Procedure for reviewing complaints regarding violations of academic integrity

The editorial board of the journal "Bulletin of Uman National University" strives to promptly, impartially and constructively consider all requests, complaints and appeals related to editorial or publishing activities. All cases are considered in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), taking into account the nature and complexity of the situation.

Complaints

Reports of possible violations of ethical standards should be sent to the official email address: visnyk.unaus@gmail.com

The complaint should be concise, well-reasoned, and contain sufficient facts and, if possible, supporting documents.

The editorial office considers all reports within 30 working days, but in complex cases this period may be extended.

Complaints submitted in an incorrect, offensive, or defamatory form will not be considered. If the issue is beyond the scope of the journal, the applicant will be provided with an official response explaining the reasons for the refusal.

Grounds for filing a complaint

Complaints may concern: plagiarism or auto-plagiarism; fabrication or falsification of data; manipulation of peer review; improper authorship; conflict of interest; violation of ethical standards of research; improper editorial behavior.

Initial review

The editor-in-chief or a specially appointed ethics editor conducts an initial assessment. The validity of the complaint is checked. In case of a potential conflict of interest, the case is referred to an independent editor.

Formal investigation

If the complaint is justified, the relevant authors are notified and given the opportunity to explain. If necessary, the following are involved: independent experts; members of the editorial board without a conflict of interest; in complex cases, the institutions where the authors work.

Depending on the results of the review, the following decisions may be made:

rejection of the manuscript;

request for corrections;

publication of an expression of concern;

retraction of the article;

notification of the author's institution.

Special cases

If the complaint concerns: the editor-in-chief – the case is transferred to the publisher or an independent editor; a member of the editorial board – an independent editor-in-chief is appointed; a reviewer – an internal investigation and review of reviews may be conducted.

Appeals

Authors have the right to appeal an editorial decision if they believe it to be unfounded or biased.

An appeal may concern:

• publication refusals;
• requirements for significant revision of the manuscript;
• suspicions of review bias;
• other actions that, in the author's opinion, contradict ethical principles.

The appeal should be submitted in writing to visnyk.unaus@gmail.com within 30 calendar days of receiving the decision. The appeal should include the title of the article, substantiated arguments, and, if available, additional materials.

The appeal is reviewed by the editor-in-chief or another member of the editorial board who did not participate in the initial decision. If necessary, a second review by an independent expert may be appointed.

The review lasts up to 30 days, after which the author receives a written response with the final decision.

The decision made on the appeal is final and cannot be reviewed.

All investigation materials are confidential.

Information is disclosed only when necessary or in accordance with the law.