Retraction of publications

The journal “Political Science and Security Studies Journal” applies retraction procedures as a mechanism for correcting the scholarly record and informing readers about publications that contain serious errors, unreliable data, or substantial violations of publication ethics.

Primary purpose of retraction: to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record, rather than to punish authors.

1. General Provisions

Retraction is applied when a published article contains significant errors or unreliable data resulting from either unintentional mistakes or deliberate violations of academic integrity.

The procedure is also used to notify readers of cases involving duplicate publication, plagiarism, authorship violations, data fabrication or falsification, or undisclosed conflicts of interest.

2. Grounds for Retraction

Articles may be retracted for the following reasons:

  • substantial plagiarism or improper borrowing;
  • duplicate publication;
  • data fabrication or falsification;
  • serious errors affecting the scientific validity of the work;
  • violations of authorship criteria;
  • undisclosed conflicts of interest;
  • republication without author consent;
  • other breaches of publication ethics.

Retraction may be initiated by:

  • the author(s);
  • the Editor-in-Chief;
  • the Editorial Board;
  • the publisher, where appropriate.

3. Retraction Procedure

The decision to retract an article is made by the Editorial Board upon recommendation of the Editor-in-Chief.

  • the author(s) are given the opportunity to provide an explanation;
  • if no response is received, the Editorial Board may proceed independently;
  • if necessary, the Editorial Board may consult an ethics committee or external experts;
  • the decision is formalized in the minutes of the Editorial Board meeting.

4. Implementation of Retraction

When an article is retracted:

  • the full text remains available on the Journal’s website;
  • the electronic version is clearly marked “RETRACTED”;
  • the reason and date of retraction are indicated;
  • the retraction notice is reflected in the issue’s table of contents;
  • the DOI and bibliographic record remain available to ensure transparency of the scholarly record.

5. Notification and Reporting

The Editor-in-Chief submits information about the retraction to the relevant ethics body, indexing services, and other competent organizations where necessary, including:

  • author(s) name(s) and article title;
  • journal title;
  • initiator of the retraction;
  • grounds and date of the decision;
  • link to the retraction notice;
  • bibliographic details and DOI;
  • subject area of the article.

6. Additional Measures

The Editorial Board may apply additional measures, including:

  • temporary restriction on future submissions from the author(s);
  • notification of the author’s institution;
  • notification of funding bodies or relevant professional organizations, where appropriate.

7. Transparency

Information about retractions is publicly available on the Journal’s official website. Retraction notices are linked to the original articles and contain sufficient information to identify the publication and explain the reason for retraction.

Note: This policy is aligned with COPE recommendations and international standards for maintaining research integrity.