Complaints Handling Procedure

 

General Provisions

This Procedure defines the mechanism for submitting, reviewing, and resolving complaints related to the activities of the Journal, with the aim of ensuring transparency, impartiality, and compliance with the principles of academic integrity.
The Journal guarantees objective, timely, and confidential consideration of all complaints.

 

Persons Entitled to Submit a Complaint

A complaint may be submitted by:
- authors of manuscripts;
- reviewers;
- members of the editorial board;
- readers or other interested parties.

 

Grounds for Submitting a Complaint

A complaint may concern, in particular:
- violations of the peer review procedure;
- unjustified editorial decisions;
- breaches of academic integrity;
- conflicts of interest;
- violations of publication ethics;
- unlawful use of personal data;
- other actions or omissions by the editorial office or participants in the editorial process.

 

Submission Procedure

A complaint shall be submitted in writing (by email to the official address of the Journal) and must include:
- the full name of the complainant;
- contact details;
- a description of the complaint;
- justification and, where available, supporting materials.

Anonymous complaints may be considered only in cases where the provided information indicates potential serious breaches of academic integrity.

 

Review Procedure

The Editorial Office acknowledges receipt of the complaint within 5 working days.

The complaint is reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized member of the Editorial Board.

If necessary, independent experts may be involved or an ad hoc committee may be established.

The parties concerned may be invited to provide written explanations.

As a rule, the review period shall not exceed 30 calendar days.

 

Decision-Making

Following the review, one of the following decisions may be made:
- to dismiss the complaint;
- to recommend revision or reconsideration of the editorial decision;
- to initiate additional peer review;
- to introduce corrections to a published article;
- to publish a clarification or correction notice;
- to retract the article (in the case of confirmed serious violations);
- to take other measures in accordance with the Journal’s editorial policy and international standards (e.g., COPE).
The complainant shall receive written notification of the outcome.

 

Confidentiality and Impartiality

Complaints shall be reviewed in accordance with the principles of confidentiality, impartiality, and avoidance of conflicts of interest. Individuals who are the subject of a complaint shall not participate in the decision-making process.

 

Final Provisions

This Procedure is binding on all participants in the editorial and publishing process. The Journal reserves the right to improve the complaints handling procedure in accordance with international standards of publication ethics.