Procedure for Reviewing Information and Inquiries

General Principles

The editorial board of the academic journal of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy, Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy, recognises the importance of prompt and impartial responses to communications concerning:

  • suspected violations of academic integrity (plagiarism, data fabrication, improper authorship, etc.),
  • ethical issues related to publication,
  • the peer review process,
  • conflicts of interest,
  • unethical conduct on the part of authors, reviewers, or editors.

The editorial office adheres to a transparent, impartial approach guided by COPE principles and sound scholarly practice.

 

Initiating a Communication

A communication may be submitted by:

  • the author(s),
  • a reviewer,
  • a reader,
  • any other interested member of the scholarly community.

All communications to the editorial office are accepted in written form, with a detailed description of the situation, supporting evidence, and contact information for correspondence, by sending a written submission to the official address of the journal's founder. Attention is drawn to the requirements for submissions as regulated by Article 5 of the Law of Ukraine "On Citizens' Appeals."

 

Stages of Handling a Communication

Preliminary Assessment

  • The editor-in-chief or an authorised member of the editorial board registers the communication and conducts an initial analysis of its validity.
  • If the communication is of a general nature or is unsupported by evidence, the submitter is informed that there are no grounds for further consideration.

Formal Investigation

If the communication contains indications of a possible violation:

  • an internal committee (editorial or independent) is convened to examine the matter;
  • official explanations are requested from the relevant parties (authors, reviewers, and others);
  • where necessary, independent experts are engaged, or contact is initiated with the authors' institution;
  • the examination is conducted in accordance with the COPE Flowcharts, with adherence to the principles of fairness, confidentiality, and the presumption of integrity.

Decision

On the basis of the information gathered, one of the following decisions is taken:

  • no violation found — the communication is closed with a response to the submitter;
  • correction — publication of a corrigendum or erratum;
  • retraction of the article — with the publication of an official notice;
  • rejection of publication (where the communication concerns a work not yet published);
  • notification of the affiliated institution (in cases of serious ethical misconduct).

 

Communication of Outcomes

All parties involved in the matter are informed of the outcome of the examination.

Where a violation concerns an already published article, the relevant information is made publicly available in open access (in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines).

Where the examination is protracted, the submitter receives interim updates on the status of the investigation.

 

Principles of Transparency

The editorial office guarantees:

  • confidentiality for all parties involved in the examination;
  • impartial treatment and equality of all parties;
  • the absence of discrimination against persons who submit well-founded communications;
  • openness to appeal: in the event of disagreement with a decision, parties may resubmit their case with additional arguments or lodge a complaint with the ethics committee of their affiliated institution.

 

Prevention of Violations

The journal employs:

  • plagiarism checking (using StrikePlagiarism software);
  • ethical screening at the submission stage;
  • clear editorial policies, publicly available on the journal's website.