Complaints

Handling complaints

The editorial board of the journal in its activities uses the fundamental principles of observing academic integrity and all ethical standards in relation to all participants in the publishing process. Therefore, each complaint submitted to the editorial office is subject to consideration and analysis, the consequence of which is a response to the complaint, including if it is submitted anonymously. The editors pay special attention to the existence of an evidence base in relation to the essence of the complaint. Therefore, if the complaint has signs of defamation or a form of manifestation of a conflict of interest, the editorial office requires the provision of serious arguments that can form an evidentiary basis regarding the legality of the substantive part of the complaint, completely refuting suspicions of defamation or the presence of a conflict of interest. Otherwise, the fact of the complaint is recorded, but proceedings on it are not carried out until such arguments are received.

Any statements made on social media, comments, etc. will be considered by the editors if they are not defamatory and have a direct appeal to the editors of the journal. The editorial board of the journal periodically monitors such discussions, but this does not guarantee the identification of absolutely all comments, posts, etc. Such statements will not be considered official. However, if reasoned and / or scientifically grounded statements are identified, they can be considered even without an official appeal to the editor.

When choosing a response form, the editorial board follows the COPE recommendations. If a complaint is made in relation to published articles, and its legitimacy in the substantive part is proven, the editorial office applies the article recall policy.