Complaints Policy

The Editorial Board of the journal adheres to international standards of academic integrity and is guided by the principles of COPE Core Practices (Committee on Publication Ethics). We ensure a transparent, objective, and timely review of all appeals regarding possible violations of publication ethics.

Grounds for filing a complaint

Complaints may relate to the following violations: plagiarism or self-plagiarism; data fabrication or falsification; duplicate submission or redundant publication; citation manipulation; improper authorship determination (unjustified inclusion or exclusion of authors); undisclosed conflict of interest; violation of peer review principles, and other instances of non-compliance with academic integrity norms.

Procedure for filing a complaint

A complaint is submitted in writing to the official email address of the editorial office.

The appeal must specify:

  • the title of the article, authors, year of publication;
  • a clear description of the nature of the violation;
  • supporting materials or links to sources, if possible.

Anonymous appeals may be considered provided that sufficiently reasoned information is provided.

Complaint Review Procedure

  1. The initial review is carried out by the Editorial Board. It assesses the validity of the complaint and determines whether the issue falls within the journal's competence.
  2. If grounds exist, an internal review is initiated, involving independent experts if necessary. In complex cases, the editorial office may contact the institution where the authors are employed.
  3. The author(s) receive notification of the claim's essence and have the opportunity to provide written explanations within the specified timeframe.
  4. The decision is made in accordance with COPE recommendations and based on the materials received.

Depending on the nature of the established violation, the editorial office may:

  • reject the manuscript for publication;
  • demand corrections;
  • publish a notice of correction (correction);
  • publish an expression of concern (expression of concern);
  • retract the article (retraction);
  • notify the authors' institution;
  • limit the submission of materials to the journal for a specified period.

Review Principles

The Editorial Board ensures impartiality and independence in decision-making; confidentiality of information; documentation of all review stages; and adherence to international ethical standards.

The final decision regarding complaints is made by the Editorial Council.