Advertising, Marketing and Policy Review

SSG markets its journals honestly and does not let advertising affect editorial content. These policies are reviewed at least once a year.

• SSG journal pages and articles do not currently carry third-party advertising.
• Any advertising accepted in the future will be clearly marked, kept separate from editorial content, and never linked to particular articles. Advertisers will have no influence on editorial decisions.
• Advertisements for products or services that are misleading, unsafe, or conflict with the journal's scope will not be accepted.
• Promotion of SSG's own services (author services, conferences, StepSphere) is clearly labelled as coming from the publisher.

• Invitations to submit or review are sent only to researchers whose published work matches the journal's scope. Every email includes an option to unsubscribe.
• Marketing messages describe the journal truthfully: its scope, fees, review process, typical timelines, and indexing status. They never promise acceptance, fast publication, or indexing that has not been achieved.
• SSG does not use, or pay, third-party agents to bring in submissions.

The website and promotional material make only claims that can be checked. Indexing, impact metrics, and memberships are listed only once they have been confirmed, and with a link to the source where possible. Board listings, editorial statistics, and contact details are checked and updated regularly.

The Publishing Director and the Editors-in-Chief review these policies regularly, and whenever COPE or other standards change. Each policy page shows its version number and the date of its last update. Major changes are announced on the News page.