Procedure for Handling Complaints Regarding Breaches of Academic Integrity and Publication Ethics

The procedure for handling complaints regarding breaches of academic integrity sets out the process for submitting, investigating and deciding on complaints relating to potential breaches of ethical standards, publication standards or the journal’s editorial procedures.

Authors, reviewers, members of the editorial board, readers and any other interested parties have the right to submit a complaint.

Complaints are considered in accordance with the recommendations of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), adhering to the principles of fairness, objectivity, proportionality and confidentiality.

Complaints will be considered if they relate to:

• plagiarism and self-plagiarism;

• falsification or fabrication of data;

• copyright infringement;

• undeclared conflicts of interest;

• unethical peer review;

• unauthorised use of materials;

• breaches of editorial procedures;

• inappropriate conduct by editors or reviewers.

Complaints must be submitted in writing to the editorial office’s official email address: olena.stefanyshyn@wunu.edu.ua. The complaint must include: details of the complainant (anonymous if desired), the nature of the breach, available evidence and contact details.

Following an initial review of the complaint, a committee is formed to examine the materials provided and, where necessary, request explanations from the parties involved.

Following an initial review of the complaint, a committee is formed to examine the materials provided and, where necessary, request explanations from the parties involved.

When considering the substance of the complaint, the editorial team involves editors and/or independent experts who have no conflict of interest with any of the parties involved. Persons against whom the complaint is being considered are not permitted to participate in the review process.

During the investigation, the editorial team has the right to:

• request additional materials and explanations from the parties;

• engage independent specialists for expert assessment;

• conduct consultations to ensure the establishment of facts.

The standard review period is up to 30 calendar days. In complex cases, this may be extended – the editorial team is obliged to notify the complainant of this in advance.

The following decisions may be taken based on the outcome of the review:

• to reject the complaint as unfounded;

• to make corrections to the published material;

• to withdraw the article;

• to impose sanctions on the person who committed the breach;

• to notify the organisation where the offender works.

All materials covered by the complaint review procedure are confidential.

If the complainant disagrees with the decision, they have the right to appeal to the editorial board or the relevant department of the publisher.