When considering complaints, the editorial board of the journal «Clinical Oncology» is guided by the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the European Association of Science Editors (EASE), and the Code of Ethics for Ukrainian Scientists in all matters relating to breaches of academic integrity and publication ethics.
Grounds for lodging a complaint
Complaints are accepted regarding plagiarism, data manipulation, conflicts of interest, unauthorised use of material, and other breaches of ethical standards by authors, reviewers or members of the editorial board.
Submission and Review Procedure
Complaints must be submitted electronically to the editorial office at zhurbenko.nir@ukr.net and must include a link to the article, a detailed and substantiated description of the issue, and supporting documentation.
Within 7 working days, an authorised person will conduct a preliminary analysis and notify the complainant of the registration of the complaint or the refusal to consider it. If the complaint is accepted for consideration, a commission will be formed, whose members have no conflict of interest with any of the parties. The commission has the right to request additional materials and engage external consultants. All communications between the parties involved in the complaint review process are confidential. A decision is made within 30 days.
Possible outcomes
Depending on the outcome of the review, the committee may dismiss the complaint as unfounded, suggest corrective action in the event of a minor breach, or take more serious measures — such as refusing to publish the article, retracting an article that has already been published, imposing a temporary ban on submissions, or notifying the author’s institution of the breach.
Rights of the parties and appeals
All parties have the right to receive information on the progress of the complaint proceedings and to submit explanations and evidence. The confidentiality of the process is guaranteed. A decision of the committee that is being contested may be referred to the editor-in-chief within 14 days; the appeal will be considered within 10 days and is final.
The complainant has the right to challenge the commission’s decision and, within 30 days, lodge an appeal, which is considered by the editor-in-chief or a person appointed by the commission from among the members of the editorial board who did not previously participate in the consideration of the complaint. Following the consideration, the commission may reject the appeal or appoint a new commission to reconsider the complaint.
