Procedure for handling complaints regarding breaches of ethical standards

3.1. Scope of application

This procedure applies to complaints and reports concerning breaches of publication ethics and academic integrity relating to materials submitted to or published in the Bulletin. Complaints may relate, in particular, to: plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, incorrect authorship, duplicate publications, biased peer review or conflicts of interest.

3.2. Submitting a complaint

Any person (author, reviewer, reader, representative of the academic community) may submit a complaint. Complaints must be submitted in writing (by email) to the editorial office of the Bulletin, and must include:

  • the title of the article and its authors (or the manuscript, if it has not yet been published);
  • the nature of the violation and specific facts evidencing its existence;
  • evidence or references to sources supporting the complaint;
  • contact details of the person submitting the complaint.

Anonymous complaints are considered only in exceptional cases, provided they contain sufficient specific factual information to warrant an investigation.

3.3. Procedure for consideration

Complaints are considered in the following order:

  1. Registration: the editorial office registers the complaint and sends confirmation of receipt within 5 working days.
  2. Preliminary assessment: the editor-in-chief or managing editor assesses the validity of the complaint and decides whether to initiate a full investigation or to close the case without further consideration (stating the reasons).
  3. Full investigation (if necessary): the editorial team gathers relevant materials, may consult independent experts, and requests explanations from the author(s) or other relevant parties. The author is given the opportunity to respond within 14 calendar days.
  4. Decision-making: on the basis of the materials gathered, the editorial board makes one or more decisions: to leave the publication unchanged; to publish a corrigendum or comment; to send the article for re-review; to withdraw (retract) the article; to notify the author’s institution.
  5. Notification: the parties are notified of the decision taken and the reasons for it. The total duration of the review process must not exceed 60 calendar days from the date of receipt of the complaint.

3.4. Appeal

The person who lodged the complaint, or the author against whom the decision was made, may appeal by submitting a letter of appeal to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 calendar days of receiving the decision. The appeal is considered by an independent member of the editorial board who was not involved in the initial review.

3.5. Confidentiality

The editorial board takes all necessary measures to maintain confidentiality regarding the identity of the complainant and the materials gathered during the review process. Information is disclosed only to those directly involved in the review.