Publishing

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL

Publishing is an integral part of the activities of the Lithuanian Sports University (hereinafter referred to as University), contributing to the dissemination of studies, scientific activities, and research results.

The University publishes scientific and study publications: monographs, scientific studies, peer-reviewed collections of scientific articles and conference publications, textbooks, study books, methodological tools, scientific journals, occasional publications, informational publications, and others.

Every year, by October 15th, applications for study and scientific publications are submitted to the Head of Library for the preparation of the University’s publishing plan for the following year.

Authors (editors, compilers) of study and scientific publications shall submit their manuscripts in electronic format together with an Application for a Scientific Publication or an Application for a Study Publication and an extract from the minutes of the meeting of the Department (for scientific publications) or the study programme Committee (for study publications) at which the publication was discussed.

Based on its Operating Regulations, the Publishing Committee shall approve the University’s publishing plan for the following year by December 1st each year. If necessary, the Publishing Committee may amend and refine the publishing plan by October 15th of the current year.

PUBLISHING POLICY

LSU publications are prepared and published in accordance with the ethical standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Law on Copyright and Related Rights of the Republic of Lithuania, other relevant legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania, and the best practices of Lithuanian and foreign academic publishers.

The decision to accept or reject a publication shall be based on the relevance, originality, validity, ethics, compliance with the structure of the publication type, and other aspects specific to individual cases. If the author believes that the decision to reject their publication was incorrect, he or she may appeal against that decision. However, if the publication is rejected for publication at the University’s expense, the author may submit a separate application requesting publication at his or her own expense or using other financial support.

Authors are required to submit valuable, previously unpublished works for publication. By submitting their work, authors confirm that they understand that plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and may result in appropriate action being taken in accordance with the University’s Code of Academic Ethics. The plagiarism detection software iThenticate is further used to examine the accepted manuscripts.

The peer-reviewers of the accepted publication are approved by the Publishing Committee in accordance with the principles of professionalism, academic integrity, and ethical standards, as well as considering the content and purpose of the publication. Peer-reviewers who receive a request to review a publication must respond promptly to indicate whether they agree to do so, and if they agree, they must follow the review instructions and submit their review on time or immediately notify the Committee of any possible delay and the reasons for it. Peer-reviewers shall only agree to review those works whose subject matter corresponds to their competence and with whose authors there is no conflict of interest. In accordance with the academic ethics, the peer-reviewers shall submit a constructive review in writing within the specified time limit, describing their comments on the completeness, appropriateness, accuracy, and relevance of the content of the publication, with clear references to the parts that should be corrected. If the peer-reviewers notice any cases of dishonest citation or plagiarism, the use of previously published texts without attribution, or the fabrication or falsification of research data, they are asked to note this in their review.

Authors, considering the comments of the peer-reviewers and language editors, must revise their work within the specified time or provide an explanation as to why the comments of the peer-reviewers and language editors have not been followed up on.

The University is a member of the Association of Lithuanian Serials (Lit. LMPA). Membership in the LMPA entitles you to use Crossref’s services, such as registering a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and using the text-matching service. The person responsible for the publishing process, upon receiving an accepted manuscript, implements the policy for plagiarism check. The publication may be checked again using the plagiarism detection programme after the editing process.

If dishonest behaviour is detected (i.e. plagiarism, data falsification, breach of confidentiality, etc.), the author who submitted the publication is contacted. If dishonest behaviour is confirmed, the manuscript shall be sent back for corrections or rejected, depending on the extent of the violation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence tools. In accordance with  LSU Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Tools (in Lithuanian language), a GenAI tool cannot assume responsibility for the authorship of a work. The author who used the GenAI tool is responsible for the work’s compliance with all legal and ethical principles. Any use of GenAI tools must be transparently disclosed in the work, based on the Guidelines.

The University ensures the confidentiality of the publications by not disclosing the manuscripts received to persons not involved in the review, preparation, and other publishing processes. Manuscripts disclosed to persons involved in the publishing process are considered confidential documents.

GUIDELINES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AUTHORS

The authors are solely responsible for the preparation of their manuscript and illustrations in accordance with the requirements set out in the Publishing Regulations.

The language of the University’s publications shall comply with the requirements of The State Commission of the Lithuanian Language, and the design of the interior and cover of the publication shall comply with the University’s style guidelines (Branding).

LSU publications use the APA7 (American Psychological Association 7th edition) citation style (reference examples, in-text citation examples).

PUBLISHING PROCESS

The University’s publishing process is governed by the Regulations of the Publishing Committee (approved by Order of the Rector, No. ISAK 26/B of February 14, 2023) and the Regulations of the Publishing Process (approved by the LSU Senate, Minutes No. 4 of February 23, 2023).

The University’s publications are published in print and/or electronic format, depending on the type, purpose, and need of the publication.

The University’s publishing process is organised and carried out by the Publishing Committee and the Library. The publishing procedures for scientific publications with editorial boards are coordinated with their editorial boards.

All publications of the University published under the prefix Lithuanian Sports University, with the exception of information publications, must be peer-reviewed and evaluated. The author of a publication that has been positively reviewed and approved for publishing shall submit the final manuscript to the Head of Library and enter into a Publishing Agreement with the University.

Pre-publication, the manuscripts are edited, and the layout for printing is finalised.

The Republic of Lithuania Law on Public Procurement governs how publishing and printing services are arranged in Lithuanian Printing Houses.

LSU’S ELECTRONIC BOOKS AND JOURNALS

An electronic publication that has passed through the mandatory stages of publishing (planning, development, evaluation, approval, registration of ISSNs, ISBNs, DOIs) is equivalent to a printed publication.

University’s electronic research and study publications are hosted on the LSU e-Repository.

The University publishes electronic peer-reviewed scientific journals Baltic Journal of Sport & Health SciencesReabilitacijos mokslai: slauga, kineziterapijaergoterapija, and Laisvalaikio tyrimai.

The editorial boards of the scientific journals make decisions about their work procedures, peer review and submission of scientific articles, ethics, and the preparation of the next issue. The editorial boards of the University’s journals support the principles of ethical publishing and follow the guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The University’s scientific journals are published on the LSU e-Journals Repository, using the Open Access model. The journals are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Scientific journals are registered in international databases (DOAJ, EBSCO, Index Copernicus, Scopus, etc.), and all published articles are assigned a permanent DOI number.

Innovations and advanced technologies used in the publishing process, which are important for science communication, ensure a high level of dissemination of information and increase the visibility of journals in the international arena.

Authors may archive the final version of their articles published in the University’s scientific journals in personal, institutional, or other repositories without an embargo period.

An electronic publication prepared but not published is not counted as a result of scientific-methodological activity.

PUBLICATIONS DISTRIBUTION

The publications published in paper format are distributed in the LSU Library (Periodicals and Internet Reading Room, 2nd floor).

Additionally, the University is a member of the Lithuanian Academic Publishers Association (Lit. LALA). The University participates in the international Vilnius Book Fair with other LALA members, where our publications are distributed.

To purchase LSU publications, please contact Lolita Povilaitienė by phone at +370 690 09938 or by e-mail at lolita.povilaitiene@lsu.lt.

University’s publications (since 2001)

The University’s electronic research and study publications are hosted on the LSU e-Repository.

The University’s scientific journals are published on the LSU e-Journals Repository

PUBLISHING CONTACTS

Address: 3A Perkūnas av. (building III, room 305), LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
Tel: +370 690 09930 (Head of Library for publishing inquiries)
Tel: +370 690 09939 (Editors’ Office)
Tel: +370 690 09938 (Publications Distribution)

E-mail: Leidyba1@lsu.lt