal. The journal conducts a double-blind peer review of all manuscripts. Reviewers remain anonymous to the author, and the authors' identity is not disclosed to the reviewers. At least two independent experts are selected by the editors amongst those having previous experience in the subject area.
Most papers are reviewed by two reviewers. A third reviewer may be invited in case the two previous reviews contradict each other. When choosing a reviewer, the editors are guided by the expertise of the reviewer and the absence of professional relationships between the author and the reviewer.
When submitting an article for reviewing, the author may indicate persons with whom there is or may be a conflict of interest caused by competition or cooperation. The editors will take this information into account.
In their work, reviewers are guided by the principles formulated by the Committee on Publication Ethics. Based on these principles the "Editorial Ethics" was developed.
Review deadlines are set by the editor-in-chief, who strives to minimize the time between the submission of a manuscript and a decision on it.
The review covers the following aspects:
- correspondence of the title to the content of the article;
- topicality of the article, its correspondence to the latest developments in the field;
- readability of the article in terms of language, style, layout, etc.;
- novelty of the article in comparison with the previously published works;
- other positive and negative features of the article that could be developed or corrected by the author;
- recommendation to publish or to decline publication.
In addition to providing comments for the author, reviewers have the following five options to express their opinion on the article:
- to accept the article;
- to accept after minor corrections;
- to accept after major corrections;
- to resubmit for another review after major corrections;
- to reject the article.
In case the reviewer recommends making changes to the article, his/her recommendations are sent to the author with a suggestion for revision. It is the author’s right to defend his/her position before the editorial board and the reviewers. A revised article is then re-submitted for another review.
If the article is accepted, the secretary notifies the author and informs him/her about the planned time of publication.
A positive review is a necessary but not sufficient condition for publication. The editorial board makes the final decision.
Peer review is confidential. The author receives the text of the review. Confidentiality is breached only in cases of plagiarism or falsification.
Publishing Ethics
The editorial board of the "Baltic Region" complies with the ethical standards adopted by the international scientific community. In our work, we rely on the recommendations of the Committee of Publication Ethics, the AIRP (Alliance of Independent Regional Publishers) Declaration "Ethical Principles of Scientific Publications", as well as the valuable experience of authoritative international journals and publishing houses. All parties engaged in the editorial and publishing process - authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher of the "Baltic Region" - should observe the principles of publication ethics.
- Duties of the authors
1.1 Authors submitting a manuscript to the "Baltic Region" should ensure that they have written entirely original works, i.e. the text has not been published earlier and is not under review by another journal. If the article is based on the material previously published such as a blueprint, a preprint, or a working paper, the editorial board should be notified about it.
1.2 All co-authors are required to make a substantial contribution to the manuscript. Co-authors should agree on the final text of the manuscript and give their consent to submit the manuscript to the journal. A corresponding author collaborates with the editorial board on the preparation of the manuscript for publication and notifies all co-authors about possible changes in the manuscript provided they are required.
1.3 The journal has zero tolerance for plagiarism. Authors should cite publications that have influenced their work. All quotations must have proper references to their original texts. Plagiarism in any form, including copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another paper, claiming results of research conducted by others, is unacceptable.
1.4 The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works. They should also ensure proper citation and if they quote other works, all quotations should be appropriately cited, or quoted and permission obtained where necessary.
1.5 Authors are required to disclose any financial or other conflict of interest that could affect the evaluation of their manuscript. Examples of possible conflicts of interest are employment, consultancy services, shared ownership, honoraria, paid expertise, patents, grants, and other forms of funding. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.
1.6 If the author finds errors or inaccuracies in the manuscript when the manuscript is being reviewed or after its publication, he/she should notify the editorial board as soon as possible. If the editorial board learns from a third party that the published work contains an error, the author has to promptly refute or correct the text, or provide the editorial board with evidence of the correctness of the published work.
- Duties of the reviewers
2.1 Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two peer reviewers who are free to offer reasoned criticism regarding the level and clarity of the manuscript submitted, its relevance to the profile of the journal, and the novelty and credibility of the results.
2.2 A reviewer who is aware of his/her lack of qualifications to review a manuscript or who does not have sufficient time to complete the work within the deadline should notify the editor in good time.
2.3 Any work accepted for review is considered confidential. Manuscripts are not to be shown or discussed with others, except those authorized by the editorial board.
2.4 Reviews must be objective. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable. Reviewers should clearly express their opinion and support it with relevant arguments.
2.5 It is the responsibility of the reviewer to identify fragments of published works cited without proper reference. Any assertion that an observation, conclusion, or argument has been previously made must be accompanied by an appropriate reference. The reviewer is obliged to draw the editor's attention to the similarity of the submitted manuscript with any other published work known to the reviewer.
2.6 Unpublished materials contained in the submitted work cannot be used in the reviewer's research without the written consent of the author. Confidential information obtained in the reviewing process must not be disclosed or used for personal benefit.
2.7 The reviewer is obliged to refuse consideration of the submitted work if there is a conflict of interest arising from competition, cooperation, or any other kind of relationship with the authors and organisations related to the work.
- Duties of the editors
3.1 The editor is solely responsible for the decision on the publication of the manuscript, relying on the cooperation of the reviewers and the editorial board of the journal. This decision should always be made based on the credibility of the work and its importance for researchers and readers.
3.2 The editor evaluates submitted papers, and their intellectual content, regardless of the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political views of the author.
3.3 The editor is obliged to refuse consideration of submitted work if there is a conflict of interest arising from competition, cooperation, or any other kind of relationship with authors and organisations related to the work (the editor's functions can be delegated to a member of the editorial board).
3.4 The editor should resolve conflicts that may arise and use all available means to resolve them.
3.5 The editor who has received convincing evidence that there has been a breach of ethics, or erroneous statements or conclusions in the published article shall respond as soon as possible by notification of changes, withdrawal (retraction) of publication, and other appropriate actions. All complaints of an ethical nature are subject to consideration, even if made several years after the publication.
3.6 The editor should not publish the article without an agreement with the authors.
3.7 The editorial board has no right to force authors to cite previously published articles in the "Baltic Region" to artificially improve scientometric indicators.
3.8 The editor plans the contents of the issues based on the order of manuscript submission, taking into account priorities for thematic sections and issues of the journal. The editorial board has the right to change the order of publication in accordance with the contents of forthcoming issues.
3.9 The editor has the right not to correspond with the authors concerning the final review results.
- Duties of the publisher
4.1 The publisher should not influence the editorial policy of the journal.
4.2 The publisher should provide organisational, financial, intellectual, and legal support to the editorial board of the journal.
4.3 The publisher should ensure the timely publication of the issues of the journal.
- Retraction of articles
5.1 In situations related to the withdrawal of articles, the editorial board and the publisher of the "Baltic Region" are guided by the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE Retraction Guidelines) and AIRP Council of Ethics (Rule of Retraction of an article from publication).
5.2 An article can be retracted for the following reasons:
- publication of the same manuscript in several journals;
- plagiarism;
- errors in the manuscript or falsification of the data that cast doubt on its scientific value.
5.3 An article may be retracted following an official request of the authors with a reasoned explanation of the decision or on the initiative of the editorial board or the publisher based on their expertise. In the latter case, an official letter explaining the reasons for retracting the article is sent to the author (or to the lead author in the team of authors).
5.4 After the retraction, the article remains on the website of the journal as part of the issue and retains the DOI, but is marked as ‘retracted’. The same notice is made in the table of contents of the issue. The PDF version of the article is replaced by an identical version with a watermark indicating on each page that the article has been retracted.
5.5 The editorial board publishes a statement of retraction indicating the reasons and the date of retraction on the official website of the journal. The editorial board sends the notification of the retraction to the Scientific Electronic Library (elibrary.ru) and other bibliographic databases in which the journal is enlisted. Notification will be sent to the AIRP Scientific Publications Ethics Council for its inclusion in the Unified Database of retracted articles.
Founder
- Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University
- Saint Petersburg State University
Author fees
Publication in “The Baltic region Journal" is free of charge for all the authors.
The journal doesn't have any Article processing charges.
The journal doesn't have any Article submission charges.
Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.
Plagiarism detection
“The Baltic region Journal" use native russian-language plagiarism detection software Antiplagiat to screen the submissions. If plagiarism is identified, the COPE guidelines on plagiarism will be followed.
Preprint and postprint Policy
The platinum open access policy adopted by the Baltic Region allows and encourages authors to post their accepted articles on personal websites orrepositories, such as ResearchGate and/or affiliated institution’s storage systems. This can be done both before and after publication. Authors should include a citation linking to the published version of the article in this journal within the bibliographic description
The journal adheres to the free self-archiving policy.
What and when authors can self-archive
Preprints
The editorial office of the Baltic Region journal encourages authors to post manuscript preprints on preprint servers. A preprint, as defined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), is a research manuscript uploaded by authors to an open platform, typically before or during the journal’s peer review process. Posting a preprint is not considered duplicate publication and does not influence the editor’s decision on publishing the article in the Baltic Region.
Authors should notify the editorial office of the Baltic Region about the posted preprint at the time of submitting their manuscript for review and provide a link to the preprint, including the DOI identifier and the preprint’s distribution terms. Authors are responsible for updating the preprint to include a link to the published article. This link must include the DOI and the URL of the article’s version published on the journal’s website at https://balticregion.kantiana.ru/.
The original text of the preprint should not be altered based on the reviewers’ and editor’s comments. The text of the preprint should not be replaced with the text of the published article. The text of the preprint need not be removed.
Manuscripts accepted for publication
The editorial office of the Baltic Region journal allows authors to self-archive manuscripts that have undergone peer review and have been accepted for publication. Authors may use the following options for posting this version of the manuscript:
- a personal website or blog,
- a repository of the affiliated institution,
- a themed repository;
- direct contact with colleagues or students, offering this version of the article for personal use.
In the manuscript, authors should clarify its status and provide information about the forthcoming publication.
Example: ‘The article “Title of the Article” has undergone peer review, has been accepted for publication, and will be published in issue No. ___ of the year ____ in the Baltic Region journal.’
After the final version of the manuscript is published, the author is responsible for updating the publication with a link to the published article. The text should not be modified based on reviewer and editor comments. The text of the posted version of the manuscript should not be replaced, while the text of the posted version of the manuscript need not be removed.
Final versions of manuscripts
The editorial office of the Baltic Region allows authors to self-archive manuscripts that have undergone peer review, have been accepted for publication and have completed editorial processing, i.e. have been proofread and typeset. Authors may use the following options for posting this version of the manuscript:
• a personal website or blog,
• a repository of the affiliated institution,
• a themed repository;
• direct contact with colleagues or students, offering this version of the article for personal use.
After the final version of the manuscript is published, the author is responsible for updating the publication with a link to the published article. The text should not be modified based on the reviewers’ and editor’s comments. The text of the posted version of the manuscript should not be replaced, while the text of the posted version of the manuscript need not be removed.
Revenue Sources
The publication of the journal is financed by the funds of the parent organization, at the expense of the publisher, publication of advertising materials, publication of reprints, article processment charges.
Themed issue policy
The Baltic Region journal publishes themed issues on the most relevant research topics aligning with the journal’s focus. Themed issues are compiled with the involvement of guest editors specialising in the field. All manuscripts submitted for consideration in such an issue undergo the standard peer-review process and comply with both the journal’s editorial policy and ethics guidelines.
The editor-in-chief and the editorial board of the journal oversee the appointment of guest editors and the selection of manuscripts for themed issues, to ensure the exceptional quality of the published materials.
All submitted works, including those intended for publication in themed issues, undergo double-blind peer review involving at least two authoritative external experts.
Data sharing policy
The Baltic Region supports and encourages authors to provide the data supporting the findings presented in the article, either by archiving it in an appropriate publicly accessible repository or by sharing it through the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Authors are required to prepare a data availability statement to be published in their article and must include a reference to the provided raw data in the list of references.
We recommend that authors consult the indexing services of Figshare and Mendeley Data repositories or check whether their institution offers storage for affiliated researchers.
CrossMark policy
CrossMark is a multi-publisher initiative from Crossref, provides a standard way for readers to locate the authoritative version of an article or other published content. By applying the CrossMark logo, journal "Baltic Region" is committing to maintaining the content it publishes and to alerting readers to changes if and when they occur.
Clicking the CrossMark logo on a document will tell you its current status and may also give you additional publication-record information about the document.
Generative AI usage policy
Generative artificial intelligence and AI-based technologies may be used in academic writing to enhance the language of the manuscript, including grammar, syntax and spelling. In this case, no statements regarding the use of AI are required from the author(s).
In all other cases, authors must declare the use of generative AI technologies in the “Additional Information” section. This statement may read: “When preparing this article, we used [name of tool/service] for [reason]. After using this tool/service, we reviewed and edited the content as necessary and take full responsibility for the content of the published article”. This indicates that the use of AI technologies should be accompanied by human oversight and control. Authors should carefully check and edit the results obtained, as AI-generated text can often be erroneous, incomplete or biased. Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their work.
If the manuscript includes images created or altered using generative AI or AI-supported tools, authors must disclose this in the “Additional Information” section, providing a detailed description of when and how these tools were used. Additionally, authors must confirm that they have obtained all necessary rights to use such materials.
Authorship of the manuscript may be assigned solely to a human being. AI and AI-supported technologies cannot be listed as author(s) or co-author(s) due to their inability to meet authorship criteria: they cannot take responsibility for the work, consent to publication, manage copyright or address issues related to conflicts of interest.
Open Access Policy
The Baltic Region is a platinum open access journal. All its articles will be immediately open for all to read, download, copy and distribute for an unlimited period. Articles are published and distributed under the terms of CC BY-NC 4.0 Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Deed. The CC BY-NC licence permits unlimited use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is cited.
There is no charge to authors for publishing their contributions. The journal is supported by the founder’s resources.
