The "Visnyk of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Series Geology. Geography. Ecology" practices a policy of immediate open access to published content, supporting the principles of the free dissemination of scientific information (Open Access) and the global exchange of knowledge for the sake of general social progress. 

By “open access” we mean free public access on the Internet that allows anyone to read, download, copy, distribute, print, do a search, or link to the full text of the papers, scan them for indexing, use them for any other legitimate purposes, without financial, legal or technical barriers, except of those related to the user’s personal access to the Internet itself.

The only restriction on the reproduction and distribution of materials is the observance of copyright in this area, which implies the author’s ability to control the integrity of his work, the proper recognition of his rights and citation.

Every user of the Internet has free and unrestricted access to full texts of the articles published in the journal. After posting, all materials are immediately available online (without long wait). In particular, the papers published in the Visnyk of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, series «Geology. Geography. Ecology», after the publication of the next issue, are placed in a PDF file format on the journal’s website. All the visitors of the site have free access to the full texts of the materials published in the journal. Thanks to this, authors have an opportunity to submit their own research to the scientific community for consideration.

We also adhere to the BOAI (Budapest Open Access Initiative) and the principles of free access to scientific information.

DORA & FAIR Policy

The journal “Visnyk of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Series Geology. Geography. Ecology” upholds international standards of academic integrity, transparency, and responsible evaluation of scientific results. In its activities, the editorial board is guided by the principles of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), which promote openness, reproducibility, and accessibility of scientific materials.

           DORA Principles Compliance Policy

The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) establishes standards for a responsible, non-discriminatory, and objective approach to the evaluation of scientific activity.

1. Rejection of the Use of Journal Metrics as the Main Evaluation Criterion

The editorial board does not use the impact factor or other journal-oriented metrics as indicators of the quality of individual articles. 
Decisions regarding the acceptance of a manuscript for publication are based solely on scientific value, originality, methodological transparency and quality of argumentation.

2. Priority of Content Over Metrics

Manuscripts are evaluated based on their content, not on the authors' affiliations, prestige of institutions, or level of funding. 
The editorial board encourages detailed descriptions of the methods, data, and analytical procedures for an objective assessment of the research. 

3. Support for Various Forms of Scientific Results

The journal recognizes the importance of full-text articles, research data, software code, methodological developments, representative materials, negative results, and replication studies. 
All such materials are accepted for publication on equal terms, provided that they meet the editorial requirements. 

4. Transparency of the Review Process

Editorial decisions must be substantiated. 

A double-blind peer review was conducted in accordance with the publication's policy and COPE international standards. 

5. Prevention of Conflicts of Interest

All decisions underwent independent expert evaluations. 
Editorial board members do not participate in decision-making regarding their own manuscripts or those of individuals with whom they have financial, familial or professional relationships.

          FAIR Principles Compliance Policy

The FAIR principles aim to ensure the accessibility, reusability, and interoperability of scientific data and related materials.

1. Findability

Authors must provide complete metadata to describe their research.
Data associated with published results should be placed in repositories that assign persistent identifiers (e.g., DOI).

2. Accessibility

Data should be available in an open format or through a clearly described access procedure.
Access to data should not be restricted by artificial barriers such as paywalls. In cases where full disclosure is not possible (e.g., due to ethical or legal restrictions), the authors are required to provide a justified explanation.

3. Interoperability

Data should be presented in standardized formats that are compatible with international storage and analytics systems.
Authors must ensure the use of widely recognized metadata structures.

4. Reusability

Data and materials must be provided with a clear usage license, if applicable.
Authors are required to provide a sufficient description of the research context, methods, and tools so that external researchers can reproduce or reuse the data.

Authors’ Obligations

• All authors must adhere to the principles of DORA and FAIR when submitting materials for publication in this journal.
• The manuscript must include a Data Availability statement.
• The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the submitted data and compliance with ethical and legal requirements.

Obligations of the Editorial Board

 The journal ensures a responsible, objective, and non-discriminatory evaluation of manuscripts. 

• The peer review, decision-making, and publication processes are independent of any commercial or institutional influence. 
• The editorial board provides the technical conditions for the placement and verification of metadata and facilitates the proper implementation of FAIR principles.

Policy Violations

If the authors fail to adhere to the DORA and FAIR principles, the editorial board may request revisions to the materials, reject the manuscript, or publish appropriate corrections in accordance with the international COPE guidelines.