The journal “Scientific Bulletin of Mukachevo State University. Series “Pedagogy and Psychology” adheres to the principles of publication ethics recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and does not tolerate any form of academic misconduct, copyright infringement, manipulation of the editorial process or distortion of research results.
The editorial office pays particular attention to checking manuscripts for originality and to identifying plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, data falsification, citation manipulation, authorship violations, unethical use of artificial intelligence and other actions that may call into question the scientific reliability of submitted or published material.
If a breach of publication ethics is identified or reasonably suspected, the editorial office conducts an investigation in accordance with the nature and seriousness of the situation. In considering such cases, the journal is guided by its editorial policy, the principles of academic integrity and COPE recommendations.
Multiple Submission and Duplicate Publication
Authors must submit to the journal only original manuscripts that have not previously been published and are not simultaneously under consideration by other publications. Submission of the same manuscript to several journals at the same time is regarded as a breach of publication ethics.
Breaches also include the submission of several manuscripts prepared on the basis of the same research without proper justification, transparent disclosure of the relationship between the materials and appropriate citation of previous publications. Duplication may take the form of complete repetition of the text, partial reproduction of substantial fragments, paraphrased repetition of the same results or the presentation of one study as several independent scientific works.
If simultaneous submission, redundant publication or duplication of results is confirmed, the manuscript may be rejected immediately. If the breach is identified after publication, the editorial office may consider issuing a correction, publishing an expression of concern or retracting the article, depending on the nature of the breach.
Citation Manipulation
The editorial office does not permit the use of citations for the purpose of artificially increasing the number of references to the works of a particular author, group of authors, institution, journal or publisher. Manuscripts containing unjustified, excessive or imposed citations that are not directly related to the content of the research may be rejected.
Citation manipulation includes, in particular, the inclusion of irrelevant sources, systematic citation of a particular journal without scientific need, a requirement for authors to add references that do not improve the content of the manuscript, or the use of citations as a tool for increasing bibliometric indicators.
If such practices are established, the editorial office may reject the manuscript, require the removal of unjustified references or take other measures in accordance with the journal’s editorial policy.
Data Falsification and Fabrication
The journal does not accept manuscripts containing falsified, fabricated or deliberately distorted data. Such breaches include invented results, false statistical data, forged experimental materials, manipulation of tables, graphs, images, analysis results or other elements of the research.
Manipulation of images, graphic materials or visual evidence that changes the meaning of the results or misleads readers is also regarded as a serious breach of publication ethics.
If data falsification or fabrication is identified at the manuscript consideration stage, the article is rejected. If the breach is established after publication, the editorial office may initiate a correction, an expression of concern or a retraction, depending on the scale and consequences of the breach.
Handling Suspicions of Misconduct
If there is suspicion of academic misconduct, fraud or a breach of publication ethics, the editorial office conducts an internal investigation. Where necessary, authors, reviewers, members of the editorial board, independent experts or representatives of institutions connected with the research may be involved in the consideration of the case.
If, during the investigation, reasonable doubts arise regarding the reliability of a manuscript or published article, the editorial office contacts the corresponding authors and asks them to provide explanations, raw data, documents, confirmation of ethical approval, information on author contributions or other materials necessary to clarify the circumstances.
Depending on the results of the investigation, the editorial office may adopt one or more decisions: reject the manuscript, require revision, publish a correction, publish an expression of concern, retract the article, notify the author’s institution or take other measures necessary to preserve the integrity of the scientific record.
If the manuscript is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author with an explanation of the reasons. If the article has already been published, further action is determined with regard to the nature, seriousness and consequences of the identified breach.
Corrections
A correction is published when an error is identified in an already published article that requires official clarification but does not render the research results entirely unreliable. Such errors may concern individual data, wording, calculations, tables, figures, description of the methodology, information about authors, funding or other elements of the article.
A correction is used in cases where the error is significant for the accuracy of the scientific record but can be remedied without retracting the article. The official correction is published as a separate item linked to the original article and must clearly explain what has been corrected.
Erratum
An erratum is published in cases where a significant error has arisen through the fault of the editorial office, the publisher or during the preparation of the article for publication. These may include technical, editorial, typesetting or other errors, including omitted author corrections, incorrect reproduction of data, errors in author names, affiliations, tables, figures or bibliographic information.
A significant error is one that affects the accuracy of the scientific record, the correct understanding of the article, the reputation of the authors or the journal, or the reliability of the information presented.
Corrigendum
A corrigendum is published when a significant error in a published article was made by the authors. Such a correction may concern inaccurate data, erroneous calculations, incorrect description of the methodology, incomplete information about funding, conflicts of interest, author contributions or other important elements of the article.
All corrigenda are considered and approved by the journal’s editorial office before publication. The editorial office assesses whether the correction is sufficient to preserve the scientific reliability of the article or whether the situation requires additional measures.
Correction Procedure
A correction may be initiated by authors, editors, reviewers, readers or other interested persons. A request for correction must contain a clear explanation of the nature of the error and, where possible, materials confirming the need for the change.
The editorial team considers the request, assesses its validity and, where necessary, contacts the authors for explanations or additional materials. If the error is confirmed, the editorial office decides to publish a correction.
After approval, the correction is published as a separate document linked to the original article. This document must contain the label “Correction”, a description of the error, the correct version of the information and a reference to the original publication.
Retraction
Retraction is applied in cases where a published article contains serious breaches or unreliable results that cannot be remedied by an ordinary correction. The purpose of retraction is not to punish authors, but to protect the scientific record, prevent the dissemination of unreliable information and ensure transparency in academic communication.
Grounds for retraction may include:
Requests for retraction may be submitted by authors, editors, reviewers, readers, representatives of institutions or other third parties. The editorial office considers such requests, conducts an investigation and, where necessary, involves authors, independent experts or relevant institutions.
The decision to retract an article is made by the Editor-in-Chief or the Deputy Editor-in-Chief. If the Editor-in-Chief or Deputy Editor-in-Chief has an actual or potential conflict of interest concerning the relevant article, that person is excluded from consideration, and the decision is transferred to another authorised member of the editorial board or an independent editor who has no conflict of interest.
Retraction Format
After a decision on retraction has been made, the editorial office ensures that the retracted article is clearly marked. The electronic version of the article is labelled “Retraction”, and information about the retraction is placed on the article page.
The title of the retracted article may be changed to the format “Retraction: [Article Title]”. A separate retraction statement is also published under the title “Retraction: [Article Title]”.
The retraction statement must contain the reason for retraction, the date of the decision, a reference to the original article and information on who initiated or supported the retraction, where appropriate. Such a statement is signed by the journal editors and receives its own numbering and DOI.
Withdrawal of a Manuscript by Authors before Publication
Authors have the right to request withdrawal of a manuscript before its publication. To do this, an official letter must be sent to the editorial office with a clear and concise explanation of the reasons for withdrawal.
Such a letter must be approved and signed by all authors of the manuscript. Once the request has been accepted by the editorial office, the manuscript is withdrawn from consideration and removed from the active editorial process. Copyright in the material remains with the authors.
At the same time, withdrawal of a manuscript does not release the authors from responsibility if breaches of publication ethics were identified during its consideration, including simultaneous submission, plagiarism, data falsification or false authorship.
Large-Scale Manipulation and Paper Mills
If the editorial office establishes that an article is part of a group of publications connected with paper mills or other organised schemes of academic fraud, the article may be retracted as part of a wider set of compromised materials.
Indicators of such breaches may include artificially produced manuscripts, falsified data, fake reviews, false authorship, the use of template or repetitive text fragments, manipulation of the editorial process or other systematic actions aimed at unlawfully obtaining publication.
In such cases, the retraction statement indicates that the article belongs to a group of works affected by such breaches or showing signs of systematic manipulation.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Authors must transparently disclose the use of artificial intelligence tools during manuscript preparation if such tools were used to create, edit, translate or analyse text, process images, generate data or prepare other elements of the research.
Undeclared or concealed use of generative artificial intelligence systems that has affected the content of the manuscript, the creation of text, images, tables, results or conclusions may be regarded as a serious breach of publication ethics.
Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors of an article because they cannot bear responsibility for the reliability, originality, ethical compliance and integrity of scientific work. The authors bear full responsibility for the content of the manuscript, the reliability of the data, the correctness of references and compliance with ethical standards.
The editorial office reserves the right to check manuscripts for signs of the use of generative artificial intelligence systems. For this purpose, automated detection tools, expert assessment by reviewers, analysis of stylistic and substantive features of the text, and additional requests to authors may be used.
If concealed use of artificial intelligence has led to unreliability, copyright infringement, data falsification, the creation of non-existent sources or another substantial breach, the editorial office may reject the manuscript or consider retracting an already published article.
Authorship Falsification and Identity Theft
Manuscripts or published articles may be retracted in cases where false authorship, concealed authorship, coerced authorship, inclusion of persons without their consent, improper exclusion of persons who made a substantial contribution, or use of another person’s personal data is confirmed.
Serious breaches include the use of a person’s name, email address, ORCID, affiliation or other identifying information without that person’s permission. Such actions are regarded as breaches of publication ethics and may constitute grounds for rejecting the manuscript, publishing a correction, issuing an expression of concern or retracting the article.
Expression of Concern
If the editorial office has serious grounds to question the reliability of an article, the integrity of the research, the correctness of authorship, the ethical nature of the peer review process or the reliability of the published results, but at the time of consideration does not have sufficient evidence for immediate retraction, an expression of concern may be published.
Such a statement is linked to the original article, receives its own DOI and contains a brief explanation of the reasons for its publication. It remains available until the editorial investigation has been completed or until a final decision is made regarding the further status of the article.
After the investigation has been completed, the expression of concern may be updated, replaced by a correction, supplemented by a retraction decision or retained as part of the public scientific record if the editorial office considers this necessary.
Timeliness of Procedures
The editorial office seeks to make and implement decisions concerning corrections, expressions of concern and retractions as soon as possible after significant errors or breaches have been established.
If it is impossible to agree the text of a correction, statement or retraction with the authors, or if the authors do not respond within a reasonable period, the editorial office reserves the right to publish the relevant material without further delay. This approach is applied to protect scientific integrity, prevent the dissemination of unreliable information and ensure transparency in the publication process.
Availability of Retracted Articles
Retracted articles, as a rule, remain available in the journal archive and in databases but are clearly marked as retracted. This approach makes it possible to preserve the transparency of the scientific record, trace the publication history and prevent the hidden use of unreliable materials.
Complete removal of an article from the journal website or from databases is possible only in exceptional cases. Such cases may include requirements of applicable law, court decisions, violations of personal data rights, serious copyright infringements, security risks or other circumstances that make further open availability of the material impossible.
In all other cases, the retracted article remains available with the clear label “Retraction” and a link to the relevant retraction statement.