Complaints Procedure
Procedure for Reviewing Complaints Regarding Violations of Academic Integrity and Ethical Standards
The procedure for reviewing complaints regarding violations of academic integrity and ethical standards governs the submission, review, and resolution of complaints related to possible violations of academic integrity, publication ethics, or editorial procedures in the journal Algologia.
Complaints concerning the following matters are considered: plagiarism, self-plagiarism, falsification or fabrication of data; authorship violations (including unjustified inclusion or exclusion of authors); undeclared conflicts of interest; unethical peer review; improper use of another author’s materials; violations of editorial decision-making procedures; improper conduct of members of the Editorial Board or reviewers.
Complaints must be submitted in writing and sent to the official email address: algologia@ukr.net.
The complaint must be clear, specific, and contain evidence of the violation. Anonymous complaints will not be considered.
The initial review of a complaint is conducted by the Editor-in-Chief or the Executive Editor. If the complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, it is referred to a designated member of the Editorial Board. A committee of at least three members of the Editorial Board and/or independent experts is established to review the complaint.
Timeframe for the review procedure: confirmation of receipt of the complaint – up to 7 working days; investigation of the complaint – up to 30 working days.
All complaint materials are reviewed confidentially. Information is not disclosed except where necessary for an objective investigation.
After the review is completed, the committee makes a decision, which may include:
- rejection of the complaint as unsubstantiated;
- making corrections or clarifications to the publication;
- publication of a correction, retraction, or withdrawal of the article;
- banning further submissions from the violator;
- notifying the author’s institution of the violation of academic integrity.
The complainant and the parties involved are informed of the outcome of the review if a violation is confirmed.
