Scientific Issue Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University. Series: Biology

Focus and Scope

Scope and Topics

Articles in the journal are published in the following sections:

1. Botany


2. Zoology


3. Biotechnology


4. Biochemistry


5. Genetics


6. Hydrobiology


7. Ecology


8. Ichthyology


9. Molecular Biology


10. Human and Animal Physiology


11. Plant Physiology


12. Cytology, Cell Biology, Histology


13. Reviews


14. History of Science. Biographies


15. Reports, Reviews, Chronicle

From 2026, articles will be published under updated sections: Botany, Zoology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Hydrobiology, Microbiology and Virology, Human and Animal Physiology, Plant Physiology, Reviews.

Section Policies

Botany

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Zoology

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Biotechnology

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Biochemistry

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Genetics

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Hydrobiology

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Ecology

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Ichthyology

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Molecular biology

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Physiology of humans and animals

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Plant physiology

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Cytology, cell biology, histology

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Reviews

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

History of science. Persons

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Messages, reviews, chronicles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to the editorial board undergo peer review. The review process is aimed at ensuring the most objective evaluation of the scientific content, determining compliance with the journal's requirements, and providing a comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the submitted work.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for assigning reviewers but may delegate this responsibility to a member of the editorial board or make the decision collectively at an editorial board meeting. The decision to publish each issue of the journal is made by the Academic Council of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University. This approval is documented in the meeting minutes and indicated on the second page of the journal cover.

Stages of Peer Review

1. The author submits a manuscript that complies with the journal's requirements.


2. Plagiarism check: All manuscripts are screened for originality using StrikePlagiarism.com software.


3. Manuscripts are sent to reviewers according to the research profile; reviewers are assigned by the Editor-in-Chief.


4. Reviewer selection criteria: Reviewers may be members of the editorial board or external experts with relevant expertise. Key criteria include an academic degree, professional experience, and publications indexed in Scopus or Web of Science within the last five years.


5. Reviewer requirements and timeline: Reviewers complete a standard evaluation form within 14 days, including a mandatory declaration of no conflict of interest. The use of artificial intelligence tools for scientific evaluation or generating review texts is strictly prohibited.


6. Confidentiality: The review process follows the double-blind principle.


7. Revision: If revisions are required, the manuscript is returned to the author for improvement or justified rebuttal. The revised version is resubmitted to the reviewer for a final decision.


8. Final decision: The final decision on publication is made by the Editor-in-Chief or, if necessary, by the editorial board.

Publication Frequency

The peer-reviewed scientific journal "Scientific Issues of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University. Series: Biology" is published 4 times per year.

Issue No.	Estimated publication date
1	late March
2	late June
3	late September
4	late December

Issue Formation:

Manuscript submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Materials that have successfully completed the peer review process and received a positive recommendation from reviewers are accepted for publication.

Each issue is approved by the Academic Council of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University.

Open Access Policy

The journal follows a policy of immediate open access to its published content, supporting the free dissemination of scientific information and global knowledge exchange for the benefit of society.

Self-Archiving Policy

The editorial board encourages authors to deposit their manuscripts online (e.g., in institutional repositories or personal websites), as this promotes scientific discussion and positively affects citation dynamics (see the journal's policy in Sherpa/Romeo).

Authors may enter into separate agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the article (e.g., in institutional repositories or as part of a monograph), provided that proper reference to the original publication is maintained.

• Self-archiving of postprints (accepted manuscripts or published PDF versions) is allowed.


• Self-archiving of preprints (before peer review) is not allowed.

FAIR Data Policy

The journal adheres to FAIR principles to ensure accessibility, reusability, and interoperability of scientific data.

1. Findable

Data must be described with rich metadata and deposited in repositories with unique identifiers (e.g., GenBank accession number, PubChem ID, DOI).

2. Accessible

Data should be openly available or accessible via a clearly defined procedure. Access must not be restricted by artificial barriers such as paywalls. If full disclosure is not possible, authors must provide justification.

3. Interoperable

Data should be presented in standardized formats compatible with international systems and use recognized metadata standards.

4. Reusable

Data and metadata must be sufficiently described to allow reproduction and reuse. Authors must provide detailed methodological context.

Authors are strongly encouraged to deposit raw data in public repositories (e.g., FAIRsharing-listed repositories). Manuscripts must include a persistent link (e.g., DOI) to datasets in a Data Availability Statement.

If data cannot be shared due to ethical or legal reasons, this must be clearly justified at submission. Authors are responsible for data accuracy and compliance with ethical and legal standards.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The editorial board ensures:

• technical support for metadata storage and verification;


• proper implementation of FAIR principles.

Policy Violations

Failure to comply with FAIR principles may result in:

• requests for revision;


• rejection of the manuscript;


• publication of corrections in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Archiving

The journal ensures the archiving and long-term digital preservation of all published materials, providing open access in accordance with the principles of open access and academic integrity.

Archiving and Repository Deposit

Materials are archived through:

• publication of electronic versions of articles in the Archive section on the journal's official website;


• deposit of publications in the electronic archive of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine;


• granting authors the right to self-archive the final version of their articles in open scientific repositories, provided that the bibliographic reference to the original source is retained.

Technical Measures

To ensure long-term preservation and data security, the editorial office uses:

• regular backup of the electronic archive;


• storage of materials in standardized formats (PDF, HTML) suitable for long-term use;


• permanent unique identifiers (DOI) for each publication.

Accessibility Guarantees

The editorial board takes measures to guarantee continuous access to archived materials, even in the event of changes to the technical infrastructure or discontinuation of the journal's website. This is achieved by storing materials in external open-access repositories.

Academic Integrity and Publication Ethics Policy

The journal adheres to the principles of academic integrity and international standards of publication ethics to ensure honesty, transparency, and responsibility of all participants in the publishing process.

The editorial board follows the guidelines of:

• COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) — addressing plagiarism, data falsification, duplicate publications, conflicts of interest, and authorship issues;


• DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment) — supporting fair research evaluation and not using journal impact factor as the main quality criterion.

The editorial policy aims to enhance the quality of publications, promote a culture of academic ethics, and ensure compliance with the following principles:

1. All publications must adhere to the principles of honesty, objectivity, reliability, respect for intellectual property, and responsibility for research results.


2. Ethical standards of the publication process:
   
   
   
   • authors submit original works that have not been previously published;
   
   
   • reviewers provide unbiased, confidential, and professional evaluation of manuscripts;
   
   
   • editors make decisions based on the scientific quality of the material, not on personal or commercial interests.
   
   
   
   


3. If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they are obliged to inform the journal editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article. If a third party reports an error, the author must either refute it with evidence or take appropriate steps to correct the publication.


4. The editorial board supports the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the preparation, review, and publication of materials.


5. The editorial board carefully and impartially considers all cases of potential violations or disputes related to publications. In the event of identified shortcomings or ethical violations, it reserves the right to initiate clarifications, corrections, publication of an erratum, or full retraction of the material. All decisions are made collectively, in accordance with the principles of transparency, evidence-based evaluation, and respect for authors' rights.

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence

The editorial board supports the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the preparation, review, and publication of materials. AI may be used only as a supporting tool, with clear disclosure of its use in the article. The generation of unreliable data, plagiarism, or the creation of manipulative content is strictly prohibited. The author bears full responsibility for the content, while the editorial board ensures compliance with the principles of academic integrity.

The use of AI tools is permitted for technical editing, structuring, or data visualization, provided that authors retain responsibility and properly acknowledge such tools.

Prohibited:

• listing AI as an author or co-author;


• using generative AI for expert evaluation of scientific content during peer review or assessment (only administrative assistance without access to confidential data is allowed);


• fully relying on AI-generated conclusions without verification.

Restrictions for Reviewers

Reviewers must not:

• use AI-generated conclusions to determine the scientific value of manuscripts — reviewers must provide their own expert evaluation;


• upload full manuscript texts to publicly accessible or unsecured AI tools, as this violates the confidentiality of the peer review process;


• use AI for expert evaluation of scientific content (only administrative assistance without access to confidential data is permitted).

Disclosure Requirements

Authors must clearly indicate in the Acknowledgments section or in a separate note which AI tools were used and for what purpose.

For example: "During the preparation of this article, the authors used Grammarly for language editing" or "Figures were created using MATLAB with AI-based analytical features."

Failure to disclose the use of AI is considered a violation of academic integrity principles.

Procedure for Handling Complaints about Ethical Violations

The journal adheres to the principles of academic integrity and international standards of publication ethics in order to ensure honesty, transparency, and responsibility of all participants in the publishing process — authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the editorial board. The editorial policy promotes the quality of publications, fosters a culture of academic ethics, and requires compliance with the following principles:

1. All publications must comply with the principles of honesty, objectivity, reliability, respect for intellectual property, and responsibility for research results.


2. Ethical standards of the publication process:
   
   
   
   • authors submit original works that have not been previously published;
   
   
   • reviewers provide unbiased, confidential, and professional evaluation of materials;
   
   
   • editors make decisions based on the scientific quality of the material, not on personal or commercial interests.
   
   
   
   


3. If an author identifies a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must inform the journal editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article. If a third party reports an error, the author must either refute it with evidence or take appropriate measures to correct the publication.


4. The editorial board supports the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the preparation, review, and publication of materials.


5. The editorial board carefully and impartially considers all cases of potential violations or disputes related to publications. All decisions are made collectively, in accordance with the principles of transparency, evidence-based evaluation, and respect for authors' rights.

Procedure for Handling Complaints about Ethical Violations

• Complaints regarding potential violations of ethical standards must be submitted in writing to the editorial board, including contact details, a description of the violation, and supporting evidence. The editorial secretary registers the complaint, and the Editor-in-Chief conducts a preliminary assessment and, if necessary, establishes a commission on academic integrity.


• The commission reviews the materials, may involve independent experts, and may request explanations from the parties involved. The process is conducted confidentially and impartially. Based on the review, conclusions and recommendations are prepared, upon which the editorial board makes a decision (e.g., rejection of the complaint, corrections or publication of an erratum, apology, retraction of the article, or temporary prohibition of further publications by the author).


• The results of the review are communicated in writing to both the complainant and the author(s). In cases of retraction or correction, the relevant information is published on the journal's website. All materials are archived by the editorial office in accordance with established procedures.

Article Retraction Policy

Grounds for article retraction include:

• detection of plagiarism or self-plagiarism;


• data falsification, fabrication, or significant errors;


• duplicate publication in other journals;


• violations of ethical standards, including incorrect authorship attribution;


• other circumstances that significantly affect the reliability and scientific value of the work.

The editorial board, together with the Editor-in-Chief, determines:

• the procedure for handling the case (who makes decisions and how the review is conducted);


• the method of notifying authors, readers, and databases about the retraction;


• the official marking of the retracted article.

Information on Article Processing Charges

The publication fee is charged only once and only after the article has been accepted for publication following peer review. The editorial board does not charge any fees for submission or peer review of manuscripts.

The publication fee is 1100 UAH.

The publication fee covers the following costs:

• editing of the manuscript text;


• stylistic and grammatical proofreading;


• journal layout design;


• processing of figures and tables;


• publication of the electronic version in open access;


• assignment of a DOI to the manuscript.

Fee Waivers

The following categories are exempt from any fees related to processing, reviewing, and/or publishing articles:

• third-level higher education students (PhD candidates) funded by the state — provided the article is submitted individually (without co-authors);


• combatants and war veterans in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On the Status of War Veterans and Guarantees of Their Social Protection", upon submission of appropriate documentation.

PhD candidates must submit, along with the manuscript, an official certificate from the postgraduate department confirming state-funded education. The certificate must be signed by the department head and stamped by the institution.

Combatants and war veterans must provide a copy of their official certificate or other relevant document via email to: journal@chem-bio.com.ua

Bioethical Standards

The journal follows the guidelines recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals).

If animals were used in the research, authors must specify in the article the conditions of animal handling during the experiment, methods of anesthesia and euthanasia, and provide the number and date of the protocol approved by the Bioethics Committee for research involving animals and patients. The experimental protocol(s) must be approved by the appropriate Bioethics Committee and comply with international standards.

For studies involving human materials, the research must comply with the requirements of the Declaration of Helsinki (1975, with amendments of 2000 and 2008).

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