Procedure for reviewing complaints regarding violations of academic integrity and publication ethics

The journal adheres to the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) regarding ethical policy, in particular with respect to the handling of publication ethics violations, namely: timeliness, impartiality, confidentiality, and documentation. The editorial office accepts complaints from authors, reviewers, readers, and institutions.

Types of Violations

• Plagiarism (full or partial)

• Self-plagiarism and duplicate publication

• Data fabrication and falsification

• Improper authorship attribution

• Undisclosed conflicts of interest

• Breach of the peer review process

• Violations of human rights or research ethics

Complaint Submission Procedure

1. Complaints must be submitted in written form via e-mail to: ook@e-medjournal.com

2. The complaint must include:

   • specific details of the alleged violation

   • a reference to the published article

   • evidence of the violation (if available)

   • contact details of the complainant

Complaint Review Process

1. Preliminary assessment by the Editor-in-Chief (within 7 working days)

2. If necessary, an expert committee of three editorial board members is established

3. Request for explanations from the author(s) (response deadline — 10 days)

4. Additional expert review (if required)

5. Final decision by the editorial board (within 30 working days from the date of complaint submission)

Possible Outcomes

• Rejection of the complaint as unfounded

• Request for corrections

• Publication of a correction (erratum/corrigendum)

• Retraction of the article

Confidentiality

All parties involved in the process are required to maintain confidentiality until a final decision is reached.