Complaints procedure regarding academic integrity and publication ethics violations
The editorial board of the journal adheres to internationally recognized principles of academic integrity, transparency of editorial procedures and responsibility of all participants in the publishing process. The journal's policy is based on the recommendations of international organizations, in particular the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the principles of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), as well as modern approaches to open science and the responsible use of scientometric indicators.
The editorial board of the journal ensures objective and impartial consideration of manuscripts regardless of the academic degree, institution or country of the authors. All submitted materials are evaluated solely on the basis of scientific significance, level of novelty, methodological soundness and compliance with the thematic profile of the journal.
Ethical Principles of Editorial Activity
The editorial office is responsible for organizing a transparent and fair editorial process and guarantees the independence of decisions regarding the publication of materials. The decision to accept or reject a manuscript is made based on the scientific value of the work and the conclusions of independent reviewers.
The editorial board ensures:
- compliance with confidentiality principles regarding manuscripts and personal data of authors and reviewers;
- screening of submitted materials for plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or other violations of academic integrity;
- prompt response to inquiries regarding possible violations of publication ethics;
- publication of corrections, clarifications, or retractions in case of identification of unreliable data or copyright violations;
- prevention of conflicts of interest among participants in the editorial process.
Editors are not permitted to use unpublished materials for their own scientific purposes without the authors’ consent.
All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo screening for textual overlap using specialized software, including StrikePlagiarism.com. In the case of a significant level of improper overlap, the manuscript may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected.
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are responsible for the scientific accuracy of the results presented in the manuscript and should submit only original materials that have not been previously published and are not under consideration in other journals.
Authors are obliged to:
- ensure the accuracy of the reported research results;
- provide complete and reliable information about research methodology;
- properly cite all sources of information used;
- indicate all individuals who have made a significant contribution to the research;
- inform the editorial office about any potential conflicts of interest or sources of funding;
- approve the final version of the article by all co-authors before submission to the editorial office.
Fabrication or falsification of results, data manipulation, improper authorship, or duplicate publication are considered unacceptable.
The use of artificial intelligence technologies in manuscript preparation is allowed only as an auxiliary tool. Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, correctness, and originality of materials prepared using such technologies.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Peer review is a key stage in ensuring the quality of scientific publications. The journal applies a double-blind peer review procedure, which guarantees objectivity of evaluation.
Reviewers should:
- conduct an unbiased expert assessment of manuscripts in accordance with their scientific competence;
- provide reasoned recommendations for improving the quality of the manuscript;
- maintain confidentiality of the received materials;
- inform the editorial office about possible cases of plagiarism or duplicate publications;
- refrain from using the information obtained until the article is officially published.
In the presence of a conflict of interest, the reviewer should decline to conduct the review.
Principles of Evaluation of Scientific Materials (in accordance with DORA)
The editorial office supports responsible assessment of scientific results and does not use journal metrics as the primary criterion for the quality of individual articles.
When considering manuscripts, the following are taken into account:
- scientific novelty of the results;
- validity of the methods used;
- reliability of the obtained data;
- practical or theoretical significance of the results;
- contribution of the research to the development of the relevant field of knowledge.
Adherence to Open Science Principles
The journal supports modern approaches to open access to scientific results and promotes transparency of the research process.
In particular:
- the use of international author identifiers (e.g., ORCID) is encouraged;
- open access to published materials is supported;
- storage of primary research data in open repositories is recommended;
- long-term preservation of published materials in library and electronic archives is ensured.
Authors should ensure the preservation of primary research data for a sufficient period and be ready to provide them to the editorial office upon request to confirm the reliability of the obtained results.
Ethical Requirements for Research
In the case of research involving humans or animals, authors must comply with relevant national and international bioethics standards.
Research involving human participants must be conducted with informed consent and in compliance with personal data confidentiality requirements.
Experiments involving animals or plants must be conducted in accordance with applicable regulations and international recommendations on the humane treatment of biological objects.
The editorial office ensures the possibility of submitting complaints regarding possible violations of publication ethics and guarantees their objective, impartial, and confidential consideration in accordance with the recommendations of international organizations in the field of academic integrity.
Grounds for Filing Complaints
Grounds for filing a complaint may include established or reasonably suspected cases of violation of academic integrity, including:
• plagiarism or self-plagiarism;
• fabrication or falsification of research results;
• copyright infringement or unauthorized use of research results;
• violation of the principles of responsible authorship;
• undeclared conflict of interest;
• unethical behavior during peer review or editorial consideration of materials;
• other actions that contradict international standards of publication ethics.
Procedure for Submitting Complaints
Complaints are submitted to the editorial office in writing through official communication channels.
A complaint must include:
• a description of the essence of the alleged violation;
• references to relevant materials or publications;
• justification with indication of available evidence (if possible);
• contact details of the complainant to ensure feedback.
Anonymous complaints may be considered only in cases where they contain sufficient factual data for verification.
Procedure for Handling Complaints
Upon receiving a complaint, the editorial office conducts a preliminary assessment of its validity. If grounds are confirmed, the editorial office may initiate an internal review procedure involving members of the editorial board or independent experts.
Within the review procedure:
• analysis of the submitted materials is carried out;
• additional explanations may be requested from authors or other parties;
• compliance with the principles of confidentiality and impartiality is ensured;
• decisions are made solely on the basis of an objective assessment of the facts.
The review procedure is conducted in accordance with international recommendations on good editorial practice and principles of responsible research assessment.
Decisions Following Review
Based on the results of the review, the editorial office adopts a reasoned decision which, depending on the nature of the identified violations, may include:
• recognition of the absence of a violation;
• requirement to make corrections or clarifications;
• refusal to accept the manuscript for publication;
• retraction of a published article;
• publication of a notice of correction or retraction;
• application of other measures in accordance with the journal’s editorial policy.
Notification of Parties and Ensuring Confidentiality
The editorial office informs the interested parties of the results of the review, taking into account the requirements of applicable legislation on personal data protection.
The editorial office guarantees that all materials related to complaint handling are used solely for the purpose of establishing the circumstances of possible violations and ensuring compliance with the principles of academic integrity.
Policy Updates
The editorial office reserves the right to revise the provisions of this policy in accordance with the changes in international recommendations in the field of publication ethics and the development of academic integrity standards.
The implementation of these principles contributes to ensuring a high level of scientific publications and building trust in the research results published in the journal.
Policy on the use of artificial intelligence tools
The journal recognizes the possibility of using modern artificial intelligence (AI) tools as auxiliary means in the preparation, editing, and formatting of scientific materials, provided that the principles of academic integrity, reliability of research results, and transparency of the editorial process are fully observed.
The use of artificial intelligence technologies is permitted only as a supportive tool that does not replace the author’s scientific work. All scientific results, conclusions, interpretations, and analytical generalizations must be produced independently by the authors. Responsibility for the content of the manuscript, the accuracy of data, and the correctness of the information presented remains fully with the authors regardless of the use of auxiliary technologies.
Permitted Uses of AI Tools
Authors may use artificial intelligence tools for:
• language editing, spelling and grammar checking;
• translation of texts into other languages or improvement of stylistic presentation;
• technical processing of information, structuring of text, or preparation of supporting materials;
• analysis of large datasets or performance of auxiliary computational procedures, provided that the results are verified by the authors.
Prohibited Uses of AI Tools
The use of artificial intelligence tools is not permitted for:
• generating or falsifying scientific results, data, or experimental materials;
• automatically producing main scientific conclusions without proper author verification;
• manipulating images, graphs, or tables with the purpose of distorting research results;
• concealing plagiarism or artificially increasing the originality level of the text;
• submitting materials generated by artificial intelligence without proper disclosure of its use.
Disclosure Requirements for AI Use
If artificial intelligence technologies are used during the preparation of the manuscript, authors should notify the editorial office and indicate the nature of the use of the relevant tools in the text of the article in the section Presentation of the main research material or accompanying materials. The information should include the name of the tool or software and a brief description of how it is used, explaining the process and details of its application.
Use of AI in the Editorial Process
Editors and reviewers may use artificial intelligence tools only under conditions that ensure confidentiality of submitted materials and prevent the transfer of manuscripts to external services without appropriate data protection guarantees.
The editorial office reserves the right to request additional explanations from authors regarding the use of artificial intelligence technologies and to verify submitted materials for compliance with established requirements.
Compliance with this policy promotes responsible use of artificial intelligence technologies and ensures an appropriate level of trust in the research results published in the journal.
