Corrections and Retractions

We adhere to the principles of COPE and oppose any violations of academic integrity. Special attention is given to checking the originality of works and preventing plagiarism.

Policy on Multiple Submission of Materials

Authors must submit only unique manuscripts that have not been sent to other journals (except in rare cases and only with reviewer approval). Occasionally, authors may violate this rule by submitting the same material to multiple journals or using data from a single study for several articles. This may manifest in various forms, such as literal copying, partial or even reworked copying of materials. Such cases will result in manuscript rejection and may lead to sanctions.

Citation Manipulation

If a manuscript contains citations intended to artificially increase the number of references to a particular author’s work or to publications in a specific journal, such material will be rejected. Sanctions may be imposed on the authors.

Falsification of Scientific Data

If falsification or manipulation of experimental data is detected (including image alteration), the article will be immediately rejected, and the authors may face sanctions.

Procedure for Investigating Suspected Cases

If there are suspicions of ethical violations or fraud, the journal will conduct an investigation according to COPE principles. If reasonable suspicions are identified, the authors will be contacted to clarify the situation. Depending on the results, the following measures may be taken:

• If the manuscript has not yet been published, it may be rejected and returned to the author.
• If the article has already been published, the following measures may be taken depending on the severity of the violation:
  • Correction – to address factual errors or miscalculations.
  • Erratum – to correct editorial errors made during the preparation of the article.
  • Corrigendum – to correct errors made by the authors.

Correction Process

• Corrections may be initiated by the authors, editorial team, or readers.
• The editorial team reviews requests and consults with authors if necessary.
• Once approved, the correction is published separately with the label "Correction."

Retraction

The editorial office may decide to retract an article in the following cases:

• If the research results are unreliable, particularly due to data falsification or manipulation.
• If the article was previously published without proper citations.
• If the article is a case of plagiarism.
• If authorship fraud is discovered.

Retraction Process

• After the retraction of an article, a watermark "Retraction" will appear on its version, and the title will change to "Retraction: [Title of the Article]."
• A retraction statement will be published separately with a DOI identifier.

Manipulation of Publications through Paper Mills

If an article is part of publications compromised through "paper mills" or other fraudulent practices, the editorial office may decide to retract it.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Undeclared use of artificial intelligence technologies to create text or images in a manuscript is a serious violation. Authors must clearly indicate the use of such tools. If such facts are concealed, the article may be retracted. The editorial office reserves the right to check manuscripts for the use of artificial intelligence.

Falsification of Authorship and Identity Theft

Manuscripts may be retracted if fake authorship or the use of someone else’s personal data is detected, as well as in cases of forced or concealed authorship.

Statement of Concern

In cases of serious suspicion about the authenticity of an article or ethical violations, but where there is insufficient evidence for immediate retraction, the journal may publish a statement of concern. Such a statement will have its own DOI and remain available until the investigation is concluded.

Speed of Response to Violations

The editorial office will make decisions regarding corrections, statements of concern, or retractions as quickly as possible once a violation is identified. If it is not possible to agree on the text with the authors, the editorial office reserves the right to publish a statement without delay to preserve scientific integrity.

Availability of Retacted Articles

All articles that have been retracted will remain available in the journal’s archive with clear "Retraction" marking. Complete removal is only possible in exceptional cases as required by law.