Before submission

• check that the topic falls within the journal's objectives and scope;
• make sure the paper is original, has not been published and is not under review by another publication;
• remove from the manuscript intended for reviewers the authors' names, affiliations, acknowledgements and any other elements that could reveal their identity;
• prepare the details of all authors and the required declarations separately;
• check the accuracy of citations, references, data, tables and images;
• obtain the necessary permissions for protected materials and any applicable ethical or institutional approvals;
• declare funding, conflicts of interest and substantial use of artificial intelligence tools.

Files to be submitted

• The anonymised manuscript in DOCX format;
• The authors' information sheet, including full name, academic title, affiliation, city and country, institutional e-mail address and ORCID identifier, where available;
• The declaration of originality, authorship responsibility, conflicts of interest, funding and compliance with ethical standards;
• Tables, charts, maps or images as separate files when requested by the editorial office;
• Documents concerning permission to use third-party materials or ethics approvals, where applicable.

After submission

The corresponding author receives confirmation of registration and the manuscript code. All subsequent correspondence will refer to this code. Requests for additional information, reviewers' reports, the decision and the proof are sent to the corresponding author, who is responsible for informing the co-authors.

The revised version is submitted together with a response document. For each comment, the author indicates the change made and where it appears. If a comment is not accepted, the author provides a reasoned response without turning the correspondence into a personal dispute.

Withdrawal and changes to authorship

Withdrawal of a manuscript must be requested in writing and agreed by all co-authors. Adding or removing authors, or changing the order of authors after registration, is permitted only on the basis of an explanation and the written agreement of all persons concerned. After acceptance of the article, such changes are permitted only in exceptional circumstances.