Procedure for retracting articles
The editorial board exercises strict control over the integrity of published materials, the detection of violations, and the transparency of the scientific process. The journal accepts only original manuscripts. Any confirmed duplication is considered a serious violation and results in immediate rejection and possible sanctions.
The editorial board rejects manuscripts in which the following are identified:
- artificial inflation of citation counts in favor of the author or other researchers;
- manipulative citation practices aimed at supporting a particular journal or publication series.
Falsified experimental results, altered or fabricated images, as well as any other form of data manipulation, lead to immediate rejection of the manuscript.
In cases of suspected misconduct, the editorial board conducts an internal investigation and, if necessary, involves external experts. Authors are informed and given an opportunity to provide an explanation. A decision is then made either to reject the manuscript (if not yet published) or to issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction (if the article is already published online).
Authors may withdraw a manuscript only before its publication. To do so, they must submit a written request explaining the reasons, signed by all co-authors. The manuscript is then removed from the publisher’s database, while copyright remains with the authors.
The editorial board aims to promptly address corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions. If agreement with the authors cannot be reached, the editorial board reserves the right to publish relevant notices to protect the integrity of the scientific record.
Retracted articles remain in open access with clear retraction labeling. Full removal is possible only in exceptional cases defined by law (e.g., personal data protection, copyright violations, or security requirements).
