Procedure for Reviewing Complaints Regarding Violations of Academic Integrity and Publication Ethics

      The Editorial Board of the journal Scientific Progress & Innovations ensures a transparent and fair procedure for handling complaints related to potential violations of academic integrity and publication ethics. This protocol establishes the procedure for investigating complaints against authors, reviewers, or Editorial Board members regarding ethical breaches. It covers issues such as plagiarism, misappropriation of materials, conflicts of interest, data manipulation, and other forms of academic misconduct.

      The editorial board of the journal Scientific Progress & Innovations is guided by the norms of the current legislation of Ukraine, the internal regulatory documents of the founder and international standards of publication ethics, in particular the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association and the UNESCO Recommendations on Open Science.

      The following parties are entitled to submit a complaint: authors or co-authors of a publication; reviewers of the relevant manuscript; members of the editorial board; third parties who have identified a violation in a published or submitted work; institutions, organisations, or their authorised representatives.

      A complaint must be submitted in written (electronic) form and shall include: 
      - Full name (or official title) of the complainant and their contact details (email address). Anonymous complaints will not be considered;
      - Title of the publication or manuscript to which the complaint relates (DOI of publication);
      - A specific description of the alleged violation, including the relevant facts and circumstances;
      - Evidence supporting the complaint (screenshots, links, files, etc.);
      - Date of the complaint and signature.

      A complaint may be submitted by one of the following means:  
      - By email to the editorial address visnyk@pdau.edu.ua, marked "COMPLAINT";
      - By postal mail to the editorial address.

      Initial check 
      - The editor-in-chief confirms receipt of the complaint within 5 working days and conducts an initial analysis of its validity;
      - If the complaint concerns an unpublished manuscript, its consideration and publication will be suspended until the investigation is complete.

      Formation of the Ethics Commission
      For a detailed consideration of the complaint, a temporary working group (Commission) is created, consisting of the Editor-in-Chief and at least 2 members of the editorial board who have no conflict of interest with any of the parties.
      The Commission has the right to request additional materials and explanations, involve independent experts, and consult with all interested parties.

      The investigation period shall not exceed 30 calendar days.

      The person against whom the complaint is filed has the right to: be informed of the full substance of the complaint and the evidence; submit written explanations, objections, and additional evidence; be present during any oral hearings (if held); and appeal the decision.

      The complainant has the right to: receive information on the progress of the complaint review; submit additional evidence during the investigation; and withdraw the complaint prior to a decision being made.

      Decision making  
      Based on the results of the investigation, the Editorial Board issues a decision, which may include:
      - rejecting the complaint as unsubstantiated;
      - identifying a minor violation and suggesting corrections;
      - identifying a significant violation and taking appropriate action.

      Measures in cases of significant misconduct:  
      - rejection of the manuscript;
      - retraction of an already published article;
      - a temporary ban on future submissions;
      - reporting the violation to the author’s home institution.

      The editorial office officially informs about the decision:  
      - applicant and authors;
      - management of the institution where the authors work (in case of confirmation of gross violations);
      - scientometric databases and repositories (in case of retraction). 

      Appeals. The Commission's decision may be appealed to the Editor-in-Chief within 14 days. The Editor-in-Chief reviews the appeal within 10 working days. The decision of the Editor-in-Chief is final.

      Confidentiality. All stages of the complaint process are conducted in accordance with the principles of confidentiality and impartiality.