Complaint review

Procedure for Handling Complaints on Violations of Academic Integrity and Publication Ethics

  1. General Provisions

This procedure defines the process for submitting, reviewing, and making decisions on complaints related to violations of academic integrity and publication ethics in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Education.

The Journal adheres to:

  • the principles of academic integrity;
  • international standards of publication ethics;
  • the recommendations of Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE);
  • the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for scholarly journals.
  1. Eligible Complainants

Complaints may be submitted by:

  • authors;
  • reviewers;
  • members of the editorial board;
  • readers;
  • other interested parties.
  1. Grounds for Complaint

Complaints may concern:

  • plagiarism or self-plagiarism;
  • fabrication or falsification of research results;
  • improper authorship attribution;
  • conflicts of interest;
  • violations of the peer review process;
  • duplicate publications;
  • citation manipulation;
  • unethical use of AI technologies;
  • other breaches of publication ethics.
  1. Submission of Complaints

Complaints should be submitted via email to: jcrosscutural@gmail.com

A complaint should include:

  • full name of the complainant (if available);
  • description of the alleged violation;
  • link to the publication or manuscript;
  • supporting evidence or justification (if available).

Anonymous complaints may be considered if they are sufficiently substantiated.

  1. Initial Review of the Complaint

The editorial office:

  • registers the complaint;
  • conducts a preliminary assessment;
  • determines whether there are grounds for further review.

Timeframe: up to 5 working days.

  1. Full Review Process

If grounds are confirmed:

  • the case is referred to the editorial board;
  • the author(s) are requested to provide explanations;
  • independent experts may be involved if necessary.

Principles:

  • confidentiality;
  • impartiality;
  • avoidance of conflicts of interest.

Timeframe: up to 30 calendar days.

  1. Decisions Following Review

Based on the review, the following decisions may be made:

  1. No violation found
  2. Request for corrections (corrigendum)
  3. Publication of an expression of concern
  4. Retraction of the article
  5. Refusal of further cooperation with the author
  6. Notification of the author’s affiliated institution

Retraction is applied in cases of significant violations and involves the formal withdrawal of the article.

  1. Notification of the Parties
  • The complainant and the author are informed of the outcome;
  • If necessary, the decision is published on the journal’s website.
  1. Appeals Procedure

Parties have the right to submit an appeal within 10 working days from the date of receiving the decision.

Appeals are reviewed independently of those involved in the initial review.

  1. Final Provisions

The Editorial Board of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Education ensures:

  • transparency of the procedure;
  • objectivity of decisions;
  • compliance with international publication ethics standards;
  • zero tolerance for academic misconduct.