Author Guidelines

“Research Papers of UNWE” considers original manuscripts that align with the thematic scope of the journal and have not been published or submitted elsewhere.

The editorial board maintains high scientific ethics standards and has protocols to prevent plagiarism and conflicts of interest. For more details, see the “Publication Ethics” section.

Copyright and licensing All articles are published under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license. Authors retain copyright while granting the journal the rights to publish and distribute their work. Submission of manuscripts constitutes a declaration of originality and acceptance of the journal’s open-access policy by the authors.

Archiving and access The journal ensures long-term digital preservation through the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) and OpenAIRE, in addition to institutional repositories and recognised indexing databases. All journal content is freely accessible, with no charges imposed on readers or authors.

Fees No submission or publication fees are required.

An ORCID iD is required for all authors

Authors using the system for the first time should complete their profile information and connect and authenticate their ORCID iD. When adding co-authors to a submission, authors should ensure that each co-author has an authenticated ORCID iD.

Data Availability Statement

Authors submitting manuscripts that include data from empirical research should complete the Data Availability Statement field during submission, indicating whether and under what conditions the data supporting the study's findings are available.

Depending on the circumstances, authors may use or adapt one of the following statements:

  • Publicly available data: The data supporting the study's findings are publicly available in [repository/source] at [DOI/URL].
  • Data available upon request: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
  • Restricted data: The data supporting the findings of this study are not publicly available due to [confidentiality, personal data protection, contractual, or ethical restrictions].
  • Publicly available secondary data: This study uses publicly available data from [source(s)]. The relevant data sources are identified in the manuscript.
  • Data included in the publication: All data supporting the study's findings are included in the article and/or its supplementary materials.
  • Not applicable: Data availability is not applicable because no new data were generated or analysed in this study.

Further information is available in the journal's Research Data and Data Availability Policy.

Types of manuscripts and length

Articles: According to the journal's policy, "Articles" are focused scholarly publications of up to 20 standard pages (approximately 6,000 words).

Research Studies: In accordance with the journal's policy, "Research Studies" consist of in-depth theoretical or empirical research papers of up to 35 standard pages (approximately 10,000 words).

Opinions and Perspectives: An Opinions and Perspectives paper is a reasoned text authored to present and defend a stance on a current issue, ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 words.

Discussion: A Discussion is a formalised scholarly dialogue regarding a publication in the Journal, which may include the following parts:
– a Commentary of 1,500–3,500 words;
– a Response from the author(s) of 1,000–3,000 words. 

Book Review: A Book Review is a critical scholarly assessment of a recently published work— within 800 to 1,200 words—that presents a reasoned evaluation of the publication's scholarly value, contribution, and limitations.

Note: The word count includes the abstract, tables, figures, and references.

Languages: Bulgarian or English.

Manuscript structure

Submit manuscripts as MS Word files and adhere to the following requirements:

  1. Title (bold, TNR 12 pt, center): must be concise and informative. For manuscripts in Bulgarian, include the English title at the end of the text.
  2. Author information (TNR 12 pt, center): full name, academic position, academic degree, email address, institutional affiliation, and mandatory ORCID iD, specified as a footnote (TNR 10 pt, justified).
  3. Abstract (TNR 11 pt, justified): should be 150–200 words and must clearly state the purpose, methodology, findings, and general conclusion. For papers written in Bulgarian, include abstracts in both Bulgarian and English. The English abstract should appear at the end of the text. For papers written in English, provide only an English abstract at the beginning of the text.
  4. Keywords (TNR 11 pt, justified): 5–8 keywords.
  5. JEL Classification (TNR 11 pt, justified): include at least one code from the JEL Classification System (American Economic Association: JEL Guide).
  6. Submissions should generally follow the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion when applicable, Conclusion). The following formatting is applied to each section title TNR 12pt, bold, left centred.
  7. Acknowledgments/Funding: when applicable, disclose any financial support or grants, including the project title and the relevant program or organization.
  8. References: must follow APA Style (APA Style) and include no fewer than ten sources. Authors must provide DOI links (https://doi.org/...) for all cited references where available. Upon submission, the reference list must also be copied into the dedicated "References" metadata field in the system.

Technical requirements

  1. File type: MS Word (.doc / .docx).
  2. Margins: A4, 2.0 cm each.
  3. Main text font: TNR, 12 pt, justified.
  4. Line Spacing: 1.5 lines.
  5. Tables and Figures: numbered consecutively. Include caption (TNR 11 pt, centered) and source (TNR 11 pt, left) below each, and ensure all images are high resolution.
  6. Formulas: must be editable (use Equation Editor), not images.

The template file can be downloaded here.

Submissions that do not meet these requirements will not be considered.

Review process, revisions and final decision on publication

All manuscripts are evaluated through a double-blind peer review process.
Possible review outcomes are accept, accept with revisions, resubmit after major revisions, or reject.

Revised manuscripts must be resubmitted within ten days of receipt of reviewers’ feedback. All amendments should be clearly indicated, such as by using Track Changes or highlighted text.

A separate document titled “Response to Reviewers’ Comments” must accompany the revised manuscript. This document should be clearly structured and systematically organised. Each reviewer's comment should be quoted, followed by a specific response. If a recommendation is not accepted, provide a concise and well-supported explanation. All responses must remain professional, well-reasoned, and respectful.

The Editorial Board makes the final publication decision based on reviewer feedback, novelty, relevance, and overall quality.