Policy on Ensuring the Integrity of Scholarly Publications

Ekonomika APK adheres to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and takes measures to prevent breaches of publication ethics.

All manuscripts are checked for originality. The editorial team considers reports concerning plagiarism, duplicate publication, simultaneous submission, fabrication or falsification of data, manipulation of citations, authorship, or peer review, and other breaches of academic integrity.

Plagiarism and improper text reuse

Authors must appropriately cite all sources used. Presenting another person’s text, data, ideas, findings, or images as one’s own is not permitted.

The reuse by authors of substantial parts of their own previously published materials without reference to the original source may also be regarded as a breach. Such cases are assessed with due regard to the extent, nature, and purpose of the reused material.

Multiple submission and multiple publication

A manuscript must not be under consideration by another journal at the same time.

Authors must inform the editorial team of any preprints, conference materials, preliminary reports, translations, or other publications related to the submitted work.

The publication of findings from the same study in several articles without appropriate justification, citation, and disclosure of the relationship between the materials may be regarded as duplicate or redundant publication.

Where simultaneous submission or substantial duplication is identified, the editorial team requests an explanation from the authors and makes a decision according to the nature of the breach.

Citation manipulation

Citations must be scientifically justified and directly relevant to the subject of the research.

References must not be added primarily for the purpose of artificially increasing the citation metrics of an author, journal, institution, or other individual or organisation. Reviewers and editors must likewise not require citation of their own or other publications without a valid scholarly justification.

Data fabrication and falsification

Fabrication means inventing data or findings, while falsification means the unjustified alteration, concealment, or manipulation of data, methods, findings, or images.

The editorial team may request raw data, protocols, calculations, images, or other materials necessary to verify the reliability of the research. An unjustified refusal to provide such materials is taken into account when making the editorial decision.

Investigation of suspected breaches

Where a substantiated concern arises, the editorial team conducts an investigation in accordance with COPE recommendations.

The authors are informed of the substance of the concerns and are given an opportunity to provide an explanation and supporting materials. Where necessary, the editorial team may contact the authors’ institution, an ethics committee, a funding organisation, another journal, or an independent expert.

Where the manuscript is still under consideration, its assessment may be suspended until the investigation has been completed. Depending on the circumstances established, the manuscript may be returned for revision or rejected.

Where a breach is identified after publication, the editorial team may publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction notice.

Decisions are made with due regard to the nature of the breach, the reliability of the evidence, and the effect of the issue on the trustworthiness of the article. Measures are primarily intended to preserve the accuracy of the scholarly record rather than to punish the authors.

Corrections to published articles

A correction is published where an article contains an error that affects particular statements or elements but does not render the principal findings and conclusions unreliable.

A correction may be initiated by the authors, editors, or readers. The editorial team verifies the information received and, where necessary, consults the authors or independent experts.

A correction notice:

• is published as a separate item;
• is assigned its own DOI;
• is linked to the original article;
• describes the error and the changes made;
• is made freely accessible.

The journal may use the general title “Correction” regardless of whether the error originated with the authors or arose during editorial or production processing. Where appropriate, the terms Erratum for a publisher’s error and Corrigendum for an authors’ error may be used.

Expression of concern

The editorial team may publish an expression of concern where serious doubts exist regarding the reliability or ethical integrity of an article, but the investigation has not yet been completed or the available evidence is insufficient to reach a final decision.

An expression of concern is assigned its own DOI, linked to the original article, and provides a concise explanation of the grounds for its publication. Once the investigation has been completed, it may be updated or replaced by a correction or retraction notice.

Retraction of a published article

Retraction is applied where a published article can no longer remain part of the reliable scholarly record.

Grounds for retraction may include:

• unreliability of the principal findings due to a substantial error, fabrication, or falsification;
• plagiarism;
• substantial duplicate publication without appropriate disclosure;
• unauthorised use of data or materials;
• serious infringement of copyright;
• unethical conduct of the research;
• substantial manipulation of the peer-review process;
• duly substantiated involvement in the activities of a paper mill;
• another breach that renders the findings or the publication as a whole unreliable.

A dispute concerning the order of authors or an individual contribution is not necessarily grounds for retraction. Where the reliability of the work is not in doubt, the authorship issue may be resolved through a correction after an agreed decision has been obtained from the authors or their institution.

A request for retraction may be submitted by authors, editors, readers, institutions, or other interested parties. The editorial team conducts an investigation, requests explanations from the authors, and, where necessary, engages external experts.

The decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief. Where the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, the decision is made by the Deputy Editor-in-Chief or another independent editor appointed by the Editorial Board.

The consent of all authors is not a prerequisite for retraction where the editorial team has sufficient evidence that retraction is necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Retraction procedure

Once the decision has been made:

• a separate notice entitled “Retraction: [Article title]” is published;
• the notice is assigned a DOI;
• it is linked to the original article;
• it identifies the article title, authors, reason for retraction, and the individual or body that made the decision;
• the notice remains openly accessible;
• the electronic version of the article is clearly marked as retracted.

The original article remains available in the journal archive with the appropriate labelling. Complete removal is permitted only in exceptional circumstances, including where required by a court order or where necessary because of a breach of confidentiality, copyright, personal data protection requirements, or a substantial risk of harm.

Withdrawal of an unpublished manuscript

Authors may withdraw a manuscript before publication by submitting a reasoned request to the editorial team. The request must be approved by all authors.

The withdrawal of a manuscript before publication does not constitute a retraction.

Once withdrawal has been confirmed, the editorial team discontinues consideration of the manuscript. Administrative records concerning the submission, correspondence, and reason for withdrawal may be retained in the editorial system to ensure appropriate record-keeping and the consideration of any potential ethical issues.

Paper mills and systematic manipulation

Where there are indications that a manuscript or article is associated with a paper mill, the sale of authorship, falsified data, fraudulent reviewers, or another organised scheme, the editorial team may assess the material together with other related publications.

Every decision to reject or retract a publication must be based on verified evidence. The retraction notice must describe the nature of the established breach. COPE identifies paper-mill activity as a systematic threat to the reliability of the scholarly literature.

Use of artificial intelligence

Authors must transparently disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence in accordance with the journal’s policy. AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Undisclosed use of AI is subject to investigation but does not automatically constitute grounds for retraction. The editorial decision depends on whether its use resulted in:

• the creation of unreliable or fabricated data;
• plagiarism or copyright infringement;
• the inclusion of fabricated references;
• improper manipulation of images;
• substantial distortion of the methods, findings, or conclusions;
• a breach of confidentiality or ethical requirements.

The results produced by automated AI-detection tools must not constitute the sole basis for concluding that a breach has occurred. The author is given an opportunity to explain how the relevant tool was used.

Improper authorship and identity misuse

Possible breaches include listing individuals who did not make an appropriate contribution to the work, concealing the actual authors, coercive authorship, the sale of authorship, and the unauthorised use of another person’s name, affiliation, or ORCID identifier.

Where an authorship dispute arises, the editorial team may suspend consideration of the manuscript and contact the authors’ institutions, as the journal may not always have the authority to determine each individual’s contribution independently.

After publication, an authorship issue may be corrected through a separate notice. Retraction is applied where improper authorship is associated with article theft, identity falsification, a paper mill, or another breach that calls into question the legitimacy or reliability of the publication.

Timeliness and transparency

The editorial team endeavours to publish corrections, expressions of concern, and retraction notices without unjustified delay.

Authors are given an opportunity to state their position; however, their refusal to respond or agree to the wording of a notice does not prevent the editorial team from taking the measures necessary to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.