Publication Ethics

Authors are required to submit only original and unpublished work that has not been submitted to any other conference or journal, and any form of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification or manipulation of results is strictly prohibited. Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contribution, meaning that only individuals who have substantially participated in the research and manuscript preparation may be listed as authors, and all listed authors must approve the final submitted version. Authors are expected to report data, methods and sources accurately and transparently, and, when relevant and feasible, make their data available for verification or replication. All sources that have influenced the research must be properly cited, with appropriate acknowledgement given to prior work, funding bodies, and any external assistance. Authors must also disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the research, as undisclosed conflicts of interest may result in rejection or retraction. The use of artificial intelligence tools is permitted only for limited tasks such as language editing or formatting; the substantive intellectual work—including conceptual development, analysis and interpretation—must be carried out by the authors themselves, and any use of AI must not compromise confidentiality or lead to plagiarism.

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts assigned for evaluation as strictly confidential and may not share, reproduce, or use any unpublished material for personal or professional purposes. Their assessments must be objective, evidence-based, and free from personal or ideological bias, with all criticism presented constructively and directed toward improving the scholarly quality of the submission. Reviewers are required to decline an assignment if any conflict of interest exists, whether personal, institutional, collaborative, financial, or competitive in nature. They must also notify the program committee immediately if they feel unqualified to evaluate the manuscript or are unable to complete the review within the specified timeframe. The use of artificial intelligence tools is limited to minor tasks such as clarifying the reviewer’s own written comments; reviewers must not disclose manuscript content to public AI systems or rely on AI to produce scientific judgements. Reviewers remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity and professionalism of their reports.

Editors and members of the organizing committee are responsible for ensuring that all manuscripts are evaluated fairly and impartially, relying solely on academic merit and never discriminating on the basis of authors’ origin, gender, seniority, institutional affiliation, or personal characteristics. The editorial and review procedures are transparently described on the LEF website, and all editorial decisions are grounded in the expert assessments provided by reviewers together with the editors’ own independent judgement. In cases where ethical breaches are suspected, including plagiarism, data manipulation, duplicate submissions, or undisclosed conflicts of interest, editors will take appropriate action, which may involve requesting clarification from the authors, rejecting the manuscript, removing it from the proceedings, issuing corrections, or retracting the work entirely. Editors and conference staff are also obliged to maintain strict confidentiality and must not disclose any information regarding submitted manuscripts to anyone not directly involved in the evaluation process.

The conference upholds strict publication ethics and procedural safeguards to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record. All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism-detection software, and any overlapping text, improper attribution, or uncredited reuse of material will trigger appropriate editorial action. If significant errors or ethical violations come to light after a manuscript has been accepted or published, the conference reserves the right to issue corrections or to retract the work in alignment with COPE guidelines. Authors are expected to cooperate fully with editors in addressing any concerns that arise post-publication and must promptly correct or clarify mistakes identified in their research.

The conference maintains a clear and transparent procedure for handling complaints, appeals, and allegations of research or publication misconduct. Any concerns related to editorial decisions, the peer-review process, authorship disputes, or suspected ethical violations may be submitted directly to the Editorial Committee using the official contact information provided on the conference website. All complaints are treated confidentially and are reviewed promptly by the Chair of the Editorial Committee or a delegated senior member who is not involved in the original decision. When necessary, additional independent members of the scientific committee may be consulted to ensure impartial evaluation. The conference protects the anonymity of complainants whenever reasonably possible, and each case is examined with attention to fairness, evidence, and consistency with COPE guidelines. Complainants are informed of the outcome once the review is complete, and an appeals process is available if the party believes that the procedure was not conducted appropriately or that relevant information was overlooked. This structured approach ensures accountability, ethical oversight, and procedural integrity throughout the publication process.

The conference applies clear policies concerning intellectual property, copyright, and licensing to ensure transparency and protect the rights of authors and publishers. Authors retain the copyright to their work while granting the conference a non-exclusive right to publish the accepted manuscript in its official proceedings and to make it accessible through the conference’s dissemination channels. By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that the content is original and that they hold the rights to all included materials, such as figures, tables, or third-party content, or that they have secured the necessary permissions for their use. Accepted papers are published under a licensing framework defined by the conference, which specifies the conditions under which the work may be accessed, cited, or reused. Any reuse of the published material must comply with copyright law and the licensing terms communicated to authors during the submission process. Authors remain responsible for ensuring that their work does not infringe on the rights of others, and the conference reserves the right to remove material that is found to violate intellectual property regulations or that was published without appropriate permissions.

The conference is committed to maintaining the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record through clear procedures for post-publication discourse and correction. If substantive errors, inaccuracies, or omissions are identified after publication, the conference will issue corrigenda or errata as appropriate, and when necessary, retract the work in accordance with COPE guidelines. All corrections and updates will be clearly linked to the original publication to ensure full transparency for readers. The conference also supports responsible post-publication academic discussion and encourages authors to respond to legitimate scholarly queries or concerns raised by readers or members of the academic community. Readers who identify potential errors or ethical issues may contact the Editorial Committee through the official channels provided on the conference website, and all such communications will be reviewed promptly and impartially. This approach ensures that published work remains open to constructive scholarly dialogue while upholding the highest standards of accuracy and ethical oversight.

For submissions involving human participants, personal data, or sensitive populations, the conference requires authors to demonstrate full compliance with established ethical standards for human-subjects research. Authors must confirm that their study received approval from an appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee prior to data collection, and that all procedures adhered to relevant legal and ethical frameworks. When informed consent is required, authors must state that participants were fully informed about the nature of the research and voluntarily agreed to take part. Any research involving minors or vulnerable groups must follow enhanced safeguards to ensure participant protection. Manuscripts that do not provide sufficient evidence of ethical approval or that raise concerns about participant welfare, privacy, or data protection will not be considered for review. The conference reserves the right to request additional documentation or clarification and may reject or retract work that fails to meet accepted ethical standards.