Procedure for considering complaints about breaches of academic integrity and publication ethics
- Purpose and scope
This procedure establishes the process for considering complaints about breaches of ethical principles by authors, reviewers, or members of the editorial board of the journal. It applies to issues relating to plagiarism, unauthorised use of materials, conflicts of interest, data manipulation, and other breaches of academic integrity.
- Submission of a complaint
2.1. Complaints must be submitted electronically to the official email address of the journal.
2.2. The complaint must clearly state:
- the complainant’s contact details;
- a reference to the publication or material under consideration;
- a detailed description of the violation with references to evidence.
2.3. Anonymous complaints will not be considered.
- Preliminary stage of consideration
3.1. The Editor-in-Chief appoints an authorised person to conduct a preliminary analysis of the complaint.
3.2. Within 5 working days, the authorised person checks:
- whether the complaint relates to the journal’s subject matter;
- whether there is sufficient evidence for consideration.
3.3. The complainant receives notification of the registration of the complaint or of its rejection.
- Consideration of the complaint
4.1. A commission of three independent experts shall be established to consider the complaint.
4.2. The commission has the right to:
- request additional materials and explanations;
- engage independent experts;
- consult with all interested parties.
4.3. The consideration period shall not exceed 30 calendar days.
- Decisions and measures
5.1. Following consideration, the commission may take the following decisions:
- to reject the complaint as unfounded;
- to recognise the breach as minor and propose correction;
- to recognise the breach as significant and take appropriate measures.
5.2. Possible measures in the event of significant breaches:
- refusal to publish the material;
- withdrawal of an already published article (retraction);
- a prohibition to submit articles for a specified period;
- notification of the author’s institution of the violation.
- Protection of the parties’ rights
6.1. All parties to the dispute have the right to:
- receive full information about the consideration process;
- to present their explanations and evidence;
- appeal against the commission’s decision.
6.2. The confidentiality of the proceedings is guaranteed to all participants.
- Appealing decisions
7.1. The commission’s decision may be appealed to the Editor-in-Chief within 14 days.
7.2. The Editor-in-Chief shall consider the appeal within 10 working days.
7.3. The Editor-in-Chief’s decision is final.
Members of the journal’s editorial board must adhere to the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the European Association of Science Editors (EASE) and the journal’s principles of publication ethics.
