Aim and Scope

The purpose of the journal is to publish new ideas and results of research carried out in the field of geology, to distribute them to the largest number of scientists, including specialists from related fields of science and technology.

The objectives of the journal: attracting reputable authors to the journal who are high-level specialists; publication of potentially highly cited articles; increase journal impact factor and citation index; improving the professional and scientific-methodological level of specialists, researchers, teachers, graduate students and students in the fields of geology; publication of practice-oriented articles, the results of the study of which can be implemented in the geological industry.

Section Policies

Publication Frequency

6 times a year

Open Access Policy

"Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology"  is an open access journal. All articles are made freely available to readers immediatly upon publication.

Our open access policy is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition - it means that articles have free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself.

For more information please read BOAI statement.

Archiving

• Russian State Library (RSL)
• National Electronic-Information Consortium (NEICON)

Peer-Review

All scientific articles received by the editors of the journal “Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology”, undergo mandatory bilateral anonymous (“blind”) reviewing (the authors of the manuscript do not know the reviewers and receive a letter with comments signed by the editor-in-chief).
1. Articles are reviewed by members of the editorial board and the editorial board, as well as invited reviewers who are leading experts in the relevant field (geology) of Russia and other countries. The decision on the choice of a reviewer for the examination of the article is made by the editor-in-chief, deputy editor-in-chief, scientific editor, and editorial manager. The review period is 2-4 weeks, but at the request of the reviewer it can be extended.
2. Each article is sent to 2 reviewers.
3. Each reviewer has the right to refuse to review if there is a clear conflict of interest that affects the perception and interpretation of the manuscript materials. Following the review of the manuscript, the reviewer makes recommendations on the further fate of the article (each decision of the reviewer is justified):

• article is recommended for publication in this form;
• the article is recommended for publication after correcting the deficiencies noted by the reviewer;
• the article needs additional review by another specialist;
• article can not be published in the journal.

4. If the review contains recommendations for correcting and finalizing the article, the editorial board sends the author the text of the review with a proposal to take them into account when preparing a new version of the article or reasonably (partially or completely) to refute them. Revision of the article should not take more than two months from the moment of sending an e-mail to the authors about the need for making changes. The article, revised by the author, is resubmitted for review.
5. In case of refusal of the authors to revise the materials, they must notify the editors in writing or orally of their refusal to publish the article. If the authors do not return the revised version after 3 months from the day the review was sent, even in the absence of information from the authors with refusal to finalize the article, the editors remove it from the register. In such situations, the authors are sent a corresponding notice of the removal of the manuscript from the registration due to the expiration of the time allotted for revision.
6. If the author and reviewers have insoluble contradictions regarding the manuscript, the editorial board has the right to send the manuscript for additional reviewing. In conflict situations, the decision is made by the chief editor at a meeting of the editorial board.
7. The decision to refuse to publish the manuscript is taken at the meeting of the editorial board in accordance with the recommendations of the reviewers. The article, not recommended by the decision of the editorial board for publication, is not accepted for reconsideration. The message about the refusal to publish is sent to the author by email.
8. After the editorial board makes a decision on admission of an article to publication, the editorial board informs the author and specifies the publication date.
9. The presence of a positive review is not sufficient reason to publish an article. The final decision on the publication is made by the editorial board. In conflict situations, the decision is made by the chief editor.
10. Original reviews are kept in the editorial office for 5 years.

Indexation

Articles in "Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology" are indexed by several systems:

• Russian Index for Science Citation (RISC) – a database, accumulating information on papers by Russian scientists, published in native and foreign titles. The RSCI project is under development since 2005 by “Electronic Scientific Library” foundation (elibrary.ru).
• Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. The Google Scholar index includes most peer-reviewed online journals of Europe and America's largest scholarly publishers, plus scholarly books and other non-peer reviewed journals.

Publishing Ethics

The Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement of the journal «Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology» are based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct guidelines available at www.publicationethics.org,  and requirements for peer-reviewed journals, elaborated by the "Elsevier" Publishing House (in accordance with international ethical rules of scientific publications)

1. Introduction

1.1. Publication of materials in peer-reviewed journals is not only a simple method of scientific communication, but also makes a significant contribution to the development of the relevant field of scientific knowledge. Thus, it is important to establish standards for the future ethical behavior of all parties involved in the publication, namely: Authors, Journal Editors, Reviewers, Publishers and the Scientific Society for the journal “Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology".

1.2. The publisher not only supports scientific communications and invests in this process, but is also responsible for complying with all current recommendations in the published work.

1.3. The publisher is committed to the strict supervision of scientific materials. Our journal programs present an impartial “report” of the development of scientific thought and research, therefore we are also aware of the responsibility for properly presenting these “reports”, especially in terms of the ethical aspects of the publications presented in this document.

2. Editors Responsibilities

2.1. Decision to publish

Editor of the scientific journal “Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology” is personally and independently responsible for making a decision on publication, often in collaboration with the relevant Scientific Society. The credibility of the work in question and its scientific significance should always be the basis of the decision to publish. The editor can be guided by the policy of the Editorial Board of the journal “Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology ”, being limited to current legal requirements regarding libel, copyright, legality and plagiarism.

The editor may confer with other Editors and Reviewers (or officers of the Scientific Society) during the publication decision.

2.2. Decency

The editor should evaluate the intellectual content of the manuscripts, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, origin, citizenship or political preferences of the Authors.

2.3. Confidentiality

Editor and Editorial Board of the Journal “Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology” is obliged without the need not to disclose information about the accepted manuscript to all persons, with the exception of Authors, Reviewers, possible Reviewers, other scientific consultants and the Publisher.

2.4. Disclosure policy and conflicts of interest

2.4.1 Unpublished data obtained from submitted manuscripts cannot be used in personal research without the written consent of the Author. Information or ideas obtained during the review process and related to possible benefits should be kept confidential and not used for personal gain.

2.4.2 Editors should recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts (namely: request the Co-Editor, the Assistant Editor or cooperate with other members of the Editorial Board when considering work instead of self-review and decision-making) in the event of conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative and other interactions and relationships with Authors, companies, and possibly other organizations associated with the manuscript.

2.5. Supervision of publications

The editor who provided convincing evidence that the statements or conclusions presented in the publication are erroneous should inform the Publisher (and / or the relevant Scientific Society) with the aim of promptly notifying about changes, deletions of publications, expressions of concern and other relevant situation statements. .

2.6. Research Involvement and Collaboration

The editor, together with the Publisher (or the Scientific Society), takes adequate response measures in the case of ethical claims regarding reviewed manuscripts or published materials. Such measures in general terms include interaction with the authors of the manuscript and argumentation of the relevant complaint or requirement, but may also involve interaction with relevant organizations and research centers.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

3.1. Impact on the decisions of the Editorial Board

Reviewing helps the Editor make a decision on publication and, through appropriate interaction with Authors, can also help the Author to improve the quality of work. Peer review is a necessary link in formal scientific communications that is at the heart of the scientific approach. The publisher shares the view that all scientists who want to contribute to the publication are required to perform substantial work on the review of the manuscript.

3.2. Performance

Any selected Reviewer who does not feel qualified to review the manuscript or who does not have enough time to complete the work quickly should notify the Editor of the journal “Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology ”and ask to exclude it from the process of reviewing the relevant manuscript.

3.3. Confidentiality

Any manuscript received for review should be treated as confidential.

Founder

• Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Lomonosov Moscow State University", Faculty of Geology

Author fees

Publication in “Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology" is free of charge for all the authors.

The journal doesn't have any Arcticle processing charges.

The journal doesn't have any Article submission charges.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Plagiarism detection

"Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology" use native russian-language plagiarism detection software Antiplagiat to screen the submissions. If plagiarism is identified, the COPE guidelines on plagiarism will be followed.

Preprint and postprint Policy

Prior to acceptance and publication in "Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology", authors may make their submissions available as preprints on personal or public websites.

As part of submission process, authors are required to confirm that the submission has not been previously published, nor has been submitted. After a manuscript has been published in "Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology" we suggest that the link to the article on journal's website is used when the article is shared on personal or public websites.

Glossary (by SHERPA)

ISSN 0579-9406 (Print)