Medical Science of Ukraine follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and takes measures to prevent breaches of publication ethics. Particular attention is paid to manuscript originality, data reliability, appropriate authorship and proper citation practices.

Simultaneous Submission and Duplicate Publication

A manuscript must not be under consideration by another journal at the same time. Authors must also not submit previously published work or multiple manuscripts containing substantially identical data and findings without appropriate justification and reference to the earlier publications.

The identification of simultaneous submission, duplicate publication or redundant publication may result in the termination of the manuscript’s assessment. Where the breach is identified after publication, the Editorial Office may publish a correction or retract the article.

Plagiarism and Citation Manipulation

The Editorial Office checks manuscripts for textual overlap and indications of the inappropriate use of another person’s text, data, ideas or images.

References must be scientifically justified. The inclusion of citations solely to inflate the citation metrics of an author, institution or journal is regarded as citation manipulation.

Decisions are made with due regard to the nature, extent and consequences of the breach.

Data Fabrication and Falsification

Data fabrication, deliberate distortion of findings, manipulation of statistical indicators and misleading image alteration constitute serious breaches.

Where reasonable concerns arise, the Editorial Office may request primary data, original images, research protocols and explanations from the authors.

Assessment of Potential Misconduct

Reports of potential misconduct are considered confidentially and impartially. The Editorial Office:

1. conducts a preliminary assessment;
2. requests an explanation from the authors;
3. involves independent experts where necessary;
4. may refer the materials to the authors’ institution or another competent authority.

Authors are given an opportunity to respond to the concerns raised. The existence of a suspicion does not automatically establish misconduct.

Depending on the outcome of the assessment, the manuscript may be rejected, while a published article may be subject to a correction, an expression of concern or a retraction notice.

Corrections

A correction is published where a substantial error is identified after publication but does not render the article’s principal findings and conclusions unreliable.

An error introduced by the Editorial Office or publisher may be corrected through the publication of an Erratum, while an error made by the authors may be corrected through the publication of a Corrigendum.

A correction:

• is published as a separate item;
• describes the error and the changes made;
• is linked to the original article;
• is assigned its own DOI where this is supported by the journal’s publishing system.

Corrections may be initiated by authors, editors or readers. The final decision is made by the Editorial Office.

Expression of Concern

Where serious concerns exist regarding the reliability or ethical acceptability of an article but the investigation has not yet been completed, the Editorial Office may publish an expression of concern.

The expression of concern is linked to the original article, provides a concise description of the issue and remains available until the assessment has been completed. Once the final outcome is known, it may be followed by a correction, a retraction notice or a notice stating that no breach has been substantiated.

Retraction of a Published Article

An article may be retracted where:

• its findings or conclusions are unreliable;
• data fabrication or falsification has been established;
• substantial plagiarism or duplicate publication has been identified;
• the study was conducted in serious breach of ethical requirements;
• the authorship or peer-review process was compromised;
• the article is associated with a paper mill or systematic manipulation of the publishing process;
• materials were published without the necessary consent or permission.

A request for retraction may be submitted by the authors, editors or third parties. The decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief or, where the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, another independent editor.

A retraction notice:

• states the title and bibliographic details of the article;
• explains the reason for the retraction;
• identifies who initiated the procedure;
• is linked to the original publication;
• is assigned its own DOI.

The retracted article remains available in the archive and is clearly marked ‘Retracted’. Complete removal is permitted only in exceptional circumstances, including compliance with a court order or the protection of personal data, copyright or human safety.

Withdrawal of a Manuscript by the Authors

Before publication, authors may withdraw a manuscript by submitting a reasoned request to the Editorial Office that has been approved by all co-authors.

Withdrawal terminates the editorial assessment of the manuscript. The Editorial Office may nevertheless retain administrative records and correspondence in accordance with its confidentiality and editorial record-keeping requirements.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors must transparently disclose any substantial use of generative artificial intelligence in preparing the text, analysing data, generating code or processing images.

The use of artificial intelligence is not, in itself, an automatic ground for retraction. However, failure to disclose its use, the generation of false data, references or images, or other actions that call the reliability of the article into question may result in rejection, correction or retraction.

The results of automated AI-detection tools are not used as the sole evidence of misconduct.

Inappropriate Authorship and Misuse of Another Person’s Identity

The falsification of authorship, use of another person’s name, email address, ORCID or other personal information, as well as ghost, gift or coercive authorship, may constitute grounds for terminating the manuscript’s assessment or retracting the article.

Timeliness of Procedures

The Editorial Office aims to publish corrections, expressions of concern and retraction notices without undue delay.

A failure by the authors to respond or their disagreement with the Editorial Office’s conclusions does not prevent the publication of a necessary notice intended to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.