Editorial Policy on Violations
The journal adheres to COPE ethical guidelines and strongly opposes any form of misconduct. In particular, we focus on verifying the originality of scientific papers and preventing plagiarism.
Multiple Submission
Authors must submit only unique manuscripts that have not been submitted to any other journal. Occasionally, authors may disregard this requirement by submitting the same document to multiple journals or sending several papers based on the same research. Multiple submission can take various forms, including literal copying, partial but significant copying, or paraphrased copying of the research. Such violations will lead to immediate rejection of the manuscript and potential sanctions against the authors.
Manipulation of Citations
Manuscripts that contain citations with the primary goal of artificially increasing references to the author's own work or to articles published in a particular journal will be immediately rejected, with possible sanctions against the authors.
Data Falsification
The detection of falsified or fabricated experimental data (including image manipulation) in a submitted paper will result in immediate rejection of the article and potential sanctions against the authors.
In cases of suspected fraud or misconduct, the journal will investigate in accordance with COPE guidelines. If serious violations are found during the investigation, the authors will be contacted via their email addresses and given an opportunity to resolve the issue. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the following actions may be taken:
- Rejection of the manuscript if it is still under review.
- Retraction of the publication if the article has already been published online, depending on the severity of the violation.
Corrections
Corrections may be published alongside the original text if a significant error, such as an experimental or computational mistake, is identified.
Erratum
This term will be used if a significant error occurred during the preparation of the journal article, such as an omission or failure to implement corrections requested by the authors within the established timeframe. A significant error is one that impacts the scientific record, the integrity of the article, or the reputation of the authors or the journal.
Corrigendum
A Corrigendum is issued to report a significant error made by the authors of the article. All corrections must be approved by the journal's editorial board.
Procedure for Making Corrections
Corrections can be initiated by authors, editors, or readers. The editorial team evaluates the request and, if necessary, consults with the authors. Once approved, the correction is published as a separate document linked to the original article, with the "Correction" label.
Retraction
In some cases, the editorial team may decide to retract an article.
Reasons for potential retraction include:
- evidence that the results are unreliable, whether due to misconduct such as data manipulation or image alterations;
- the results have been published earlier elsewhere without proper citation, licensing, or justification (e.g., excessive or duplicate publication);
- the research is plagiarised;
- evidence of fraudulent authorship;
- the peer-review process was compromised;
- unethical research practices or violations of professional ethical codes.
Requests for retraction can be made by authors, editors, or third parties. The editorial team will conduct an investigation involving the authors and, if necessary, external experts. The final decision will be made by the journal’s editor-in-chief or deputy editor.
After a retraction decision has been made:
- a watermark "Retraction" will be added to the published version of the article;
- the article's title will be changed to "Retraction: [Article Title]";
- a separate retraction statement will be published under the title "Retraction: [Article Title]."
Mass Manipulation and "Paper Mills"
If it is found that an article is part of a series of publications compromised by "paper mills" or fraudulent practices, the editorial team may decide to retract the article. The retraction statement will clearly indicate that the article is part of a group of works affected by similar violations.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
If artificial intelligence is used in the manuscript to generate text, images, or data without proper disclosure, this will be treated as a serious violation and may lead to retraction. Authors must transparently inform the journal about the use of such tools.
Falsification of Authorship and Identity Theft
Manuscripts may be retracted if false authorship is confirmed or if personal data (e.g., name, ORCID) is stolen, or if hidden or coerced authorship is involved.
Expression of Concern
In cases where there are serious concerns about the authenticity of an article or violations of ethics but there is insufficient evidence for immediate retraction, the journal may issue an Expression of Concern. This statement will have its own DOI, linked to the original article, and will remain available until the editorial investigation is completed.
Timeliness of Procedures
The decision to publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions will be made by the editorial team and implemented as quickly as possible after identifying significant violations. If final agreement on the text with the authors is not possible, the editorial team reserves the right to publish the statement without delay to preserve scientific integrity.
Availability of Retracted
Retracted will remain available in the journal’s archives with a clear "Retraction" label. Full removal may only occur in exceptional cases where required by applicable law, such as for data protection, copyright infringement, or court orders.
