Complaints Handling

PROCEDURE FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS REGARDING BREACHES OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PUBLICATION ETHICS

The editorial board of the journal "Innovations in Pre-school and Primary Education" adheres to the principles of academic integrity, transparency, objectivity and ethical standards at all stages of the editorial and publishing process. In the event of complaints, reports or notifications regarding possible breaches of academic integrity and publication ethics (plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, improper authorship, conflict of interest, duplicate publications, breaches of review ethics, etc.), the editorial board will investigate them in accordance with the established procedure.

Submission of a complaint. A complaint shall be submitted to the journal’s editorial board in writing (by email or official letter) with a clear statement of the nature of the violation, specifying the publication and authors, and, where possible, accompanied by supporting evidence.

Initial review. The Editor-in-Chief or an authorised member of the editorial board conducts an initial analysis of the complaint, verifies its validity, and determines whether it requires further consideration.

Formation of a committee / involvement of the editorial board. If the grounds for considering the matter are confirmed, a working group is formed or a meeting of the editorial board is convened to thoroughly examine the circumstances of the case. Where necessary, independent experts, reviewers or specialists in the relevant field may be involved.

Obtaining explanations from the parties. The author(s) of the material in respect of which the complaint has been lodged shall receive official notification and shall have the right to provide written explanations, comments or additional documents within the timeframe specified by the editorial board.

Decision-making. Based on the results of the review, the editorial board shall adopt a reasoned decision, which may include: dismissal of the complaint as unfounded; a request to the authors to make corrections; publication of a retraction or clarification; withdrawal (retraction) of the article; a ban on the author(s) submitting further materials to the journal for a specified period; and informing the institution where the author works of the established violations.

Notification of results. The editorial board shall notify the complainant and the author(s) of the article in writing of the results of the review. If necessary, the decision shall be published on the journal’s official website or in the next issue.

 

The editorial board guarantees the confidentiality of the complaint review process, impartiality in decision-making, and compliance with the provisions of current Ukrainian legislation, the principles of academic integrity, and international standards of publication ethics.