PROCEDURE FOR THE RETRACTION OF PUBLISHED ARTICLES
General Provisions. The retraction of a published article is applied in order to correct the scientific record and inform the academic community about significant violations of academic integrity or errors that make the further use of the research results impossible. The editorial board of the journal follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
1. Grounds for the Retraction of an Article. An article may be retracted in the event of detection of:
- plagiarism or self-plagiarism;
- data fabrication or falsification;
- significant methodological or factual errors affecting the reliability of the results;
- duplicate publication;
- copyright infringement;
- undisclosed conflict of interest;
- unethical use of artificial intelligence;
- other serious violations of publication ethics.
2. Initiation of the Retraction Procedure. The retraction procedure may be initiated by:
- the editorial board;
- the author (authors) of the article;
- a reviewer;
- a third party (readers, research institutions, editorial offices of other journals).
The request shall be submitted to the editorial office in writing with a justification of the reasons.
Review and Decision-Making:
- 1. The Editor-in-Chief conducts a preliminary review of the information received.
- 2. If necessary, independent experts or members of the editorial board are involved.
- 3. The author (authors) shall be given an opportunity to provide written explanations.
- 4. The final decision on retraction shall be made by the editorial board by a majority vote.
Procedure for Announcing a Retraction. If a decision to retract is made:
- the article shall remain in the journal archive with a clear mark “RETRACTED / ВІДКЛИКАНО”;
- an official retraction notice stating the reasons shall be published;
- the information shall be communicated to the relevant scientometric databases and repositories;
- the article’s DOI shall be retained with a corresponding note.
Corrections and Expressions of Concern. In cases where the violations are not critical, the editorial board may apply:
- publication of a correction (Correction);
- publication of an expression of concern (Expression of Concern).
Consequences for Authors. The editorial board reserves the right to:
- temporarily or permanently restrict the authors’ possibility of publication;
- inform the author’s research institution;
- refuse further cooperation with the journal.
The retraction procedure shall be carried out in compliance with the principles of objectivity, impartiality, and confidentiality and may be revised in accordance with updates to international standards of publication ethics.
PROCEDURE FOR CONSIDERING COMPLAINTS REGARDING VIOLATIONS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The editorial board of the journal ensures a transparent and fair procedure for considering complaints related to possible violations of academic integrity.
- 1. Submission of a Complaint. Complaints regarding possible violations (plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, duplicate publication, copyright infringement, conflict of interest) shall be submitted to the editorial office in writing, indicating the essence of the violation and, where possible, the relevant evidence.
- 2. Preliminary Review. The Editor-in-Chief or an authorized member of the editorial board shall conduct an initial assessment of the validity of the complaint and decide on its further consideration.
- 3. Expert Examination. If necessary, the editorial board shall involve independent experts or reviewers for additional verification of the materials and facts set out in the complaint.
- 4. Informing the Parties. The author (authors) of the manuscript shall be informed of the substance of the complaint and shall have the right to provide written explanations or reasoned objections.
- 5. Decision-Making. Based on the results of the review, the editorial board shall make a decision, which may include:
o refusal to publish or retraction of an already published article;
o publication of corrections or explanations;
o temporary or permanent restriction of the author’s ability to publish materials in the journal.
- 6. Confidentiality. All stages of the complaint review process shall be carried out in compliance with the principles of confidentiality and impartiality.
Compliance with the Principles and Recommendations of COPE, WAME, and DORA
The editorial board of the journal, in its activities, is guided by the principles of academic integrity, ethical responsibility, and transparency of publication processes, in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the provisions of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
Authors submitting materials to the journal are required to ensure the originality of the submitted manuscripts, the reliability of the presented research results, and the proper use of scientific sources. Submitted materials must not contain signs of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, or duplicate publication. Authors are required to clearly define the personal contribution of each co-author and declare the presence or absence of any conflict of interest. All borrowed materials must be properly cited in accordance with the current standards of bibliographic description.
The editorial board of the journal ensures an objective and impartial review of submitted materials through independent peer review. Peer review is carried out in compliance with the principles of confidentiality, academic impartiality, and professional responsibility. Reviewers are required to evaluate manuscripts solely according to scientific criteria, refrain from using the information obtained in their own research, and inform the editorial board of any possible conflict of interest.
Editorial decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of articles are made on the basis of scientific quality, novelty, validity of results, and compliance with the thematic scope of the journal. The editorial board guarantees the independence of editorial policy from commercial, institutional, or personal influence. In the event of violations of publication ethics, the editorial board reserves the right to initiate procedures for correction, retraction of an article, or informing the relevant institutions in accordance with COPE recommendations.
The evaluation of scientific materials in the journal is carried out taking into account the principles of the DORA Declaration, which provide for rejecting the use of formal quantitative indicators (in particular, journal impact factors) as the main criterion for the quality of scientific work. Primary attention is paid to the substantive value of the research, scientific novelty, methodological rigor, practical significance, and contribution to the development of the relevant field of knowledge.
The journal recognizes the value of various forms of scientific results, including theoretical studies, applied developments, analytical reviews, methodological materials, and the results of interdisciplinary research. This approach is aimed at fostering an open, responsible, and high-quality scientific environment that meets the requirements of national and international standards.
Compliance with this Instruction is a mandatory requirement for authors, reviewers, and members of the journal’s editorial board and is aimed at ensuring high publication quality, academic integrity, and trust in scientific results.
Publication Ethics and Editorial Policy of the Journal
1. General Provisions. The editorial board of the professional scientific journal carries out its activities in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and adheres to the principles of academic integrity, openness, transparency, and responsibility of all participants in the publication process. The purpose of publication ethics is to ensure the high quality of scientific publications, protect intellectual property rights, and maintain the trust of the academic community in the results of published research.
2. Basic Principles of Publication Ethics:
- 2.1. Originality and Novelty. Only original scientific works that have not been published previously and are not under consideration by other publications are accepted for publication.
- 2.2. Prevention of Plagiarism. All manuscripts are checked for plagiarism. Detection of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification of data constitutes grounds for rejection of publication or retraction of the article.
- 2.3. Objectivity and Impartiality. Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of the scientific value of the materials regardless of the personal characteristics of the authors.
- 2.4. Confidentiality. All materials submitted to the journal, as well as the peer review process, are confidential.
- 2.5. Prevention of Conflicts of Interest. Authors, reviewers, and members of the editorial board are required to disclose any potential conflict of interest.
3. Duties and Responsibilities of the Parties:
- 3.1. Authors are required to:
• ensure the reliability and accuracy of the data provided;
• properly format references and the bibliography;
• indicate all sources of funding and the use of AI tools;
• make revisions in a timely manner based on the results of peer review.
- 3.2. Reviewers are required to:
• conduct objective and reasoned peer review;
• maintain confidentiality;
• inform the editorial office about any conflict of interest;
• not use manuscript materials for their own purposes.
- 3.3. The Editorial Board is required to:
• ensure fair and transparent consideration of manuscripts;
• prevent discrimination;
• prevent violations of academic integrity;
• respond to complaints and ethical violations in accordance with COPE procedures.
4. Editorial Policy
- 4.1. Peer Review. The journal applies a double-blind peer review process involving at least two independent reviewers.
- 4.2. Open Access. The journal adheres to the principles of the Budapest Open Access Initiative and provides free access to all materials.
- 4.3. AI Policy. The use of AI is permitted only as an auxiliary tool with mandatory disclosure of its use. AI cannot be an author of a scientific publication.
- 4.4. Corrections and Retractions. The editorial board applies the procedures of Correction, Expression of Concern, and Retraction in accordance with COPE recommendations.
5. Consideration of Complaints and Appeals. The editorial board considers complaints regarding possible violations of publication ethics impartially and confidentially, while providing authors with the right to explanation and appeal.
The editorial board reserves the right to make changes to this policy taking into account updates to COPE recommendations and international standards of scientific publication.
Policy on Mandatory Ethical Approval
The editorial board of the journal adheres to the principles of academic integrity, bioethics, and the protection of human rights and requires mandatory compliance with the current legislation of Ukraine in cases of research involving human participants, animals, their biological materials, as well as personal or confidential data.
Manuscripts containing the results of research involving human participants must be accompanied by confirmation of a positive opinion issued by the relevant ethics committee (a local bioethics committee or another authorized body), as well as information confirming that the voluntary informed consent of the research participants was obtained. The processing of personal data must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection.”
Research involving animals or their biological materials must comply with the requirements of humane treatment and be accompanied by documentary confirmation of approval by the relevant bioethics committee in accordance with the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Animals from Cruel Treatment” and other regulatory legal acts of Ukraine.
In the text of the article, the authors are required to provide information on the ethical approval obtained (the name of the institution, the number and date of the decision), as well as to confirm compliance with the current legislation of Ukraine and international ethical standards. In the absence of the required ethical approval, the editorial board reserves the right to refuse consideration or publication of the manuscript.
