Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Newsletter of Precarpathian University. Physical culture adheres to the COPE Core Practices and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

The Editorial Board is committed to ensuring integrity, transparency, and ethical standards throughout all stages of the publication process.

Retraction Policy

Retraction of a published article is carried out in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines (https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines).

Retraction may be initiated in cases of:

  • proven research misconduct (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism);
  • major methodological errors invalidating conclusions;
  • duplicate publication;
  • unethical research practices.

In the event of retraction:

  • the original article remains accessible for the sake of scholarly record;
  • the PDF version is clearly marked as “Retracted”;
  • a formal retraction notice explaining the reasons is published;
  • authors are notified in writing.

Policy on Author Self-Citation

The journal supports responsible citation practices.

Self-citation is acceptable when scientifically justified, including:

  • continuation of previous research;
  • direct use of previously developed methods;
  • reference to essential earlier findings.

As a general guideline:

  • self-citation up to 20% of the reference list is normally acceptable;
  • levels above 25% require clear scientific justification;
  • excessive self-citation intended to inflate citation metrics is considered unethical.

The Editorial Board may request revision of references or reject a manuscript if citation practices do not comply with ethical standards.

Complaints and Appeals Procedure

Complaints and appeals are handled in accordance with COPE recommendations.

All cases are reviewed by:

  • the Editor-in-Chief;
  • the Executive Editor;
  • the handling editor.

Where necessary, members of the Editorial Board or external experts may be involved.

All complaints are addressed in a fair, confidential, and timely manner.

 

Editorial Responsibilities

Duties of the Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for final publication decisions based solely on:

  • scientific merit;
  • originality;
  • methodological rigor;
  • relevance to the journal’s scope.

The Editor-in-Chief:

  • makes publication decisions based solely on scientific merit;
  • ensures impartial and unbiased evaluation of manuscripts;
  • maintains confidentiality of submissions;
  • manages conflicts of interest appropriately;
  • ensures compliance with ethical standards and COPE Core Practices;
  • oversees the investigation of ethical complaints and research misconduct.

Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • provide objective and constructive assessments;
  • respect confidentiality;
  • declare conflicts of interest;
  • avoid use of unpublished materials for personal benefit;
  • identify relevant uncited literature;
  • report substantial similarity with other works.

Duties of Authors

Authors must ensure:

  • originality of the manuscript;
  • proper citation of sources;
  • absence of simultaneous submissions;
  • accurate authorship attribution;
  • disclosure of conflicts of interest;
  • disclosure of funding sources.

Authors are obligated to notify the journal if significant errors are discovered after publication.

Plagiarism Detection

All submitted manuscripts are screened using StrikePlagiarism software, as recommended by the publisher (Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University).

Cases of suspected plagiarism or duplicate submission are handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.