Procedure for handling complaints on academic integrity and publication ethics
- General Provisions
This procedure defines the rules for submitting, reviewing, and resolving complaints related to violations of academic integrity and publication ethics in the journal.
The Editorial Board follows the principles of legality, transparency, objectivity, impartiality, confidentiality, and international ethical standards.
- Grounds for Complaint
A complaint may be submitted in cases of suspected or identified:
- plagiarism or self-plagiarism;
- fabrication or falsification of data;
- improper authorship;
- duplicate publication;
- undisclosed conflicts of interest;
- data manipulation;
- violation of peer-review procedures;
- unethical research practices;
- other breaches of academic integrity.
- Submission of Complaints
3.1. Complaints must be submitted in written form to the official email address of the journal.
3.2. The complaint should include:
- complainant’s contact information (if possible);
- article title and author(s);
- description of the alleged violation;
- available evidence.
3.3. Anonymous complaints may be considered if sufficiently substantiated.
- Preliminary Review
All complaints are registered and reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief within 10 working days.
- Main Investigation
An Ethics Committee is formed to investigate substantiated complaints.
The Committee analyzes materials, including plagiarism detection reports, and requests explanations from authors if necessary.
The review period is up to 30 calendar days.
- Decision Making
Based on the investigation, the Editorial Board may decide to:
- dismiss the complaint;
- publish corrections;
- retract the article;
- reject the manuscript;
- restrict cooperation with authors;
- notify relevant institutions.
- Notification
All parties are informed in writing about the final decision.
Significant violations are publicly disclosed on the journal website.
- Appeal Procedure
An appeal may be submitted within 14 calendar days.
Appeals are reviewed by an independent or extended editorial committee.
- Record Keeping
All materials related to complaints are stored for at least five years.
- Final Provisions
This procedure is binding for all participants in the editorial process.
The Editorial Board reserves the right to amend this policy in accordance with national regulations and international standards.