About the Journal

All persons who meet authorship criteria are listed as authors, and all authors guarantee that they have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content, including participation in the concept, design, analysis, writing or revision of the manuscript. Furthermore, each author warrants that this material or similar material has not been and will not be submitted to or published in any other publication before its appearance in Promet – Traffic&Transportation.

Each author is expected to have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; or the creation of new software used in the work; or have drafted the work or substantively revised it; AND to have approved the submitted version (and any substantially modified version that involves the author's contribution to the study); AND to have agreed both to be personally accountable for the author's own contributions and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, even ones in which the author was not personally involved, are appropriately investigated, resolved, and the resolution documented in the literature.

1. Submission

Authors submit their manuscripts through the journal's online submission system, providing all required documents and ensuring adherence to the journal’s guidelines. They are expected to carefully follow the Instructions for Authors, as well as the Aims and Scope. It's also recommended that authors use English editing services or ask an English-speaking colleague for help to improve the manuscript's quality.

2. Pre-check

The editorial team conducts an initial screening to check for adherence to submission guidelines, relevance to the journal's scope, and overall manuscript quality. Manuscripts that do not meet these basic criteria may be rejected at this stage. All submitted manuscripts are subjected to plagiarism checks. After the initial evaluation, the editor will determine whether to proceed with the peer review or reject the manuscript.

3. Peer review

This journal uses a double-blind process, i.e., the identities of the reviewer and the author remain hidden between them throughout the review process. To make this possible, authors need to ensure that their manuscripts are prepared in such a way that their identities are not revealed.

After a paper is submitted, the editorial board decides whether the paper is acceptable. If the submitted paper meets the submission requirements, reviewers are selected and assigned to review the paper. The reviewers are prominent scientists and experts with an established scientific track record that guarantees their competence in reviewing scientific papers.

Each submission is reviewed by at least two reviewers.

The review criterion is scientific and formal appropriateness for the journal's mission.

Based on the relevant factors of paper evaluation, the reviewers submit one of three possible proposals: the paper is acceptable for publication; the paper requires changes and additions; the paper is not acceptable for publication.

If two reviewers provide a negative evaluation of a paper, the submitting author will be informed that the paper has not been accepted for publication.

Additional peer review is required when a paper has one negative evaluation. The additional review will be conducted by a new reviewer or a member of Editorial Board.

Reviewers’ opinions and suggestions are communicated to the author, who is then required to make the necessary adjustments together with other authors, as instructed by the reviewers.

If the author disagrees with the reviewers' suggestions, the Editor-in-Chief reconciles the different opinions.

The capacity to publish papers in the journal is limited. It is entirely possible that papers recommended for publication by reviewers will not be published due to space limitations. We make every effort to publish all eligible papers, but the Editor-in-Chief reserves the final decision on publication.

4. Editor Decision (Accept, Reject, or Revise)

Based on the reviewers' feedback, the editor makes a decision regarding the manuscript. Authors may receive requests for minor or major revisions, or the manuscript may be accepted or rejected.

If revisions are required, authors are given a specified timeframe to address reviewer comments and resubmit the revised manuscript. The revised version may undergo further review if necessary.

Once all necessary revisions have been completed, the editor makes a final decision regarding acceptance. Accepted manuscripts proceed to copyediting and formatting.

5. Invoicing

Authors will be invoiced for publication fees for processing and open-access charges, as outlined in the journal's policy.

6. Copyediting

The manuscript undergoes professional copyediting to ensure clarity, grammar, formatting, and adherence to the journal's style guide. Authors may be asked to review and approve any copyediting changes.

This step also includes layout design, formatting, and ensuring the manuscript meets the journal's standards for publication. Authors will be involved in approving the final proofs.

7. Publication

The manuscript is published online and made available to the academic community.

The journal adheres to COPE's procedures for addressing potential unethical behavior by authors, reviewers, or editors. More information is available at: https://publicationethics.org

Ethical standards for publication exist to ensure high-quality scientific publications, to foster public confidence in scientific findings, and to guarantee that individuals receive credit for their work and ideas.

All manuscripts are peer-reviewed and are expected to meet academic standards. If the editor agrees, submitted manuscripts will be peer-reviewed by reviewers whose identities will remain anonymous to the authors.

The Editorial Board will occasionally seek advice outside the normal peer review process, for example, on submissions with serious ethical, safety, or societal implications. We may consult experts before deciding on appropriate actions, including but not limited to recruiting reviewers with specific expertise, assessment by additional editors, or declining further review of a submission.

A penalty fee of EUR 500 will be imposed if it is determined that the authors have committed an ethical breach, including but not limited to fabrication and falsification of data, duplicate submissions to another journal, conflicts of interest, improper authorship, or ghostwriting. Authors who wish to appeal these decisions may request a review by our appeals committee, which will thoroughly evaluate the case to ensure fairness and accuracy.

Plagiarism

Authors may not use the words, figures, or ideas of others without acknowledging the source. All sources must be cited when used, and the reuse of phrases must be limited and properly cited or referenced in the text. The Journal utilizes Crossref Similarity Check (iThenticate) and the plagiarism prevention service Turnitin to detect submissions that overlap with published and submitted manuscripts. Manuscripts found to have been plagiarized from another author's manuscript, whether published or unpublished, will be rejected, and authors may be subject to sanctions. Published articles may need to be corrected or retracted.

Duplicate Submission and Redundant Publication

The journal considers only original content, i.e., articles that have not been previously published, even in a language other than English. Articles based on content that has only been published on a preprint server, in an institutional repository, or in a dissertation will be considered. The Journal accepts submissions previously posted on preprint servers, as long as they have not been peer-reviewed. If the paper is accepted, authors must include the full citation and DOI of the published paper on the preprint server.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal may not be submitted elsewhere while they are under consideration and must be withdrawn before being submitted elsewhere. Authors whose articles are simultaneously submitted elsewhere may be subject to sanctions.

If authors have used their own previously published work or work under review as the basis for a submitted manuscript, they must cite the earlier articles and indicate how their submitted manuscript differs from their earlier work. Reuse of the authors' own words should be stated or cited in the text. Reuse of the authors' own illustrations or extensive wording may require permission from the copyright holder, which authors are responsible for obtaining.

The journal will consider extended versions of articles published at conferences, provided this is explained in the cover letter, the earlier version is clearly cited and discussed, there is substantial new content, and all necessary permissions are obtained.

Redundant publication, i.e., inappropriately splitting study results into more than one article (also known as salami slicing), may result in rejection or a request to merge submitted manuscripts and correct published articles. Duplicate publication of the same or a very similar article may result in the later article being withdrawn, and authors may be subject to sanctions. 

Citation Manipulation

Authors whose submitted manuscripts contain citations primarily intended to increase the number of citations to a particular author's work or to articles published in a specific journal may be subject to sanctions. Editors and reviewers must not request that authors include citations solely to boost the number of citations to their own work, the work of a colleague, the journal, or another journal with which they are affiliated.

Fabrication and Falsification

Authors of submitted manuscripts or published articles found to have fabricated or falsified results, including manipulation of images, may be subject to sanctions, and published articles may be retracted. 

Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest (COIs, also known as 'competing interests') occur when issues external to the research could reasonably be perceived as affecting the neutrality or objectivity of the work or its evaluation. This may be the case at any stage of the research cycle, including the experimental phase, during the writing of a manuscript, or during the process of turning a manuscript into a published article.

If you are unsure, declare a potential interest or discuss it with the editor. Undeclared interests may result in sanctions. Submissions with undeclared conflicts that are later revealed may be rejected. Published articles may need to be re-evaluated, corrected, or, in severe cases, withdrawn.

Conflicts of interest do not always mean that a paper cannot be published or that someone cannot participate in the review process. However, they must be declared. A clear declaration of all possible conflicts—whether or not they actually had an impact—allows others to make informed decisions about the work and the review process.

When conflicts of interest are identified after publication, it can be embarrassing for the authors, the editor, and the journal. It may be necessary to publish a corrigendum or re-evaluate the review process.

Conflicts include the following: 

• Financial - Financial contributions and other payments, goods, and services received or expected by the authors in connection with the subject of the paper or from an organization that has an interest in the outcome of the paper.
• Affiliation - Employment by or membership on the advisory board of an organization that has an interest in the outcome of the work.
• Intellectual property - Patents or trademarks owned by someone or their organization.
• Personal - Friends, family, relationships, and other close personal connections.
• Ideology - Beliefs or activism, for example, political or religious, that are relevant to the work.
• Academic - Competitors or individuals whose work is criticised.

 

Authors

Authors must declare all potential interests, which should explain why these interests might present a conflict. If there are none, authors should declare in the Authorship Statement that there are no conflicts of interest in relation to the publication of the particular article. Submitting authors are responsible for ensuring that co-authors declare their interests.

The involvement of persons other than the authors who 1) have an interest in the outcome of the work, 2) belong to an organisation that has such an interest, or 3) have been employed or paid by a funder, in the commissioning, conception, planning, design, conduct, or analysis of the work, the preparation or editing of the manuscript, or the decision to publish, must be declared.

Declared conflicts of interest will be considered by the editors and reviewers.

Editors and reviewers

Editors and reviewers should decline to contribute to an article if they:

• Have a recent publication or current submission with any of the authors.
• Have or have recently had an affiliation with an author.
• Collaborate or have recently collaborated with an author.
• Have a close personal relationship with an author.
• Have a financial interest in the subject of the paper.
• Do not feel that they are in a position to be objective.

Reviewers must declare any remaining interests in the 'Confidential' section of the review form, which will be considered by the editor.

Editors and reviewers must declare whether they have previously discussed the manuscript with the authors. 

Sanctions

When the Editorial Board becomes aware of violations of our Publication Ethics Policy, regardless of whether the violation occurred in the journal, the following sanctions may be imposed: 

• Rejection of the manuscript and all other manuscripts submitted by the author(s).
• Prohibition from submission for 1 to 3 years.
• Prohibition from acting as an editor or reviewer
• A penalty fee of EUR 500 if it is determined that the authors have committed an ethical breach

The Editorial Board may impose additional sanctions for serious ethical violations. 

Corrections and Retractions

When errors are identified in published articles, the Editorial Board will consider what actions are required and may consult with the authors' editors and institutions.

A correction notice may be published as an Erratum, Correction, Corrigendum, or Author’s Correction.

If there are errors that significantly affect the conclusions or if there is evidence of misconduct, this may necessitate retraction or the expression of concerns in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

All authors are requested to agree to the content of the communication.

Appeals

Authors may submit an appeal regarding the editorial process through the Journal's online interface. Appeals must be filed within 8 days of receiving the decision, and must include a detailed justification.

Upon receiving an appeal, the Editor-in-Chief will review it within 10 days. If the appeal is valid, it will be forwarded to the Editorial Board for further consideration. Once a valid appeal is received, the Editorial Board will, within 30 days, appoint a three-member Appeals Committee composed of board members who were not involved in the original decision. The committee will review the appeal and issue a decision within 60 days. The final decision will be communicated to both the authors and the Editorial Board through the Journal's online platform. If the appeal is upheld, the Editorial Board will repeat the process in question.

Complaints

Alleged violations of our publication ethics policy, both pre- and post-publication, as well as concerns about research ethics, should be reported to the editor-in-chief at journal.promet@fpz.unizg.hr. Complainants may choose to remain anonymous if they wish (they can use an anonymous email service).

If a complaint is found to be valid, appropriate actions will be taken, which may include issuing a correction, retraction, or an apology. If the complaint is not upheld, an explanation will be provided to the complainant.

This journal provides instant open access to its content, on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports greater global knowledge sharing.

The Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences at the University of Zagreb would like the journal Promet – Traffic&Transportation to become a place for discussion and consideration of new ideas from scientists and experts in the field of traffic and transport technology.

That is why we have chosen free and open access to provide a place for all scientists, researchers and people with new ideas to publish and protect their work.

• Hrčak
  Our journal utilizes HRČAK, the central Croatian portal for open access academic journals hosted by the University of Zagreb University Computing Centre, for long-term digital archiving.
• National and University Library in Zagreb
  The journal is also subject to the legal deposit obligations of the National Library, ensuring its long-term preservation and availability as part of Croatia's national bibliographic collection.
• Croatian Web Archive
  The journal website is preserved as part of the national web content collection, ensuring long-term availability and accessibility of the online version of the journal for future reference.

The journal operates under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

• Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
• Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
• Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).