Policy on personal and confidential data

Depersonalization of court case materials and law enforcement practice

If authors use court decisions, law enforcement agency acts, or other official documents in their research, they are required to adhere to the principles of confidentiality and protection of privacy. In the text of the article, the full names of individuals (parties to the dispute, witnesses, victims, etc.) should be replaced with alphanumeric designations (e.g., “Person 1,” “Citizen A,” “Defendant X”) or generalized statuses. The exception is the full names of public figures (e.g., civil servants, politicians) if their activities are directly related to the subject of legal analysis and the data were made public in a lawful manner.

Observance of professional secrecy

Data obtained during the provision of legal assistance may be included in the manuscript of the article only if written consent is obtained from the client. It is prohibited to publish data from pre-trial investigations in ongoing criminal proceedings without the written permission of the investigator or prosecutor. Publications should not contain information about the progress of discussions of decisions in the deliberation room.

Empirical data and interviews

If author's manuscripts contain information that is the product of social or other surveys aimed at identifying the opinion of the surveyed audience, individuals or organizations, the author must obtain appropriate permissions for such information. The disclosure of this information in manuscripts should be based on the principles of non-disclosure of confidential and personal data based on the Laws of Ukraine on the Protection of Personal Tributes or other legislative directives in relation to authors not from the territory of Ukraine.

In the process of conducting research, survey participants should be fully informed about the purpose of the research and the form of presentation of its results, as well as whether there are potential risks associated with publication and also provide written consent that their responses may be used for scientific research, including its publication. If only verbal informed consent was obtained, authors should include justification for the absence of written consent and a statement on how verbal consent was recorded. 

If the study involves vulnerable populations (children, refugees and other displaced persons, persons with disabilities, etc.), the authors are responsible for ensuring that all laws and regulations are properly complied with, and for obtaining written consent from the participants’ legal representatives. Where possible, participants should also give their consent to be included in the study.

The editorial office make sure that all statements made by the author on the basis of the surveys conducted are substantiated and do not contain negative and emotional statements or statements, do not contain elements of discrediting individuals or organizations. If such facts are revealed, the editors may request the author to change the text or reject the manuscript. If editors or reviewers are in doubt as to whether they agree or that a study may be defamatory or disclose confidential information, they may request written confirmation of consent from the author. If the authors refuse to provide such confirmation, the manuscript will be rejected.

In cases where such facts are discovered after the publication of the article, the editorial office applies the measures provided for by the policy of retraction and correction of published article.