Complaints and Appeals Policy

The Editorial Office adheres to international standards of academic integrity and follows the principles of Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We ensure a transparent, objective, and timely process for handling all complaints related to potential violations of publication ethics.

Grounds for Submitting a Complaint

Complaints may concern, but are not limited to, the following issues:

  • Plagiarism or self-plagiarism
  • Fabrication or falsification of data
  • Duplicate submission or redundant publication
  • Citation manipulation
  • Inappropriate authorship (unjustified inclusion or exclusion of authors)
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Violations of peer review ethics
  • Other breaches of academic integrity

Submission of a Complaint

Complaints must be submitted in writing to the official editorial email address morphology@dmu.edu.ua.

The complaint should include:

  • Full details of the manuscript or published article (title, authors, year, issue, or submission status);
  • A clear description of the alleged violation;
  • Supporting documentation or references, if available.

Anonymous complaints may be considered provided they contain sufficient and verifiable information.

Investigation Procedure

  1. Initial Assessment
    The Editorial Office conducts a preliminary review to determine whether the complaint is substantiated and falls within the journal’s competence.
  2. Initiation of Investigation
    If warranted, an internal investigation is initiated. Members of the editorial board and, where necessary, independent experts may be involved. In complex cases, the authors’ affiliated institutions may be contacted.
  3. Notification of the Parties
    The author(s) will be informed of the allegations and given the opportunity to provide written explanations within a specified timeframe.
  4. Decision-Making
    Decisions are made based on the evidence collected and in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Possible Outcomes

Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Reject the manuscript;
  • Request corrections or clarifications;
  • Publish a correction;
  • Publish an expression of concern;
  • Retract the article;
  • Notify the authors’ affiliated institution;
  • Restrict future submissions for a defined period.

Principles of Review

The Editorial Office ensures:

  • Impartiality and independence in decision-making;
  • Confidentiality of all parties involved;
  • Proper documentation of all stages of the process;
  • Full compliance with international ethical standards.

If the complainant remains dissatisfied with the consideration of his complaint, he or she may file a complaint with the Ethics Committee of Publisher – Dnipro State Medical University.