Editorial Policy

Open Access Policy 

Health Policy, Economics and Sociology is a fully open access journal. The full text of all articles published in the journal is freely and immediately available to all users upon publication, without registration or other access restrictions.

The journal is based on the principle that free and immediate access to scholarly research promotes the broad dissemination and global exchange of knowledge.

Licensing Policy

Articles published under the journal’s current licensing policy are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Under the CC BY 4.0 license, users are free to read, download, copy, share, distribute, and print the full texts of articles published in the journal, as well as to adapt, transform, and use them for any lawful purpose, including commercial purposes, without additional permission from the author or publisher.

Such use requires appropriate credit to the author(s) and the original source, a link to the applicable Creative Commons license, and a clear indication of whether any changes were made to the material.

Users may also use the articles for indexing, text and data mining, computational processing, and other lawful purposes without financial, legal, or technical barriers.

Articles published under earlier licensing policies retain the license that applied at the time of their original publication, as indicated on the relevant article page and in the published Version of Record. The journal’s current licensing policy does not apply retroactively to previously published articles.

Full license terms: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

Copyright Policy

Authors retain the copyright to their works and grant the journal the right of first publication.

Authors are permitted to subsequently distribute, republish, or reuse their own articles in other works, provided that they comply with the terms of the applicable Creative Commons license and appropriately acknowledge the original publication in the journal.

Deposit policy

Self-Archiving Policy

Authors are permitted to deposit, without embargo, the submitted version of the manuscript (Submitted Manuscript), the version accepted following peer review (Author Accepted Manuscript), and the final published version (Version of Record) in institutional, subject-based, or other appropriate repositories.

The final published Version of Record may be distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons license specified for the respective article. When depositing an article in a repository, authors are encouraged to provide the full bibliographic details of the original publication in the journal and include the article DOI or a persistent electronic link.

Digital Archiving and Long-Term Preservation Policy

The journal ensures the long-term digital preservation of its published content. Journal content is archived through the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), which is based on LOCKSS technology and supports the long-term preservation and recovery of digital materials.

All published articles are also deposited in the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia in accordance with national legal deposit requirements.

Publication Fees

Health Policy, Economics and Sociology does not charge authors any fees for manuscript submission, peer review, editorial processing, or publication. The journal does not charge an Article Processing Charge (APC) or any other mandatory publication fees.

Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system (OJS). Manuscripts registered in OJS undergo an initial editorial assessment and, if suitable, are forwarded for peer review. The editorial email address (tverulava@cu.edu.ge) is used solely for correspondence and author support. Formal manuscript submissions must be made through the journal’s OJS submission system.

Peer Review Process

All scientific manuscripts submitted to Health Policy, Economics and Sociology undergo peer review by at least two independent external reviewers with relevant expertise in the subject area.

The journal uses a double-anonymized peer-review model. Reviewers receive an anonymized manuscript from which the authors’ names, affiliations, and other identifying information have been removed. Likewise, the identities of the reviewers remain confidential and are not disclosed to the authors.

Reviewers are selected on the basis of their professional expertise, independence, and absence of conflicts of interest. The final decision regarding the acceptance, revision, or rejection of a manuscript is made by the Editor-in-Chief on the basis of the reviewers’ evaluations and the journal’s editorial criteria and, where necessary, in consultation with the Editorial Board.

The typical peer-review period is approximately 4–6 weeks. However, the review time may vary depending on reviewer availability, the complexity of the manuscript, and the extent of revisions required.

Publication Process

Health Policy, Economics and Sociology follows a continuous publication model and publishes two issues per year.

Accepted articles are published online individually as soon as peer review, final acceptance, editorial processing, and technical production have been completed, without waiting for all articles assigned to an issue to be ready. Newly published articles are progressively added to the relevant current issue. Once the current issue is completed, the subsequent issue is opened, and new articles continue to be published according to the same continuous publication model.

The publication date of each article corresponds to the actual date on which its final, official Version of Record is published online.

Article Evaluation Criteria

  • Article structure (Meets the requirements / Needs improvement);
  • Novelty and contribution to the relevant field (Meets the requirements / Needs improvement);
  • Methodological rigor and strength of argumentation (Meets the requirements / Needs improvement);
  • Theoretical and practical implications of the research (Meets the requirements / Needs improvement);
  • Compliance with citation and referencing requirements (Meets the requirements / Needs improvement).

Plagiarism Prevention

All submitted manuscripts are screened for textual similarity using Turnitin before being sent for peer review. Similarity reports are evaluated by the editor in context; the similarity percentage alone is not used to determine plagiarism automatically.

If plagiarism or other forms of inappropriate textual reuse are confirmed, the manuscript may be rejected or, if identified after publication, handled in accordance with the journal’s policy on Corrections and Article Retraction.

Publication Ethics

All parties involved in the publication process - including editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher - are required to adhere to recognized principles of research integrity and publication ethics. The journal’s ethical policies are based on the principles and best practice recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, and readers have the right to submit complaints or appeals concerning editorial decisions, the peer-review process, or the application of the journal’s policies. All complaints and appeals are considered fairly, confidentially, and with due regard to the avoidance of conflicts of interest. Where necessary, the matter may be reviewed by an independent editor or a member of the Editorial Board who was not previously involved in the evaluation of the relevant manuscript.

Research Misconduct

The journal takes possible breaches of research integrity seriously, including data fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, duplicate or redundant publication, inappropriate authorship, and other unethical practices. When concerns regarding possible misconduct are raised, the editorial team will investigate the matter through a fair and confidential process and, where appropriate, may contact the authors, their institution, or the relevant ethics body.

Corrections and Article Retraction

Errors identified after publication that do not affect the main results or conclusions of the article may be addressed through the publication of an appropriate Correction.

If a serious problem is identified after publication that substantially calls into question the reliability of the article’s results, data, or conclusions, or if a significant ethical violation is confirmed, the journal may retract the article.

The bibliographic record and full text of a retracted article generally remain accessible in order to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record and are clearly marked as “Retracted.” A Retraction Notice is linked to the original article and clearly explains the reason for the retraction.

All corrections, retractions, and other post-publication editorial actions must be transparently justified, clearly linked to the original publication, and implemented with the aim of protecting the reliability and integrity of the scholarly record.

Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged, where ethically and legally permissible, to make available the data, analytical materials, and other relevant resources underlying their research. Where appropriate, articles should include a Data Availability Statement. Data sharing must not compromise participant confidentiality, personal data protection, informed consent, or other legal and ethical obligations.

Ethical Oversight and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards.

Where required, authors must provide information regarding approval by the relevant ethics committee or other authorized body and confirm that informed consent was obtained from study participants, unless the requirement for informed consent was formally waived by an authorized ethics committee.

For the publication of identifiable personal information, photographs, video material, or case descriptions, authors must obtain appropriate consent for publication from the individual concerned or their authorized representative.

Research involving animals must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical and animal welfare standards. Where required, the study must receive prior approval from an appropriate ethics committee or other authorized body.

Post-Publication Discussion

The journal supports scholarly discussion and well-founded criticism of published work. Readers may inform the editorial office of possible errors, ethical concerns, or other issues relating to published articles.

Substantive and well-supported concerns will be reviewed by the editorial team and, where appropriate, may result in an author response, correction, editorial notice, or other appropriate post-publication editorial action.

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Automated Tools

Health Policy, Economics and Sociology supports the responsible, transparent, and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated tools in research and the publication process.

Use by Authors. Authors must disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence or other AI-based tools in the preparation of a manuscript when such use goes beyond routine language correction, editing, or formatting. The disclosure should identify the tool used and explain the purpose for which it was used.

An artificial intelligence system or other automated tool may not be listed as an author or co-author. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, reliability, originality, citation integrity, and ethical compliance of any content created or processed with the assistance of AI. Generative AI must not be used as a primary source of scientific information or cited as an authoritative source.

Use by Reviewers and Editors. Manuscripts submitted for peer review and all related materials are confidential. Reviewers and editors must not upload the full text of a manuscript, parts of it, or any other confidential manuscript-related material to publicly accessible or third-party generative AI systems where confidentiality, data security, and the protection of unpublished content cannot be assured.

Reviewers and editors must not use generative AI to conduct the scientific evaluation of a manuscript or to generate editorial decisions. Peer review and editorial decisions must be based on human professional judgment. The use of AI solely for language or technical editing may be permissible provided that confidentiality is protected and, where appropriate, such use is transparently disclosed.

Use of Automated Tools by the Journal. The journal may use automated tools to support text-similarity screening, technical compliance checks, or other publication-related processes. The outputs of such tools are not used independently to make final editorial decisions. Automated assessments are reviewed and interpreted by an editor or appropriate editorial staff.

Duties of the Editor-in-Chief

Fairness - Manuscripts submitted to the journal are evaluated on the basis of their intellectual content, without regard to the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political views.

Confidentiality - The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to unauthorized third parties. Authors are informed only of the reviewers’ evaluations and, where necessary, comments requiring revision. The identities of the reviewers remain confidential.

Conflicts of Interest - Editors must not use information or materials contained in a submitted but unpublished manuscript for their own research or other personal purposes without the author’s written consent.

Editorial Decisions - The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for making the final decision regarding the acceptance, revision, or rejection of submitted manuscripts. Decisions are based on the reviewers’ evaluations, the journal’s editorial policy, and relevant scientific and ethical criteria. Where necessary, the Editor-in-Chief may consult the Editorial Board.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions - Reviewers assist the Editor-in-Chief in making editorial decisions and, through their constructive comments communicated to the authors via the editorial office, contribute to improving the manuscript.

Timeliness - If a reviewer considers themselves unqualified to review a particular manuscript or is unable to complete the review within the required timeframe, they should promptly inform the Editor-in-Chief.

Confidentiality - Any manuscript submitted to the journal must be treated as a confidential document. It must not be shown or disclosed to other persons without the permission of the Editor-in-Chief.

Standards of Objectivity - Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and in accordance with the journal’s established evaluation criteria.

Acknowledgment of Sources - Reviewers should identify relevant sources used in the manuscript that have not been properly cited by the authors. Reviewers should also inform the Editor-in-Chief of any significant similarity or substantial overlap between the manuscript under review and other published work.

Conflicts of Interest - Information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and must not be used for personal advantage. Individuals should not be selected as reviewers if they have any conflict of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or organizations associated with the submitted manuscript.

Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards - The submitted manuscript should present an objective discussion and the results of original research. The underlying data must be reported accurately. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements and any other violations of academic integrity are unacceptable under the journal’s editorial policy.

Originality and Plagiarism - Authors must ensure that the work they submit is original. Sources, quotations, and extracts from works that have significantly influenced the content of the submitted manuscript must be properly acknowledged in accordance with the journal’s citation requirements and with full adherence to the principles of academic integrity. Manuscripts submitted for publication must also comply with the requirements of the Caucasus University Plagiarism Policy applicable to scholarly articles.

Multiple or Concurrent Publication - The simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal is unacceptable and is considered unethical publishing practice.

Authorship of the Manuscript - Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, conduct, data analysis, or interpretation of the research. All individuals who meet the criteria for authorship should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all individuals who meet the authorship criteria are included in the list of authors and that all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and its submission to the journal.

Transparency and Conflicts of Interest - Authors must disclose all financial or other significant conflicts of interest that could influence the results of the research or their interpretation. All sources of research funding and other financial support must also be clearly disclosed.

Fundamental Errors in Published Work - If an author identifies a significant error, inaccuracy, or other problem in a published article, the author is required to notify the editorial office promptly and cooperate with the journal in implementing an appropriate Correction, Retraction, or other post-publication editorial action in accordance with the journal’s current policies.

Publisher’s Responsibilities

The publisher and the editorial office are responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record. In cases of suspected or confirmed research misconduct, fraud, plagiarism, or other serious ethical violations, the matter will be handled in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics policies and the relevant recommendations of COPE. Where appropriate, the journal will publish a Correction, an Editorial Notice, or a Retraction Notice.