Retraction of Scientific Articles
Retraction of scientific articles (withdrawal) is applied to correct published information, formally withdraw it, and inform the scientific community about such actions. This mechanism is an essential component of ensuring the quality of scientific materials and adherence to the principles of academic integrity.Grounds for article retraction may include: plagiarism or unauthorized use of materials; duplicate publication (submission of the same article to multiple journals without proper referencing); falsification or fabrication (manipulation) of experimental data; identification of significant errors affecting the validity of research results; incorrect authorship attribution; violations of publication ethics (including submission of materials without undergoing peer review).
Retraction Procedure
Initiation
The retraction process may be initiated by authors, the journal’s editorial board, readers, or other interested parties.Review
The initiator submits a written request with justification and supporting evidence. The request is reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and/or a specially appointed committee of independent experts. Decision Depending on the nature of the identified violations, the committee may:- reject the retraction request;
- recommend that the authors publish a correction (erratum) instead of full retraction;
- decide on full retraction of the article.
Implementation
In the event of retraction, the article is not removed from the journal archive; however:- the electronic version is clearly marked as “Retracted” with the date indicated;
- a separate retraction notice is published, containing the bibliographic details of the original article and a detailed explanation of the reasons for its withdrawal.
Complaint handling procedure
General Provisions
This Procedure establishes the rules for submission, registration, and consideration of complaints related to potential violations of academic integrity and publication ethics in the journal “Electrometallurgy Today.”The journal adheres to the principles of legality, objectivity, impartiality, confidentiality, and the presumption of integrity.
Complaints are reviewed in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine, the journal’s editorial policy, and international standards of publication ethics.
Grounds for Filing a Complaint
A complaint may be submitted in cases involving the following violations:- serious breaches of academic integrity (plagiarism, data falsification, or fabrication);
- significant errors (experimental or computational) that call into question the validity of the results;
- duplicate publication (prior publication of the article in another journal);
- undisclosed conflicts of interest that may have influenced the results or their interpretation;
- undisclosed use of AI technologies in obtaining research results;
- violations of the peer review process;
- other instances of non-compliance with academic integrity standards.
Procedure for Submitting a Complaint
Complaints must be submitted in written form to the official email address of the editorial office.The submission must include:
- the full name of the applicant (or the name of the organization);
- contact information;
- a description of the identified violation;
- a reference to the relevant publication (if applicable);
- justification and, where possible, supporting evidence.
Review Procedure
Complaints are reviewed in accordance with Clause 4 of the Procedure for Retraction of Published Articles.Possible Decisions
Based on the review of the complaint, the following decisions may be made:- rejection of the complaint as unfounded;
- request for the author to make corrections or clarifications;
- retraction of the article;
- rejection of the manuscript;
- publication of a correction or editorial expression of concern;
- notification of the author’s affiliated institution;
- restriction of the author’s right to publish in the journal for a specified period.