Procedure for the Identification and Consideration of Appeals and Notifications

  1. General Provisions

The Editorial Board of the academic journal "Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University Journal. Pedagogical Sciences" ensures an open, transparent, and impartial consideration of appeals, complaints, and notifications concerning editorial policy, the peer-review process, copyright issues, and possible violations of academic integrity.

The procedure for handling appeals is carried out in accordance with:

  • The Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights”;
  • The Law of Ukraine “On Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activity”;
  • The Principles of Academic Integrity;
  • The recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
  1. Subjects Entitled to Submit Appeals

2.1. The Editorial Board considers appeals submitted by:

  • Authors (regarding editorial decisions, peer review, and review timelines);
  • Reviewers;
  • Members of the Editorial Board;
  • Third parties (readers, research institutions, and other organizations).
  1. Subject Matter of Appeals

3.1. Appeals may concern:

  • Appeals against editorial decisions;
  • Complaints about violations of peer-review procedures;
  • Notifications of possible academic integrity violations (plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data);
  • Conflicts of interest;
  • Copyright violations;
  • Comments or concerns regarding already published materials.
  1. Submission of Appeals

4.1. Appeals must be submitted in written form to the official email address of the journal’s Editorial Office.

4.2. An appeal must include:

  • The applicant’s full name;
  • Affiliation (if applicable) and contact details;
  • A clear description of the issue;
  • Reference to the relevant material;
  • Available evidence or justification.

4.3. Anonymous appeals are considered only if they contain factual information that can be verified.

  1. Preliminary Identification of the Appeal

5.1. The initial review of an appeal is carried out by the Editor-in-Chief.

5.2. At this stage, the following is determined:

  • Whether the appeal falls within the journal’s competence;
  • Whether the information provided is sufficient;
  • Whether further review is required.
  1. Consideration and Investigation

6.1. If necessary, the following may be involved in the review process:

  • Members of the Editorial Board;
  • Independent experts;
  • External specialists.

6.2. In cases of suspected serious academic integrity violations, the Editorial Board may contact the institution with which the author is affiliated.

6.3. The review is conducted in accordance with the principles of:

  • Impartiality;
  • Confidentiality;
  • Presumption of integrity;
  • Compliance with COPE recommendations.
  1. Decisions and Editorial Actions

7.1. Based on the results of the review, the Editorial Board may adopt one of the following decisions:

  • Rejection of the appeal as unfounded;
  • Re-review or additional peer review;
  • Publication of a Correction;
  • Retraction of the article.

7.2. The decision is made collectively and recorded in the editorial documentation.

  1. Notification of the Parties

8.1. The applicant and the involved parties are informed of the results of the review in written form.

8.2. The Editorial Board guarantees the confidentiality of personal data in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine.

  1. Final Provisions

The Editorial Board of the journal "Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University Journal. Pedagogical Sciences" reserves the right to clarify and update this procedure in accordance with amendments to the legislation of Ukraine and international standards of publication ethics.