Policies

Focus and Scope

Český lid / Czech Ethnological Journal is the leading peer-reviewed Czech ethnological journal, published in print and online, open-access format. Founded in 1891 and issued by the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the journal publishes high-quality scholarly articles in the fields of ethnology and sociocultural anthropology as well as interdisciplinary articles with a corresponding theoretical and methodological focus in the Czech, English, and Slovak languages. The journal publishes a wide range of studies, articles (peer-reviewed), reports, and news (not peer-reviewed). We welcome proposal for thematic issues and thematic sections of the journal.

Publication Frequency

There are a total of 4 issues per year, published quarterly on 25 March, 25 June, 25 September, and 15 December. These dates are strictly adhered to.

Section Policies

Definition of Article and Research Article 

Articles incorporate theoretical concepts to analyse and interpret empirical data; they may also reinterpret existing theories and theoretical concepts or introduce new ones. Research articles focus on the description and analysis of empirical data, taking into account the socio-historical and cultural context, but they do not include interpretations grounded in theoretical premises. The editorial board makes the final decision on whether the manuscript is classified as an article or research article based on the reviewers’ recommendations and other relevant considerations.

Peer Review Process

Manuscript submissions are first evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief (who, in cases of uncertainty consults with the Editorial Board). If a manuscript is deemed suitable for publication, i.e., it is appropriate to the journal’s thematic focus and complies with its publication standards, as outlined in PUBLICATION ETHICS, under Authors Responsibilities, it is sent to two independent reviewers selected by the Editor-in-Chief from a list approved by the Editorial Board as part of the double-blind review process. If the manuscript does not meet these criteria, the Editorial Board reserves the right to reject it without initiating peer review. Authors are notified of the outcome via email.

Every manuscript is reviewed on the basis of its intellectual content without regard to the author’s age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, country of origin, or political philosophy. All manuscripts submitted for peer-review are kept strictly confidential. The Editor-in-Chief, Executive Editor, Technical Editor and the Editorial Board must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, or other editorial advisers, where appropriate.

Reviewers must have relevant expertise, no personal ties to the author, and no apparent conflicts of interest. Editors of Český lid / Czech Ethnological Journal may not serve as reviewers, though Editorial Board members may. Each manuscript is reviewed by two individuals.

Upon acceptance of the review assignment, they agree to meet the review deadline and maintain confidentiality. Reviewers must confirm receipt of the manuscript. Reviews are submitted only to the Editor-in-Chief; reviewers must not share their evaluations with third parties. If a reviewer identifies the author, faces a conflict of interest, or feels they lack the necessary expertise, they must inform the Editor-in-Chief and decline the review.

Following advice from the reviewers, the Editor-in-Chief (with the approval of the Editorial Board) will determine whether the piece (a) is suitable for publication with minor or no changes; (b) needs to be revised and resubmitted; (c) is to be rejected; (d) is to be sent to a third reviewer.

Manuscripts are accepted if both reviewers recommend publication (with or without revisions). If one reviewer supports publication and the other recommends substantial revisions or rejection, a third reviewer is consulted. If the third reviewer supports publication (with or without revisions), the manuscript is accepted. If they recommend substantial revisions or rejection, the manuscript is declined.

The final decision is always presented to and approved by the Editorial Board. The Editor-in-Chief informs the author via email and shares the anonymous reviewer comments. The Editor-in-Chief works closely with reviewers and authors to guarantee a timely review and publication process.

Authors have up to six months to revise their manuscript after receiving feedback. After this period, the manuscript will be excluded from editorial consideration. The Executive Editor works closely with authors to prepare the formal aspects of the manuscript for publication.

The Editor-in-Chief must also follow the journal’s policies and legal requirements, such as those regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

If the editors publish in the journal, the peer review process is independent of them and is managed by a member of the Editorial Board. In such cases, the editors do not participate in selecting reviewers or communicating with them and may not vote on the acceptance or rejection of their articles in the Editorial Board, irrespective of membership.

In cases of editorial misconduct, appeals may be directed to the publisher – the statutory representative of the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

For more information on the peer review process, see the section Reviewers’ Responsibilities  at the link PUBLICATION ETHICS.

Zero Tolerance for Ghostwriting and “Guest authorship”

Academic integrity is the foundation of quality scholarship and readers should be assured that the authors of published works present results and findings in a manner that is in keeping with the standards of transparency, integrity, and honesty.

Scholarly ethics and the highest editorial standards require strict transparency of information on all persons and institutions that have contributed to the publication (i.e., to its ideas, content, production, or funding, etc.). Providing complete information of this kind is not only an expression of good academic practice but also a demonstration of social responsibility. Ghostwriting and “guest authorship” are practices that violate this principle.

Ghostwriting occurs when a person has substantially contributed to a publication, but their participation as a co-author is not disclosed or their role is not acknowledged in the acknowledgements of the publication.

“Guest authorship” (also known as “honorary authorship”) occurs when an author’s or co-author’s contribution to a published work is minimal or non-existent, yet they are listed as the author or co-author of the work.

To counteract ghostwriting and guest authorship, the journal’s Editorial Board has introduced the following principles:

1. Authors are required to disclose their own specific contributions to a particular work (i.e., state their affiliations and specify the nature of their contributions).
2. Authors are required to provide a financial disclosure (i.e., report their sources of funding for the publication and any contributions from academic research institutions, associations, or other bodies).
3. The information specified in points 1 and 2 must be included in a declaration submitted with the manuscript.
4. The Editorial Board will document all instances in which the principles of scholarly ethics have been violated and infringed upon and notify the appropriate bodies and authorities.

Open Access Policy

The journal’s goal is to foster leading research in ethnology and sociocultural anthropology by maximizing the free exchange of scholarly knowledge. Český lid / Czech Ethnological Journal provides open access to all of its content. The journal is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The Český lid journal is published in the so-called diamond open access regime.

Vital Information for Authors:
1. Fees: There are no article processing charges (APC) for authors or for article submissions.
2. Copyright Owner: The author.
3. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
4. Self-Archiving: The author may archive pre-print, post-print, and publisher's versions (PDF) of their article, but must provide the journal title, volume, issue, pages, DOI, and link to the journal website.
5. Content freely available on the journal website: Immediately upon publication.

Indexing, Abstracting and Archiving

Český lid / Ethnological Journal is regularly indexed and abstracted in SCOPUS, DOAJ, ERIH, CEJSH, JSTOR, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, IBR, IBZ.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

COPE general guidelines http://publicationethics.org/

Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief of Český lid / Czech Ethnological Journal is responsible for determining which articles submitted to the journal are to be published. The Editor-in-Chief follows the reviewers’ recommendations and his/her decision must always be approved by the Editorial Board. The Editor-in-Chief must also follow the journal’s policies and legal requirements, such as those regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

Equal Opportunity

Every manuscript will be reviewed based on intellectual content without regard to the author’s age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, country of origin, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts submitted for peer-review are kept strictly confidential. The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Team must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, or other editorial advisers, as appropriate.

Zero Tolerance for Ghostwriting

Academic integrity is the foundation of quality scholarship and readers should be assured that the authors of published works are presenting results and findings in their studies in a manner that is in keeping with the standards of transparency, integrity, and honesty.

Scholarly ethics as well as the highest editorial standards require strict transparency of information on all persons and institutions that have contributed to the publication (i.e. to its ideas, content, production, or funding, etc.). Providing complete information of this kind is not only an expression of good academic practice but also a proof of social responsibility. Ghostwriting and "guest authorship" are practices that violate this principle.

Ghostwriting occurs when a person has substantially contributed to a publication, but his/her participation as a co-author is not revealed or his/her role is not acknowledged in the acknowledgements included in the publication.

"Guest authorship" ("honorary authorship") occurs when an author’s/co-author’s contribution to a published work has been scant or none-existent, and yet he/she is listed as the author or co-author of the work.

In order to counteract ghostwriting and guest authorship, the journal’s Editorial Board has introduced the following principles:

1. Authors are required to reveal their own specific contributions to a particular work (i.e. providing their affiliation and specifying the nature of their contributions).
2. Authors are required to provide a financial disclosure (i.e. reporting their resources of financing the publication and any contributions from academic research institutions, associations, and other bodies).
3. Information specified in points 1 and 2 should be provided in the declaration enclosed with the manuscript.
4. The Editorial Board will document all instances where the priciples of scholarly ethics have been violated and infringed upon and notify appropriate bodies and authorities.

Multiple, or Concurrent Publication

Submitted manuscripts must not have been published elsewhere, and they cannot be currently under review elsewhere. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is not tolerated.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Proper acknowledgment of work by others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

Copyright

During the submission process the authors are asked to agree to the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which will apply to the submission if and when it is published by this journal.