Procedure for reviewing complaints about violations of academic integrity and publication ethics

The procedure for reviewing complaints about violations of academic integrity determines the procedure for submitting, verifying and making decisions on appeals about possible violations of ethics, publication standards or editorial procedures in the journal. The complaint may be filed by authors, reviewers, members of the editorial board, readers or other persons. Appeals are considered regarding plagiarism and self-plagiarism, falsification of data, violations of authorship, undeclared conflict of interest, dishonest review, improper use of materials, violations of editorial procedures or improper behavior of editors and reviewers. The complaint is submitted in writing to the official email address indicating the applicant (anonymously if necessary), the essence of the violation, evidence and contacts. After the preliminary review, a commission is created to analyze the materials and, if necessary, request explanations from the parties. The results may include rejection of the complaint, corrections, retraction of the article, sanctions against the violator or informing his institution. All materials are considered confidentially. In case of disagreement, the applicant may file an appeal with the editorial board or the relevant service of the publisher.