General Provisions

1.1. This policy regulates the procedure for retracting manuscripts that are under review in the scientific journal. 1.2. The purpose of this policy is to ensure transparency and fairness in the retraction process, as well as to protect the interests of all participants in the process: authors, reviewers, and editors.

Right to Retract a Manuscript

2.1. The author or group of authors (hereinafter referred to as the author) has the right to retract their manuscript for a valid reason at any time before it is accepted for publication. Valid reasons for retracting a manuscript may include the following circumstances:

(1) Identification of significant errors or inaccuracies: If the authors discover substantial errors or flaws in the data, methodology, analysis, or interpretation of results that may affect the validity of the work’s conclusions.

(2) Discovery of plagiarism or copyright infringement: If the authors find that their manuscript contains elements of plagiarism or copyright violations, they must retract the work to correct these violations.

(3) Conflict of interest: If the authors identify a conflict of interest that may affect the objectivity of the research and its conclusions, and it cannot be resolved in any other way.

(4) Ethical reasons: If the work violates ethical norms and principles, such as in cases of improper consent from research participants or violation of participants' rights.

(5) Financial or legal circumstances: If circumstances arise related to the funding of the research or legal issues that prevent the publication of the work in its current form.

(6) Each of the listed reasons requires confirmation and justification from the authors. The journal’s editorial board reserves the right to request additional information and materials to assess the validity of the manuscript’s retraction.

2.2. In the case of multi-author collaborations, the decision to retract the manuscript must be agreed upon by all co-authors. Written consent from all co-authors is required to confirm the retraction.

Procedure for Retracting a Manuscript

3.1. To retract a manuscript, the author must submit a written request addressed to the editor-in-chief of the journal. The request can be submitted via email specified on the journal’s website or through the manuscript submission system.

3.2. The request must include:

• Title of the manuscript;
• Reason for retraction;
• Signatures of all authors or digital signatures in the case of electronic submission. 3.3. The editor-in-chief must confirm receipt of the request within five working days from its submission. 3.4. After receiving the request, the editor-in-chief informs the reviewers that the review process has been terminated.

Consequences of Retracting a Manuscript

4.1. A manuscript retracted at the author's initiative is considered withdrawn from publication and removed from consideration if there is a valid reason.

4.2. The submission of a manuscript to the journal’s editorial office is considered an intention by the author to enter into a licensing agreement with the journal’s editorial office, which implies obligations from both parties, including the impossibility of retracting the manuscript without valid reason. If the manuscript is sent for review, the editorial board and reviewers invest significant time and effort in processing it. Retracting the manuscript after the review process has started is considered disrespectful to the work of the editorial board and reviewers and violates publication ethics. If the authors abandon the manuscript without valid reason, the journal considers this a violation of publication ethics. In such a case, the editorial board has the right to report the incident to the ethics committee of the Association of Scientific Editors and Publishers (ASEP) and to include the authors and their co-authors in a list of unscrupulous authors, which will be available to the editorial boards of other journals. This may affect the possibility of further collaboration between these authors and other publications. This policy is aimed at maintaining a high level of publication ethics and respect for scientific communication. We hope for understanding and cooperation with authors in adhering to the established norms and standards.

4.3. If a manuscript is retracted due to the discovery of errors, flaws, or other reasons related to scientific ethics, the journal reserves the right to conduct an internal investigation and take appropriate measures, including notifying relevant institutions and organizations.

4.4. If a manuscript is retracted due to unethical actions such as plagiarism or data falsification, the journal may impose a temporary or permanent ban on the publication of works by the authors involved in the incident.

Confidentiality

5.1. All information about the retraction process and its reasons is confidential and may not be disclosed without the author’s consent, except in cases provided for in section 4.2 of this policy.

Final Provisions

6.1. The policy on retraction of manuscripts may be revised and amended by the decision of the journal’s editorial board.

6.2. Any changes to this policy take effect from the moment they are published on the journal’s official website.