Integrating Ukrainian science into the global landscape requires more than just regulatory changes; it demands a profound transformation of our editorial culture. In this demanding journey, the support from the European Association of Science Editors has been truly unprecedented. Since 2021, EASE has generously provided free membership to Ukrainian editors who actively participate in specialised training. For our community, this initiative has been an absolute lifeline.
To fully understand the value of this support, one must look at our everyday working reality. The vast majority of Ukrainian scholarly journals are affiliated with state universities and research institutions, where there is virtually no dedicated funding for publishing operations. Our editors keep these journals alive, driven almost entirely by pure enthusiasm and academic dedication.
When we analyse the most common challenges our journals face today, a clear pattern emerges. Formally defining specific editorial policies – such as transparent peer-review protocols, strict authorship criteria, and ethical guidelines – establishes the basis for meaningful progress. It gives editorial boards a roadmap of what is expected internationally. However, the most critical and difficult part is actually adhering to these policies in reality. Having robust rules on paper means very little if the staff lacks the practical knowledge or capacity to implement them on a daily basis. This is exactly where EASE training becomes invaluable: it bridges the critical gap between formal policy declarations and real-world editorial practice.
Recognising this lack of institutional resources, Ukraine is now stepping in to support journals that are doing the hard work to meet these international standards. We are pleased to mark a major achievement that reflects the collective efforts of the EASE community: the Ministry of Education and Science has introduced a new state funding mechanism specifically for our leading scientific journals. Just this year, the results of this initiative were announced for the first time. Nineteen top-tier Ukrainian journals successfully passed a rigorous evaluation and received this dedicated financial support.
This is a massive breakthrough. By financially backing these 19 journals, the state is not only rewarding their adherence to high ethical and operational standards but also creating highly visible, successful role models for the entire national academic community.
Building on this momentum, our focus now shifts heavily to the comprehensive reform of our “Category B” journals. These publications are the most critical tier within our academic system – they serve as the mandatory venues for awarding academic titles, validating PhD defences, and disseminating the results of state-funded research. While they form the bulk of our national academic output, they are currently on the difficult but necessary path to aligning with these higher qualitative criteria. The incentive structure is finally pointing in the right direction: toward transparency, rigorous peer-review, and integration into the European Research Area.
To achieve this transformation, the Ministry’s working group has introduced a comprehensive set of criteria that fundamentally redefines how these journals are evaluated. We have moved away from flawed, purely quantitative metrics that simply count publication volumes. Instead, the updated assessment employs a complex mix that heavily weighs qualitative indicators based directly on the best practices of globally recognised organisations such as COPE, WAME, and OASPA. Journals must now demonstrate stringent, transparent peer-review protocols, clear institutional mechanisms for handling retractions and corrections, and verifiable adherence to international ethical standards.
Crucially, this qualitative overhaul serves as our strongest defence against predatory publishing practices. Recent international investigations – including high-profile exposures of massive paper-mill operations – have highlighted the urgent need to proactively protect academic integrity. By aggressively auditing our national lists and strictly enforcing these new criteria, the state is actively stripping recognition from outlets that operate as mere article factories without genuine editorial oversight. This uncompromising stance essentially eliminates the career incentives for scholars to turn to deceptive publishers, ensuring a much cleaner, more reliable scientific environment in Ukraine.
As part of these comprehensive reforms, our mission within the EASE Regional Chapter remains focused on creating a robust and dynamic platform for training, knowledge exchange, and professional networking. We are not merely updating formal regulations; we are laying a solid foundation where impeccable academic integrity and European values serve as the uncompromising guiding principles for the future of Ukrainian science. We are deeply grateful to the EASE community for continuing to stand with us in this vital work.
Nataliia Bazeliuk
Chair, EASE UA
Taras Kotyk
Vice-Chair, EASE UA