Journal Policies

The journal policies include detailed information about submission, editorial and publishing processes and guidelines for authors and reviewers. To ensure smooth and ethical publishing process, all parties are introduced with their rights and responsibilities.

1. AUTHORSHIP

1.1. Anyone identified as the Author must have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research and to the writing of the article. They must be willing to take a shared responsibility in the research and in the article and approve the final version to be published. Anyone who does not fulfil these criteria but has contributed to either the research or the writing of the article should be acknowledged and thanked in the “Acknowledgements” section at the end of the article.
1.2. Any changes to authorship either during the peer review process or after acceptance must be confirmed by all named authors, and a reason for any addition/removal provided to the Editor-in-Chief.
1.3. Ideally, the contribution of each named author should be given in a “Contributor list” at the end of each article.

Information about article preparation and submission process can be found here: Guidelines for Authors.

2. AUTHORS' WARRANTIES

The author is responsible for ensuring that:
2.1. the manuscript is their own original work, and does not duplicate any other previously published work, including their own previously published work;
2.2. the manuscript has been submitted only to this journal; it is not under consideration or peer review or accepted for publication or in press or published elsewhere;
2.3. the manuscript contains nothing that is abusive, defamatory, libelous, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal.

Non-compliance with any of the above conditions will be considered misconduct and dealt with accordingly. Equally, if authors are found guilty of infringing any of the above, the publisher reserves the right to charge the authors with costs which the journal incurs for their manuscript at the discretion of the Journal’s Editors and the publisher.

3. PEER REVIEW

3.1. Each submission is checked for suitability when received by the editorial office, and may be rejected without review if it is outside the scope of the journal, is obviously of insufficient quality, or is missing important sections.
3.2. The journal invites external experts (not only Editorial Board members) to review each article that is considered suitable for consideration. The publication decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief after receiving at least two external reviewer reports with recommendations.
3.3. The Author is encouraged to suggest suitable reviewers, but the Editor-in-Chief and the editorial office reserves the right to select different reviewers. The reason for asking authors to suggest reviewers is that they are best placed to know who is an expert in the field. In addition, the suggested reviewers may be suitable for other articles on the same topic. Therefore, obtaining these names can help the editorial office to ensure that it is approaching suitable people to review all articles.
3.4. The journal uses double-blind peer review (neither the authors nor the reviewers know the identity of each other) to avoid bias.
3.5. On receipt of at least two reviews, the Editor-in-Chief will make a decision of (1) accept, (2) minor revision, (3) major revision, or (4) reject. The reasons for the decision will be communicated to the authors.
3.5.1. When the decision of minor/major revision is made, and the authors do not revise their articles satisfactorily after receiving reviewer reports, then the Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to reject the article. When revised articles are received, they will either be sent out for further review or the Editor-in-Chief will make a decision depending on the level of revision requested.
3.5.2. The time to review and make a decision is extremely variable since it is sometimes difficult to find suitable reviewers, and there may be delays in receiving reviewer reports. The Editor-in-Chief and editorial office make all efforts to minimize the time from submission to first decision. The journal aims to make a first decision (after review) within 30 days, but cannot guarantee this.

Note: articles that do not report original research (e.g., letters to the editor, editorials) are not externally reviewed and the Editor-in-Chief makes the decision to publish.

4. AUTHOR APPEALS

The Author has the right to appeal the decision of Rejection if they believe the decision was incorrectly made. To appeal the decision, the author must email the Editor-in-Chief or the publisher, giving reasons why they think the decision was wrong. The appeal will be considered by a member of the Editorial Board who was not involved in the original decision (nominated jointly by the Editor-in-Chief and the Publisher). There is only one chance to appeal, so it is very important that the author clearly explains the justification for making an appeal.

5. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (FILES)

The journal can accept supplementary files (information) that support the submitted article, e.g., image or text files (a survey questionnaire, maps, etc. which are described/analyzed in the article). Supplementary files should be provided with the submission. It will not be formally reviewed but will be considered to determine whether it is needed in the article.

Note: the author takes full responsibility for the content of any supplementary files, and the disclaimer on the supplementary information must clearly state that it has not been formally reviewed.

6. DATA SHARING

All researchers are encouraged to archive and share their data. Several grant funders now require this, and we also believe that this benefits research by enabling other researchers to reuse and reinterpret data for the benefit of all. The editorial board encourage all authors to make their data available in suitable repositories (for example FigShare or other similar repository) where the item will be safely archived and given a unique reference number (DOI or similar), so that it can be cited in the authors’ articles.

7. PERMISSIONS

The Author is responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce anything (e.g., figures, tables, texts) that has been previously published or created by another person. On request from the Editorial Office or Publisher the Author should be able to supply evidence of such permission.

8. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

8.1. A Conflict of Interest is defined as a situation where personal relationships (e.g., friend, colleague or family), business relationships (e.g., working in a competing company), or financial influences (e.g., funding) will affect the judgement of any person during the publication of the journal.
8.2. The Author is required to declare (within the article and to the Editor-in-Chief) any Conflict of Interest (COI) that may have affected their research (e.g., funding) or decision to submit to the journal.
8.3. Reviewers are required to declare if they have any Conflict of Interest (COI) that may affect their judgement of any article they review. The COI may not prevent them reviewing the article, but must be declared to the Editor-in-Chief as soon as it is known.
8.4. Editors are excluded from any publishing decision in which they may have a Conflict of Interest (COI). For example, if an article by a colleague of the Editor-in-Chief is submitted to the journal, the peer review and all editorial decisions will be managed by another editor.

9. PLAGIARISM AND COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

The Author is responsible for ensuring that their work is unique, and that they fully acknowledge the source of any content which is not entirely the Authors’ own. The journal will check articles for plagiarism (i.e., reproducing any content without attribution and permission) using PlagScan software and considers the inclusion of plagiarized content to be misconduct by the Author.

10. EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE

The editors have a right to select which articles to consider for publication and which to accept and/or reject without influence from the Publisher or other external bodies.

11. EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The journal editors have a duty to treat all submissions confidentially, and to ensure that judgements are made free of bias, and in a timely manner. Decisions on which articles to be published are the responsibility of the editors who also have a responsibility not to bring the journal into disrepute (by knowingly accepting bad quality or unethical articles or by failing to comply with the Journal Policies). The appointment of the Editorial Board is the duty of the Editor-in-Chief.

12. PUBLISHER RESPONSIBILITIES

The Publisher has a duty to ensure the journal meets international standards with respect to technology, archiving, data protection, and ethical policies.

13. OPEN ACCESS

13.1. This journal of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language is published Open Access under a licence CC-BY-NC 4.0 which allows readers to reuse the content without restriction. Open Access allows unrestricted sharing of scholarly information and helps to promote knowledge throughout the world. The Institute of the Lithuanian Language supports Open Access as an equitable means of ensuring that scholarly research, usually funded by public institutions, is made available to all.
13.2. Open Access publications are more likely to be discovered, read, cited, and used for future research than those published in closed journals. The Institute of the Lithuanian Language believes this is in the best interests of authors and their institutions, as well as for the journal itself to make all the Content freely available and reusable.
13.3. The Author retains copyright in their articles; however, the right of the first publication is granted to the Institute of the Lithuanian Language.

14. FEES AND CHARGES

14.1. The journal Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba is the property of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language (Vilnius, Lithuania).
14.2. The journal Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba operates as open access journal, the process is completely free of charge to both authors and readers. All publication fees are covered by the Institute of the Lithuanian Language.

15. CROSSMARK POLICY

15.1. Crossmark is a multi-publisher initiative to provide a standard way for readers to locate the current version of a piece of content. By applying the Crossmark logo the journal is committed to maintain the content it publishes and to alert readers to changes if and when they occur.
15.2. By clicking on the Crossmark logo the following information is obtained: the current status of a document and additional publication record information about the document.

16. CORRECTIONS

16.1. If an error is discovered after publication, it will be corrected by an erratum, retraction or in-line (dated) correction. The Author and Reader are encouraged to inform the publisher and Editor-in-Chief if there is anything that should be corrected.
16.2. Reported errors will be investigated by the publisher and Editor-in-Chief, and discussed with the Author. The appropriate correction will be made after this consultation.
16.3. Articles will be retracted if there is evidence of unethical research, unreliable data, misconduct or plagiarism, or if there are sufficient mistakes to invalidate the article.

17. MISCONDUCT

The Institute of the Lithuanian Language and the journal Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba follow the recommendations and policies of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding ethical policies and dealing with misconduct. Misconduct includes falsifying data, plagiarising others' works, and breach of confidentiality. Each case will be considered by the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, and in all cases the Author (or Reviewer) will be contacted directly. However, the Publisher reserves the right to speak directly to the Author's or Reviewer's institution or other appropriate organization if severe misconduct is suspected.

Note: if misconduct is suspected during the review process the manuscript will be held until any concerns have been resolved. If misconduct is confirmed during the review process the manuscript will be immediately rejected. If misconduct is proved after publication then the article will be retracted.

18. COMPLAINTS

Where the Author, Reviewer, Reader, or other person has a complaint against the journal Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba or editors, they should speak directly to the Publisher in the first instance. Wherever possible, the complaint will be dealt with by the relevant publishing or editorial person. Where a resolution is not satisfactory it will be passed to a more senior person for resolution.

19. PRIVACY STATEMENT

Thank you for visiting Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba website or registering a user account on Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba website.

The Journal Editorial office respects your privacy and will make every reasonable effort to protect your personal data. This Privacy Policy describes the information what personal data we collect, why we collect it and what we do with it.

19.1. Contact
The Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba website is the property of and is owned by the Institute of the Lithuanian Language.
If you have questions, concerns or suggestions related to our Privacy Policy, please contact us by email vilija.sakalauskiene@lki.lt.

19.2. Use of cookies
19.2.1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small files saved to the user’s computer’s hard drive that track, save and store information about the user’s interactions and usage of the website. This allows the website, through its server to provide the users with a tailored experience within this website.

19.2.2. What do we use cookies for?
19.2.2.1. We may use cookies to remember personal settings you have chosen at our website. In no other context do we use cookies to collect information that identifies you personally. Most of the cookies we set are automatically deleted from your computer when you leave our website or shortly afterwards.
19.2.2.2. We use anonymous session cookies (short-term cookies that disappear when you close your browser) to help you navigate the website and make the most of the features. If you log into the website as a registered user, your session cookie may also contain your user ID so that we can check which services you are allowed to access. Where any personal data is collected it is relevant to purpose and only absolutely necessary personal details are recorded.
19.2.2.3. This website uses tracking software to monitor its visitors to better understand how they use it. This software is provided by Google Analytics which uses cookies to track visitor usage. The software will save a cookie to your computer’s hard drive to track and monitor your engagement and usage of the website, but will not store, save or collect personal information.
19.2.2.4. Should users wish to deny the use and saving of cookies from this website onto their computer’s hard drive, they should take necessary steps within their web browser’s security settings to block all cookies from this website and its external serving vendors.

Note that Internet browsers allow you to change your cookie settings via the “options” or “preferences” menu in your browser. Please note that if you set your browser to refuse or block all cookies, certain features or functionalities of our websites will be limited or unavailable to you.

19.3. Personal information
Whilst using our website, you may be required to provide personal information (name, address, email, etc.). We will use this information to administer the journal’s online publication processes and databases. We will ensure that all personal information supplied is held securely in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and as adopted into the National Laws of the Republic of Lithuania.

You have the right at any time to request a copy of the personal information we hold on you. Should you wish to receive a copy of this, or would like to be removed from our database, please contact us at vilija.sakalauskiene@lki.lt.

19.3.1. What data do we collect?
We normally collect the following personal data from individuals when they register as a user on the Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba website:

Name, Surname
Email
Affiliation
Country
User account details (username)
ORCID iD (as the link to researcher’s public profile on https://orcid.org/)

19.3.2. Why is it being collected?
This data is collected in order to allow an individual to register as an author, reviewer or editor of the journal. This allows the individual to log in to the journal software and participate in the journal submission, review and/or editorial process (where applicable).

19.4. Information collection and use
19.4.1. How do we collect information?
Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba collects this data in two possible ways:
19.4.1.1. Via online forms on our website. When you complete the user registration form or enter your details in a text box. All this information requires a direct action by you at that time in order for us to receive it.
19.4.1.2. When you give us written or oral permission.You may give us written permission (e.g. via email) or oral (e.g. by telephone or in-person) for us to set up an account on your behalf.

Note. We could obtain the personal data (name, email, affiliation, country, ORCID iD) about individuals from Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba archive issues, published in previous Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba platform and transferred into new publishing platform.

19.4.2. How will the data be stored?
19.4.2.1. If you register as a user, your personal data will be stored on a database on our server. All your personal data will be accessible by the Institute of the Lithuanian Language, who takes the security of this database seriously.
19.4.2.2. The Editors of Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba have access to your email address, name and User ID via the website, to fulfil the Editorial role and manage the publication process (including, but not limited to: selecting reviewers; inviting submissions from registered authors; setting up user accounts on behalf of a reviewer or author where permission has been given).
19.4.2.3. A third party will have access to the database only where strictly necessary for website maintenance or development and only of the duration of the project. We take your privacy very seriously and actively take steps to ensure access is providing securely.

19.4.3. How will it be used?
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this online, open-access journal, and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

19.5. Email Notifications
19.5.1. If you are a registered user, you will receive automated email notifications from the journal software about submission or review processes in which they are involved.
19.5.2. If you are a registered user who has actively opted for the reviewer role (an opt-in tick-box on the registration form), you may receive review requests by email from the Editorial team when an article has been submitted in your field of expertise.
19.5.3. Articles will be published with a correspondence address (email) for the corresponding author.

19.6. Direct Emails
19.6.1. On rare occasions, the Editors may contact registered users who have not opted for the Reviewer role to invite them to register as a reviewer, if an article has been submitted in their field of expertise and no appropriate registered reviewer are available.
19.6.2. Any registered user may be emailed directly by journal production team, technical support team or Editors where necessary for providing access to their account or for completing the submission and publication process (e.g., if there are technical problems with the website).
19.6.3. Any registered user may be emailed directly by journal production team, technical support team or Editors on the basis of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language legitimate interest to improve the service provided (i.e., surveys and feedback) and to provide recognition for reviewer work (e.g., at the end of the year presenting acknowledgements for reviewers).

19.7. Corresponding Author Details
Articles will be published with a correspondence address (email) for the corresponding author.

19.8. Consent Renewal
The Institute of the Lithuanian Language may contact any registered user before their data is deleted (see below) to provide them with the opportunity to renew consent and remain on the system.

19.8.1. How long do we keep your data for?
Personal information will only be retained for as long as is necessary and as permitted by applicable laws. The length of time for which we will retain your personal information will depend on the purposes for which we need to retain it. After we no longer need to retain your personal information, it will be deleted or securely destroyed.

19.8.2. Registration forms
Journal Editorials Office will not sell or rent your personally identifiable information, gathered as a result of filling out the site registration form, to anyone.

19.8.3. Choosing how we use your data
19.8.3.1. We understand that you trust us with your personal information and we are committed to ensuring you can manage the privacy and security of your personal information yourself.
19.8.3.2. With respect to the information relating to you that ends up in our possession, and recognizing that it is your choice to provide us with your personally identifiable information, we commit to giving you the ability to do all of the following:
19.8.3.3. You can verify the details you have submitted to Standard Language / Bendrinė kalba by contacting our Support team vilija.sakalauskiene@lki.lt. Our security procedures mean that we may request proof of identity before we reveal information, including your e-mail address and possibly your address.
19.8.3.4. You can also contact us by the same method to change, correct, or delete your personal information regarding your profile at any time. Please note though that, if you have shared any information with others through social media channels, that information may remain visible, even if your account is deleted.
19.8.3.5. You are also free to close your account through our account settings. If you do so, your account will be deactivated. However, we may retain archived copies of your information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes (including to help address fraud and spam).
19.8.3.6. You can always feel free to update us on your details at any point by contacting our Support team jolita.urbanaviciene@lki.lt.
19.8.3.7. You can request a readable copy of the personal data we hold on you at any time. To do this, please contact us vilija.sakalauskiene@lki.lt.

Note: we are constantly reviewing how we process and protect data. Therefore, changes to our policy may occur at any time. We will endeavour to publicise any changes.

Last updated: 5 January 2021

Prepared according to Vinci Works Privacy Policy Template http://www.vinciworks.com/