Complaints Procedure

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 policies, particularly in handling cases of publication ethics violations, including the principles of timeliness, impartiality, confidentiality, and proper documentation. The Editorial Board accepts complaints from authors, reviewers, readers, and institutions.

Types of Violations:

• Plagiarism (full or partial)

• Self-plagiarism and duplicate publication

• Fabrication and falsification of data

• Inappropriate authorship attribution

• Undisclosed conflicts of interest

• Violations of the peer review process

• Violations of human rights or research ethics

Complaint Submission Procedure:

1. Complaints must be submitted in writing via email to: ook@e-medjournal.com

2. The complaint must include:

   • Specific details of the alleged violation

   • A reference or link to the published article

   • Evidence supporting the allegation (if available)

   • Contact information of the complainant

Complaint Review Process:

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

2. If necessary, an expert committee consisting of three Editorial Board members is established

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

4. Additional expert evaluation (if required)

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

Possible Decisions:

• Rejection of the complaint as unfounded

• Request for corrections

• Publication of an erratum/corrigendum

• Retraction of the article

Confidentiality:

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