Procedure for withdrawing published articles

The journal "Bulletin of Uman National University" adheres to the principles of COPE and takes measures to ensure academic integrity, avoiding cases of plagiarism, duplication, falsification of data, or other forms of scientific misconduct.

Ethical violations

The editorial office does not accept:

  • resubmission of materials already published or simultaneously submitted to other publications;
  • citation manipulation aimed at artificially increasing the citation index;
  • falsification or fabrication of data, including image manipulation;
  • hidden use of AI, falsification of authorship or use of personal data of other persons;
  • participation in activities related to "paper mills" (scientific paper factories).

All such cases are reviewed in accordance with COPE recommendations, with possible sanctions, refusal to publish, or retraction of the article.

Correction, erratum and corrigendum

If an inaccuracy or technical error is discovered in the published material, the editorial office may publish:

  • Correction – in the event of a significant error that does not affect the reliability of the results;
  • Erratum –  if the editorial team made a mistake while preparing the material;
  • Corrigendum –  if the author made a mistake.

Corrections can be initiated by authors, readers, or the editorial team. After review and approval, a separate document marked "Correction" is published, linked to the original article.

Retraction

In some cases, the editorial board may decide to retract an article.

Reasons for potential retraction of a paper (withdrawal):

  • there is clear evidence that the results are not reliable, regardless of whether they are the result of wrongdoing (e.g., fabricated data and image manipulation);
  • the research results have been previously published elsewhere without proper citation, license, or justification (e.g., in cases of redundant or duplicate publication);
  • the research is plagiarism;
  • there is evidence of fraudulent authorship;
  • the review process has been proven to have been compromised;
  • there is evidence of unethical research and violations of professional ethical codes.

Requests for retraction may be submitted by authors, editors, or third parties. The editorial board conducts an investigation involving the authors and, if necessary, external experts. The decision is made by the editor-in-chief of the journal or his deputy.

After the decision to retract an article is made:

  • A "Retraction" watermark will be added to the published version of the article entry;
  • the title of the article will be titled "Retraction: [Article Title]";
  • a separate retraction statement will be published under the title "Retraction: [Article Title]."

The journal editors sign this notice; the retraction statement will be numbered and will have a DOI identifier.

In some cases, authors of a scientific article subject to review by the journal may request the retraction of their manuscript. The request can be made only before the article is published. To retract a manuscript, authors should contact the journal editors with a letter containing a clear and understandable explanation of the reasons for the retraction. The letter should be concise and signed by all authors of the article. The retracted manuscript will be completely removed from the publisher's database, but the copyright remains with the authors of the article.

Complete removal is possible only in exceptional cases - for example, in case of violation of legislation, copyright or security issues.

Expression of Concern

If there are concerns about the accuracy of the data, but the evidence is not sufficient to warrant a retraction, the editorial team may publish an “Expression of Concern” with its own DOI. It remains available until the investigation is complete.

Review Procedure

  • The investigation is initiated by the editorial office or at the request of the author or a third party.
  • Authors receive notification and the right to provide explanations.
  • The final decision is made by the editor-in-chief or his deputy..
  • All decisions (regarding correction, retraction, or statement of concern) are made as quickly as possible to maintain scientific integrity.

Voluntary Manuscript Withdrawal

Authors may withdraw a manuscript prior to publication by submitting a formal letter of explanation signed by all co-authors. In such a case, the work will be removed from the journal databases, but the copyright remains with the authors.