Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Publication Ethics

The Editorial Board and the editorial staff of the journal Physics and Chemistry of Solid State support a policy aimed at ensuring compliance with the principles of publishing ethics and recognize that monitoring adherence to editorial and publishing ethics is one of the key components of the peer-review and publication process.

Retraction of a Published Article

The retraction of a published article is carried out in accordance with the publishing principles and guidelines of COPE
(https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines).

The original article remains available without changes, except for a watermark inserted into the PDF file indicating on each page that the article has been “Retracted.”

In such cases, the authors are notified by an official letter providing a detailed explanation of the reasons for the article’s retraction.

Complaints and Appeals

When handling complaints and appeals, the editorial office follows the recommendations of COPE.

In the event of a complaint or appeal, the following established procedure is applied:

  1. Any complaint or appeal is reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief responsible for the journal, the Executive Editor, and the Editor who was directly involved in the editorial process.

  2. The Editor-in-Chief may involve members of the Editorial Board to assist in dispute resolution and to ensure the proper application of the journal’s editorial policies and publication ethics rules.

     


    1. Duties of the Editor-in-Chief (in accordance with COPE Core Practices)

    Publication Decisions

    The Editor-in-Chief of the journal Physics and Chemistry of Solid State is responsible for making decisions on the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts submitted to the journal.
    Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly merit of the manuscript, including its originality, scientific validity, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope, as well as its significance to the scientific community and readers.
    The Editor-in-Chief follows the journal’s editorial policies and ethical guidelines and complies with applicable legal requirements, including those related to defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
    When appropriate, the Editor-in-Chief may consult members of the Editorial Board and/or external reviewers when making publication decisions.

    Fair Play

    In accordance with COPE principles, the Editor-in-Chief evaluates manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their intellectual content, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs of the authors.

    Confidentiality

    The Editor-in-Chief and members of the Editorial Board ensure the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. Information about a manuscript must not be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisers, and the publisher, as required by the editorial process.

    Conflicts of Interest and Disclosure

    The Editor-in-Chief must not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for personal research or benefit without the explicit written consent of the author.
    All confidential information and ideas obtained through peer review must be treated as privileged and kept strictly confidential.
    The Editor-in-Chief shall recuse themselves from handling a manuscript if a conflict of interest exists due to competitive, collaborative, financial, or other relationships with any of the authors, institutions, or organizations associated with the submission.
    Authors are required to disclose all relevant competing interests. If a conflict of interest is identified after publication, the journal will take appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines, including the publication of a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, as necessary.

    Ethical Oversight and Handling of Complaints

    In line with COPE Core Practices, the Editor-in-Chief is responsible for ensuring ethical oversight of the publication process.
    All allegations of research misconduct, unethical behavior, or breaches of publication ethics related to submitted manuscripts or published articles are handled in a fair, transparent, and timely manner.
    The Editor-in-Chief will investigate ethical complaints in cooperation with the Editorial Board, the publisher, and, where appropriate, the authors’ institutions, following COPE flowcharts and recommendations.

2. Duties of Reviewers (in accordance with COPE Core Practices)

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review assists the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board in making editorial decisions regarding the publication of manuscripts. Through communication with the editorial office, reviewers also help authors to improve the quality, clarity, and scientific value of their manuscripts.

Promptness

Any invited reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript, or who knows that they will be unable to complete the review within the agreed timeframe, should promptly notify the editor and decline the invitation to review.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, discuss, or disclose the manuscript or its content with anyone outside the editorial process, except with individuals explicitly authorized by the editor.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews must be conducted objectively and constructively. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their opinions clearly, supported by reasoned arguments and evidence, and provide constructive feedback aimed at improving the manuscript.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that observations, data, interpretations, or conclusions have been previously reported should be accompanied by an appropriate reference.
Reviewers should also inform the Editor-in-Chief of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and other published work of which they are aware.

Conflicts of Interest and Disclosure

Unpublished information or ideas disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used by reviewers in their own research without the explicit written consent of the author.
All confidential information obtained through the peer-review process must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
Reviewers should decline to review a manuscript if a conflict of interest exists due to competitive, collaborative, financial, or other relationships with any of the authors, institutions, or organizations associated with the manuscript.

 

3. Duties of Authors (in accordance with COPE Core Practices)

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their submitted work is entirely original. If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, this must be appropriately cited or clearly indicated in the manuscript.
Plagiarism takes many forms, including presenting another person’s work as one’s own, copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another work without proper attribution, or claiming ownership of results obtained by others. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

The submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously is unethical and unacceptable. Authors should not submit a manuscript that has already been published or is under consideration elsewhere.
Proper acknowledgment of the work of other researchers must always be provided, and authors should cite publications that have significantly influenced the reported research.

Authorship of the Manuscript

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study.
All individuals who have made substantial contributions should be listed as co-authors. Individuals who contributed to the work in a significant but limited way should be acknowledged appropriately, either in the acknowledgments section or, where justified, included as co-authors.
All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that could be perceived to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.
All sources of financial support for the research project must be clearly disclosed in the manuscript.

Errors in Published Works

If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief of the journal and cooperate fully to retract or correct the article.
If the Editor-in-Chief is informed by a third party that a published work contains a significant error, the authors are required to promptly cooperate with the journal to issue a correction, retraction, or to provide evidence supporting the validity of the original publication.

 

Plagiarism Detection


The editorial office of the journal Physics and Chemistry of Solid State is committed to supporting the scientific community in all aspects of upholding publication ethics policies, with particular attention to cases involving suspected duplicate submission or plagiarism.

The editorial office of the journal applies a plagiarism detection system recommended by the journal’s publisher, Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University. At present, the StrikePlagiarism system is used to screen submitted manuscripts.