Procedure for Handling Complaints Regarding Academic Integrity and Publication Ethics Violations, Retraction Policy
Procedure for Handling Complaints Regarding Academic Integrity and Publication Ethics Violations
The journal “Achievements of Clinical and Experimental Medicine” adheres to high standards of academic integrity and publication ethics. In case of suspected violations, authors, reviewers, or readers may submit a complaint to the Editorial Board.
The procedure for handling complaints includes the following steps:
- Submission of a Complaint
Complaints should be submitted in writing to the journal’s e-mail address (journal@tdmu.edu.ua), specifying the alleged violation and the contact details of the complainant.
- Preliminary Assessment
The Editorial Board conducts an initial review of the complaint, verifies the validity of the evidence provided, and determines whether the matter requires formal investigation.
- Investigation of the Complaint
If a possible violation is confirmed, a special committee (Editorial Committee and/or external experts) is formed. All parties are given the opportunity to provide explanations.
- Decision-Making
The Editorial Board makes a decision regarding further actions, which may include:
- correction or retraction of the publication;
- notification of relevant institutions;
- other measures according to the journal’s policy and international publication ethics standards (COPE).
- Notification of the Outcome
The results of the complaint review are communicated to the complainant and, if necessary, published on the journal’s website.
The Editorial Board ensures confidentiality for all parties involved and guarantees an impartial decision-making process.
Retraction Policy
Retraction of an article may occur if serious violations of research or publication ethics are identified after publication.
Grounds for retraction may include:
- plagiarism;
- fabrication or falsification of data;
- significant errors affecting the reliability of results;
- duplicate publication;
- other forms of academic misconduct.
The decision to retract an article is made by the Editorial Board following an appropriate review process.
In the case of retraction:
- the article remains in the journal archive;
- a retraction notice explaining the reasons is published on the article page;
- bibliographic databases are informed of the retracted status of the publication.
