Complaints and Violations of Academic Integrity

Procedure for Handling Complaints Regarding Violations of Academic Integrity and Publication Ethics

The scientific and methodological journal «Pedagogical Science and Education of the 21st Century» considers all reports of violations of academic integrity and ethics in accordance with the principles of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics). 
The complaint review procedure applies to authors of manuscripts and published articles, reviewers, members of the editorial board, and other individuals involved in the publication process. Complaints may be submitted by authors, reviewers, readers, representatives of institutions, or any other interested parties and must be clear, substantiated, and contain sufficient facts or evidence of possible violations (including plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, improper authorship, duplicate submission, conflicts of interest, review violations, unethical conduct by authors, reviewers, or editors, and other reasons of significant public interest, etc.). 

Filing a complaint
Complaints regarding violations of academic integrity should be sent by email to the editorial office or to the editor-in-chief or managing editor of the journal (see the «Contacts» section on the website). The complaint must be clear and specific, include evidence of the violation, and provide the complainant’s contact information. Complaints submitted in an offensive, threatening, or defamatory manner will not be considered; in cases that fall outside the journal’s jurisdiction, the complainant will be provided with an appropriate, reasoned explanation.

Review of the complaint
The editor-in-chief or an authorized member of the editorial board reviews the application within 10 business days. If necessary, the applicant is sent requests for additional information. If the complaint is deemed valid, a further investigation is conducted.
The journal’s editorial board conducts an investigation of the complaint (up to 2 months). Independent experts may be consulted as needed.
The person against whom allegations of non-compliance with the principles of academic integrity have been raised has the right to: review the materials of the investigation regarding the establishment of the fact of a violation of the principles of academic integrity and submit comments on them; to provide oral and/or written explanations in person or through a representative, or to refuse to provide any explanations; to participate in the examination of evidence of a violation of the principles of academic integrity; to be present during the consideration of the issue regarding the establishment of a violation of the principles of academic integrity and the imposition of academic sanctions.
Depending on the results of the investigation and confirmation of a violation of the principles of academic integrity, the following measures may be taken:
    • rejection of the manuscript or retraction of a published article;
    • publication of an official statement detailing the violation;
    • notification of the institution with which the author is affiliated;
    • a ban on submitting manuscripts to the journal for a specified period;
All decisions are made in writing, and the parties are notified of the results of the review.