Procedure for Retracting Publications

General Provisions

The editorial board of the academic journal of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy, Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy, defines the grounds and procedure for the retraction of publications in accordance with the international standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE: Retraction Guidelines).

The purpose of retraction is to preserve the credibility and integrity of scholarly publications, to ensure transparency, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity.

 

Grounds for Retraction

A publication may be retracted where any of the following has been established:

1. Serious research misconduct, including:

  • fabrication or falsification of data;
  • manipulation of results or images;
  • provision of false or falsified information.

2. Errors rendering the results and conclusions unreliable, including:

  • methodological flaws;
  • technical issues that have affected the data or conclusions;
  • incorrect calculations or other critical errors that cannot be remedied through the publication of a correction.

3. Violations of academic integrity, including:

  • plagiarism or self-plagiarism;
  • excessive duplication or prior publication without appropriate attribution (prior or simultaneous publication of the same material in another journal without proper reference or permission);
  • improper or manipulative authorship (the inclusion or exclusion of authors without justification).

4. Significant ethical violations, such as:

  • research conducted without the requisite ethical approvals;
  • breaches of ethical principles in research involving human subjects or animals;
  • undisclosed or concealed conflicts of interest.

5. Other substantial violations that call into question the credibility or ethical integrity of the scholarly work.

 

Initiating the Retraction Procedure

The retraction process may be initiated by:

  • the authors of the article;
  • the editorial board or the editor-in-chief;
  • reviewers or members of the editorial board;
  • readers, researchers, or other interested parties who have reported a violation.

All communications regarding possible violations are handled by the editorial office confidentially and impartially.

 

Investigation Procedure

Upon receipt of a notification of a possible violation, the editorial office registers the communication and initiates a preliminary assessment.

  • The author(s) receive an official notification and are given the opportunity to provide an explanation.
  • Where necessary, the editorial office engages independent experts or an ethics committee.
  • The final decision on retraction is taken by the editorial board through a thorough scholarly and ethical analysis of all available evidence.
  • Where circumstances are not clear-cut but give rise to serious concern, the editorial office may publish an Expression of Concern.

 

Publication of a Retraction

In the event that a decision to retract is taken, the journal:

1. Publishes a separate Retraction Notice, which:

  • clearly identifies the retracted article (title, authors, date, DOI);
  • contains a clear explanation of the grounds for retraction;
  • specifies who initiated the process (the author, the editorial office, etc.);
  • is openly accessible to all readers free of charge.

2. Does not remove the original article, but:

  • marks it as "RETRACTED" on all pages;
  • accompanies it with a hyperlink to the Retraction Notice;
  • ensures that corresponding updates are made to the metadata, bibliographic records, and indexing databases.

3. Where necessary, notifies the relevant institutions at which the research was conducted.

 

Cases Where Corrections Are Published

Where identified deficiencies do not affect the reliability of the principal conclusions, the editorial office may publish:

  • a Correction/Erratum, or
  • an Addendum,

without applying the full retraction procedure.

 

Retraction at the Initiative of the Authors

Authors may request the retraction of their own article where:

  • they have identified critical errors;
  • ethical issues have arisen;
  • it has become impossible to confirm the results.

Such a request must be submitted in writing and agreed upon by all authors. The decision on retraction is taken by the editorial board.

 

Principles and Ethical Standards

The purpose of retraction is the correction of the scholarly record, not the punishment of authors.

Retraction notices must be clear, informative, and neutral in tone.

The editorial office ensures that all cases are handled fairly and impartially.

All actions are carried out in accordance with COPE standards, with thorough documentary recording of decisions.