• Complaints regarding possible violations (plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship manipulation, or unethical use of AI) may be submitted by authors, reviewers, readers, or scientific institutions.
• The Editorial Office considers only substantiated complaints supported by specific evidence (references to plagiarized sources, analysis of statistical inconsistencies, evidence of AI-generated text, etc.).
• Anonymous complaints are not considered.

• The Editor-in-Chief initiates the investigation, appoints a working group and/or engages independent experts to assess the evidence on a confidential basis, and/or involves representatives of the Academic Integrity Support Group of the founding institution.
• The Editorial Office officially notifies the person against whom the complaint has been filed and provides them with an opportunity to submit written explanations and counterarguments within 14 calendar days.
• During the investigation, the Editorial Office has the right to request the original research data, file revision history, or a list of prompts if the complaint concerns undisclosed use of AI.
• In the event of systemic or complex violations, the Editorial Office may refer the matter to the academic integrity commission of the institution where the author is employed in order to conduct a joint review.

Based on the results of the investigation, the Editorial Board adopts one of the following decisions:

• rejection of the complaint due to lack of evidence of a violation;
• a requirement to make corrections to the article (Erratum/Corrigendum) if unintentional errors are identified;
• publication of an "Expression of Concern" if the investigation has not produced definitive results, but the suspicions remain substantial;
• full retraction (withdrawal) of the article in the event of confirmed serious ethical violations.

• The Editorial Office undertakes to maintain the confidentiality of the complainant and the respondent until the completion of the investigation and the adoption of a final decision.
• All parties to the dispute must act professionally and refrain from public accusations or pressure on members of the Editorial Board during the consideration of the complaint.

• A party that disagrees with the Editorial Office's decision has the right to submit an appeal within 14 days of receiving notification of the outcome of the review.
• An appeal is considered only if new substantial evidence is provided that was not taken into account previously.
• The decision of the Appeals Commission or the Editorial Board following reconsideration is final.