1. General Provisions
1.1. Retraction of a scientific article is an official procedure for correcting the scholarly record, aimed at ensuring the reliability of published materials, adherence to the principles of academic integrity, and maintenance of ethical standards in scholarly publishing.
1.2. The primary purpose of retraction is to inform readers, researchers, and the academic community that a published work contains significant violations, errors, or unreliable information that affect its scientific value, the validity of results, or the soundness of conclusions.
1.3. Retraction is carried out in accordance with the editorial policy of the journal “Polygraphy and Publishing,” international publication ethics standards, and generally accepted norms of academic integrity.
2. Grounds for Retraction
2.1. An article may be retracted in the event of one or more of the following:
3. Initiation of Retraction
3.1. Retraction may be initiated by:
3.2. If initiated by the author(s), a written request must be submitted to the editorial office clearly stating the reasons for retraction and providing appropriate justification.
3.3. If initiated by the editorial office, the corresponding author must be informed of the concerns, grounds for consideration, and given the opportunity to provide an explanation.
4. Consideration of Retraction
4.1. Upon receiving information about a potential violation, the editorial board conducts an internal investigation.
4.2. If necessary, reviewers, editorial board members, independent experts, or representatives of relevant institutions may be involved.
4.3. The process is conducted in accordance with the principles of objectivity, impartiality, confidentiality, and due process.
4.4. Based on the results, the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized representative decides on:
5. Retraction Notice and Implementation
5.1. If retraction is approved, the editorial board issues an official retraction notice stating the reasons for the decision.
5.2. The retracted article remains in the journal’s electronic archive and within the relevant issue, except in cases explicitly required by law or special legal circumstances.
5.3. The electronic version of the article is clearly marked “RETRACTED” with the date of retraction indicated.
5.4. Information about the retraction is also included in the table of contents of the issue and, where applicable, in the publication metadata.
5.5. If the journal is indexed in databases or registries, the editorial board communicates retraction information in accordance with relevant standards of scholarly communication.
6. Expression of Concern
6.1. If there are serious concerns regarding the reliability of a published article or the integrity of the research, but insufficient evidence for immediate retraction, the editorial board may issue an Expression of Concern.
6.2. Such a statement is published as a separate editorial document linked to the article and includes a concise explanation of the reasons.
6.3. The Expression of Concern remains available until the editorial review is completed and a final decision is made.
7. Corrections and Timeliness of Editorial Action
7.1. If identified issues do not warrant retraction, the editorial board may publish a correction, clarification, or other accompanying notice.
7.2. Decisions on corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions should be implemented as promptly as possible after sufficient grounds are established.
7.3. If agreement with the authors on the wording of a notice is not possible or is unreasonably delayed, the editorial board reserves the right to publish the notice independently to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
8. Withdrawal of Manuscripts Prior to Publication
8.1. Prior to official publication, authors may request withdrawal of a submitted manuscript.
8.2. Such a request must be submitted in writing, clearly stating the reasons and signed by all authors.
8.3. If approved, the manuscript is removed from the editorial process and internal processing system, and all rights remain with the authors.
9. Special Cases
9.1. If an article is identified as part of a systematic set of unethical publications produced through paper mills or other fraudulent mechanisms, it may be retracted as part of that body of work.
9.2. Confirmed cases of false authorship, identity theft, or misuse of personal identifiers (e.g., ORCID) constitute grounds for retraction.
9.3. Undisclosed use of generative AI systems may be treated as a breach of publication ethics if it affects authorship, reliability, origin of results, or transparency of manuscript preparation. The editorial board may use automated tools, expert review, and author inquiries to assess such cases.
10. Availability of Retracted Articles
10.1. Retracted articles remain accessible in the journal archive and, where possible, in relevant databases, clearly marked as retracted.
10.2. Complete removal of material is permitted only in exceptional cases required by law, court decisions, data protection requirements, security considerations, or the need to remedy copyright violations.
11. Final Provisions
11.1. Retraction does not release authors from responsibility for the accuracy of submitted materials and compliance with academic integrity standards.
11.2. The editorial board of the journal “Polygraphy and Publishing” ensures transparency, consistency, and proper documentation of all procedures related to retraction.
11.3. This policy forms part of the “Publication Ethics” section and is published on the official website of the journal.
