About the Journal

Target readership

Labyrinth serves a broad audience dedicated to advancing knowledge and improving education. The journal promotes research on value theories and value-based or value-oriented social, cultural, and political practices. Its peer-reviewed articles aim to meet the needs of the following readers:

Researchers: Academics and Scholars conducting research in philosophy and axiology and related disciplines in the humanities.

Educators and Students: Philosophy educators and students who rely on in-depth analysis and critiques to support teaching and learning and develop a deeper understanding of philosophy and value theory.

Policy Makers, Institutions, and Officials: Political institutions and/or officials who wish to stay informed about discussions on axiological issues.

Publishing Ethics

Axia Academic Publishers and Labyrinth are committed to the values, ethical standards, and best practices in the publication of academic research presented and constantly discussed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). As books and serial publications are the products of a collaborative work between the publisher, the editors, the reviewers, and the author(s), it is of crucial importance to regulate the specific duties and responsibilities of all involved parties.

 I.    Duties and responsibilities of the Publisher: 

1. To support the editors in applying the COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Editors.
2. To offer editors technical support, including publishing tools and tools for detecting plagiarism, self-plagiarism, text recycling, and redundant publications.
3. To respect the editorial independence.
4. To respect the freedom of expression of the authors.
5. To guarantee the privacy of the authors and peer reviewers.
6. To protect intellectual property and copyright.
7. To ensure fair editing and peer review.
8. To ensure the transparency and integrity of the publishing process.
9. To ensure the publication of books and journals in a timely manner.
10. To take action within the editor(s) in cases of conflict of interest, suspected or detected incorrect authorship contribution or/and misconduct following the COPE Best Practice Guidelines. 

II. Duties and responsibilities of the Editors: 

1. To acknowledge receipt of the submitted manuscript.
2. To determine if the submitted manuscript fits the journal's topics and general guidelines, and if so, to ensure an efficient review process.
3. To handle the manuscript and any related information in a confidential manner, including the names and other details of the authors and the reviewers.
4. To decide to accept or reject a manuscript for publication with reference only to the manuscript's academic contribution (importance, argumentation, novelty, consistency, etc.) and its relevance to the journal's topics and profile.
5. To assure and respect the intellectual independence of authors and their freedom of expression.
6. To publish and regularly update the guidelines for submission on the journal's homepage.
7. To select competent reviewers free from competing interests.
8. To provide the reviewers with the guidelines and academic criteria for the evaluation of the submitted manuscripts.
9. To take action in case of suspected or detected incorrect authorship attribution.
10. To take action in case of suspected or detected misconduct, following the COPE Best Practice Guidelines.

 III.  Duties and responsibilities of the Reviewers: 

1. To respect the confidentiality of the manuscript strictly during the review process.
2. To review the quality of the paper carefully and to suggest any improvements if needed.
3. To evaluate a manuscript for publication with reference only to the manuscript's academic contribution (importance, argumentation, novelty, consistency, etc.) and its relevance to the journal's topics and profile.
4. To review the manuscript in a timely manner.
5. To inform the editors of any suspected or detected misconduct, including disputed authorship, text recycling, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, redundant publication(s), etc.
6. To disclose any potential competing interests before agreeing to review a manuscript.

 IV. Duties and responsibilities of the Author(s):

The English Oxford Dictionary defines an author as "a writer of a book, article, or document" or "an originator of a plan or idea". Authorship requires the ability to make an independent, substantial intellectual contribution. It includes significant involvement in study conception, data collection, or data analysis/interpretation, as well as involvement in drafting and revising the manuscript, approval of its final version for publication, and responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of all aspects and data of the presented research.

The author submitting a paper to Labyrinth has the following duties and responsibilities:

1. To ensure that he/she is the author of the manuscript, including all copyrights, and to provide correct information about himself/herself in the form of a brief biography, including name, address, institutional affiliation, academic degree, and position, and main publications. In case of multiple authorship, all authors should be able to display their individual contribution and those of their co-author(s).
2. To not use any pseudonym but to provide his/her real name. Submitting a paper under a pseudonym will lead to an automatic rejection of the manuscript due to the use of a fake personality.
3. To ensure that the paper is original and has not been previously published in or simultaneously submitted to another serial publication (journal, book series), and consequently, not to withdraw it after acceptance.
4. To not present interpretations, theses, methods, research data, and/or results as new if already been published in previous publications.
5. To not engage in falsification of the ideas of interpreted authors, data, and sources, but to present them with accuracy.
6. To not use microaggressive language.
7. To give full attribution to the used sources.
8. To not breach any copyright or make use of plagiarized data, reference omissions, self-plagiarism, or text recycling.
9. To not engage in redundant publication(s).
10. To declare any potential conflicts of interest.
11. In case of multiple authorship, each author must review and approve all manuscript drafts. While individual contributions may be limited to specific aspects of the work, all authors share responsibility for the integrity of the publication. One of the authors should be designated as having primary responsibility for the work as a whole, even if they do not possess detailed expertise in every component.

Anti-Plagiarism Policy

According to the English Oxford Dictionary, the word plagiarism originates from Latin plagiarius 'kidnapper' (from plagium 'a kidnapping', from Greek plagion). It defines it as "the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own".

2. Forms of Plagiarism

The different forms of plagiarism, as detected by a study by iThenticate, are:

• Replication: Submitting a paper to multiple publications in an attempt to get it published more than once.
• Duplication: Re-using work from one's own previous studies and papers without attribution.
• Secondary source: Using a secondary source, but only citing the primary sources contained within the secondary one.
• Misleading attribution: Removing an author’s name, despite significant contributions; an inaccurate or insufficient list of authors who contributed to a manuscript.
• Invalid source: Referencing either an incorrect or nonexistent source.
• Paraphrasing:  Taking the words of another and using them alongside the original text without attribution.
• Repetitive research: Repeating data or text from a similar study with a similar methodology in a new study without proper attribution.
• Unethical collaboration: Accidental or intentional use of each other’s work without proper attribution, when people who are working together violate a code of conduct.
• Verbatim:  Copying of another’s words and works without providing proper attribution, indentation, or quotation marks.
• Complete: Taking a manuscript from another researcher and resubmitting it under one’s own name.

 3. Anti-Plagiarism Policy

Labyrinth has a very strong anti-plagiarism policy that does not allow any plagiarism of others' ideas, discoveries, data, and/or work, nor self-plagiarism, text recycling, or duplicate publication. All submitted articles have to pass through an initial screening and will be checked through plagiarism detection software. In addition, the reviewers should instantly inform the editors if they suspect or discover any form of plagiarism.  

Any quotations, paraphrases or reproductions of charts should acknowledge the original source(s). Republication of a published conference paper is acceptable if at least 1/3 of the content is new, permission is given from the original copyright owner, and the previous publication has to be properly acknowledged. 

Sharing and Republication

The right to share a paper does not include the right to republish it in a third-party serial publication, collective work, book, textbook, etc. Under no circumstances is it allowed Labyrinth's articles to be republished in third-party journals or collective works, printed or online. However, Labyrinth grants permission to the author:

• To incorporate his/her article or parts of it in a future single-author book publication by giving appropriate credit
• To incorporate his/her article or parts of it in his/her dissertation by giving appropriate credit
• To republish the article in other languages by giving appropriate credit and informing the Editors 

On special occasions, Axia Academic Publishers may republish Labyrinth articles in textbooks or collective works, giving appropriate credit. 

Sponsors

Published with the support of the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna 

Referat Wissenschafts- und Forschungsförderung der Kulturabteilung (MA 7) der Stadt Wien

Sources of Support

Published and supported by the Institute for Axiological Research/ Institut für Axiologische Forschungen, Vienna

Journal History

The Journal was founded in 1999 and published online under the title Labyrinth: An International Journal for Philosophy, Feminist Theory & Cultural Hermeneutics. After 2003, it became a printed publication. Actually, it appears as a printed (free to buy) and online open-access journal (free to read).