Procedure for Handling Complaints Regarding Ethical Violations
The journal «Spirituality of a personality: methodology, theory and practice» adheres to high standards of publication quality and considers any reports of violations of academic integrity, publication ethics, and ethical standards in accordance with the principles of COPE. Authors and co-authors bear full responsibility for compliance with the principles of academic integrity and publication ethics.
- Purpose and Scope
This procedure establishes the process for reviewing complaints regarding violations of academic integrity, publication ethics, and ethical standards by authors, reviewers, or members of the editorial board of this scientific journal. It applies to issues related to plagiarism, improper borrowing of materials, conflicts of interest, data manipulation, and other violations of academic integrity.
- Submission of a Complaint
2.1. A complaint must be submitted electronically to the official email address of this scientific journal: vidavnictvosnu.ua@gmail.com.
2.2. The complaint must clearly indicate:
- contact details of the applicant;
- a link to the publication or material under consideration;
- a detailed description of the violation with references to evidence.
2.3. Anonymous complaints are not considered.
- Preliminary Review Stage
3.1. The Editor-in-Chief appoints an authorized person for the preliminary analysis of the complaint.
3.2. Within 5 working days, the authorized person verifies:
- whether the complaint corresponds to the scope of this scientific journal;
- whether there are sufficient grounds for consideration.
3.3. The applicant receives a notification about the registration of the complaint or the refusal to consider it.
- Consideration of the Complaint
4.1. A commission of three independent experts is formed to consider the complaint.
4.2. The commission has the right to:
- request additional materials and explanations;
- involve independent experts;
- conduct consultations with all interested parties.
4.3. The review period shall not exceed 30 calendar days.
- Decision and Measures
5.1. After the review, the commission may make the following decisions:
- reject the complaint as unfounded;
- recognize the violation as minor and propose corrections;
- recognize the violation as serious and take appropriate measures.
5.2. Possible measures in case of serious violations:
- refusal to publish the material;
- retraction of an already published article;
- prohibition on submitting materials for a certain period;
- notification of the author’s institution about the violation.
- Protection of the Rights of the Parties
6.1. All parties to the conflict have the right to:
- receive full information about the review process;
- present their explanations and evidence;
- appeal the commission’s decision.
6.2. Confidentiality of the process is guaranteed to all participants.
- Appeal of Decisions
7.1. The commission’s decision may be appealed to the Editor-in-Chief within 14 days.
7.2. The Editor-in-Chief considers the appeal within 10 working days.
7.3. The decision of the Editor-in-Chief is final.
The editorial board should follow the COPE guidelines on complaints and appeals, as well as the COPE guidance on the General Approach to Publication Ethics for Editorial Offices.
