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The publication of a scholarly article in Flora Mediterranea represents a cornerstone of our scientific mission. We are deeply committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and fairness in every stage of the editorial process. The policies outlined below have been developed in-house to reflect the specific values and operational procedures of our journal. They are informed by, and consistent with, the broad principles of best practice promoted by leading international organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Where relevant to biomedical aspects, we also refer to the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The full texts of these guidelines are available through the official websites of the respective organizations.

Open access
Flora Mediterranea firmly supports the open-access model, recognizing the substantial societal and economic benefits that derive from the free and unrestricted dissemination of research. Our policy is rooted in the definition provided by the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing, which guarantees all users a permanent, irrevocable, and worldwide right to access, copy, use, distribute, and transmit the published work, subject only to proper attribution of authorship. In accordance with this commitment, the final published version of every article, along with any supplementary materials, is deposited immediately upon publication in a suitable, interoperable online repository that ensures long-term preservation and broad accessibility.

Peer Review Systems
To ensure the scientific rigor and originality of the contributions we publish, Flora Mediterranea employs a single-blind peer-review process. Under this system, reviewers are aware of the authors' identities, but the reviewers' names remain confidential to the authors throughout the evaluation. This approach is designed to balance transparency with the freedom necessary for candid and constructive assessment. The review of each manuscript is carried out by the Referees Committee and by independent experts selected for their specific expertise. The composition of both the Editorial Committee and the Referees Committee is publicly available on our website.

Editorial Responsibilities and Publication Decisions
The Editor of Flora Mediterranea bears the ultimate responsibility for deciding which submitted manuscripts merit publication. All editorial decisions are guided exclusively by the journal's policies and by the academic merit and intellectual substance of the work under consideration. Decisions are never influenced by the personal characteristics of the authors, including race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or political views. The Editor and the editorial staff are bound by strict confidentiality and may share information about a submitted manuscript only with the corresponding author, designated reviewers, prospective referees, editorial advisors, and the publisher, as necessary for the proper conduct of the publication process. Furthermore, the Editor and editorial team are prohibited from using unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research without the explicit written consent of the author(s).

Duties of Reviewers
Reviewers contribute indispensably to the quality of Flora Mediterranea by supporting editorial decisions and offering authors constructive feedback that can strengthen their work. Any reviewer who feels unqualified to assess a given manuscript or who cannot complete the review within a reasonable timeframe is expected to notify the Editor promptly and decline the invitation. All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents; they may not be shared or discussed with third parties without the explicit permission of the Editor. Reviews must be conducted objectively and professionally, with critiques grounded in evidence and reasoned argument, avoiding any personal or derogatory remarks about the authors. Reviewers are required to produce original evaluations based on their own expertise and are strictly prohibited from using artificial intelligence tools—including large language models or automated text generators—to compose or substantially influence their reports. They should also alert the Editor to any significant overlap or similarity between the submitted work and other published studies of which they are aware, and they must decline to review manuscripts where any conflict of interest—whether competitive, collaborative, or institutional—might compromise their impartiality.

Duties of authors
Authors submitting to Flora Mediterranea are expected to present their research honestly and with full objectivity, accurately representing their findings and the data that support them. The manuscript should contain sufficient methodological detail and appropriate references to permit verification and replication of the work. Where feasible, authors are encouraged to make their raw data publicly available; in all cases, they are required to retain such data for a reasonable period after publication. The work submitted must be original and represent the authors' own scholarly contribution. Any use of others' ideas, words, or AI-generated content must be clearly acknowledged through proper citation or quotation; failure to do so constitutes academic misconduct. Authors should also refrain from submitting the same or substantially similar work to multiple journals simultaneously, or from fragmenting a single study into several papers solely to increase the number of publications. Proper attribution must always be given to all sources that have influenced the work. Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. The corresponding author bears primary responsibility for ensuring that all co-authors are appropriately included, that all have reviewed and approved the final version, and that all have consented to submission. If the research involves hazardous materials, procedures, or equipment, these must be clearly identified in the manuscript. Any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that could be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of the work must be fully disclosed, as must all sources of financial support. Finally, should authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their own published work, they have an ethical obligation to notify the Editor immediately and to collaborate in issuing a correction or retraction, thereby preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.