Guidelines for authors

            Papers are to be sent online at https://bi.ue-varna.bg/ojs/index.php/bmc. The IMRAD format is recommended for the preparation of papers. All articles are checked for plagiarism with software - StrikePlagiarism.com. The percent of unique text should be at least 80%.

            The abstract of the article should include at least one sentence concerning the purpose of the article, scope of the research, research limitations, design, methodology, approach, findings, practical implications, originality and main conclusions.

            The files of the manuscripts should not include the name, degree and academic position of the author (authors). Information about the authors (name, surname, family name; degree and academic position; current occupation, address of the institution and e-mail address) should be sent in a separate file.

            Bulgarian authors submit their manuscripts in Bulgarian and/or English. English  language is obligatory for the online journal which is indexed in RePEc (Research Papers in Economics), CEEOL (Central and East European Online Library), ERIH PLUS (European Reference Index for the Humanities and  Social Sciences), Scientific Indexing Services, Google Scholar, Academic Resource Index and is included in DOAJ. Foreign authors submit their manuscripts in English.

            For sending and publishing their papers authors do not pay fees and are not paid.

            Review process

            The manuscripts received in the “Izvestiya” journal go through the following review process:

• Each received article is to be initially assessed by the editorial board. The editors check on the compliance of the manuscript with the objectives and scope of the journal and the rest of the set requirements.
• If the manuscript meets the requirements of the first stage, it is sent to two independent reviewers. The journal applies the principle of double-blind review.
• After receiving the feedback reports from the two reviewers, the editorial board decides whether to accept or reject the manuscript. To do this there needs to be unanimous opinion from both reviewers. If their opinions are extremely opposite, the editor-in-chief can require another expert opinion from a third reviewer.
• A manuscript can be accepted without any remarks or with minimal correction. This does not require another check from a reviewer. Before publication, the manuscript is checked again for plagiarism.
• A manuscript can be accepted with a recommendation for substantial correction. This requires for reviewers to confirm again the truthfulness and relevance of their corrections, after that the editor-in-chief makes the decision for publishing the article.
• The manuscript can be returned to its author for substantial rewriting and a second review process.
• In case the manuscript is rejected, its author cannot send it again.

Formatting:

            The papers suggested for publishing must meet the following technical requirements:         

• To prepare the manuscript, use the MS Word template.
• Use the index according to the JEL (Journal of Economic Literature) classification system.
• Authors' names should be written as follows: Name, Surname, Family name. After the journal is printed no corrections are allowed.
• Listing the used sources and citations is done in compliance with the Harvard short reference system (See examples of description and citation). The Quoted sources of a scientific research paper should be at least 20. Footnotes are not recommended, except when necessary. If so-called “notes” need to be used, they should be indexed with Arabic numerals and are explained at the end of the article, before the references.
• The source must be indicated after the tables and figures. If tables and figures are used, they must be referenced in the text.
• The papers should be written in good Bulgarian and, respectively, English, both in DOCX and PDF format.

After the article is received, it is edited language- and style-wise. As for the Language the editor makes insignificant corrections since it is supposed that the papers are written in good Bulgarian and English. The articles in English can be returned for another check by the author. Authors confirm the suggestions for changes in style or mark what they disagree with.

Acceptable size of manuscripts:

•  for articles – up to 20 standart pages (1 standard page is 1800 characters without spaces);
•  for micro articles, reviews and abstracts of dissertation papers -  up to 10 standard pages.

Articles submitted for publishing must be original and not published before or in the process of reviewing and preparation for publishing in other publishing houses. Editors have the right to make insignificant editing corrections on the manuscript. After an article is accepted, authors must declare an agreement and give the publishing house the exceptional right for publishing. Authors can use the article or part of it in their future work without permission from the publishing house, but this would require citing the original article.