1. General Principles

1.1. Article’s retraction is an official procedure applied in cases where violations of academic integrity, publication ethics, or significant errors that affect the reliability of research results are identified.

1.2. Retraction is conducted in accordance with international standards (COPE Retraction Guidelines) and the journal’s policy (see the Retraction Policy at https://mivg.iwpim.com.ua/index.php/mivg/policies).

1.3. The decision to retract an article is made by the editorial board following an investigation.

2. Substantiations for Articles Retraction

An article is retracted if:

• there is clear evidence that the results are unreliable, regardless of whether they are the result of misconduct (e.g., fabricated data and image manipulation);
• the research results were previously published elsewhere without proper citations, licensing, or justification (e.g., in cases of redundant or duplicate publication);
• the research constitutes plagiarism;
• there is evidence of fraudulent authorship;
• it has been proven that the peer review process was compromised;
• there is evidence of unethical research and violations of professional codes of ethics.

3. Initiating the Procedure

3.1. Retraction requests may be submitted by authors, editors, or third parties.

In some cases, the authors of a scientific article under consideration by the journal may submit a request to retract their manuscript. Such a request may only be made prior to the article’s publication.

To withdraw a manuscript, authors must contact the journal’s editorial board with a letter containing a clear and concise explanation of the reasons for the withdrawal. The letter must be brief and signed by all authors of the article. The withdrawn manuscript will be completely removed from the publisher’s database; however, the copyright remains with the authors of the article.

3.2. A complaint or appeal must be submitted in writing to the editorial office, stating the facts and providing evidence.

 4. Review and Decision-Making

4.1. The editorial board conducts an investigation involving the authors and, if necessary, external experts.

4.2. The author(s) have the right to provide a written explanation.

4.3. The decision is made by the editorial board.

4.4. Possible decisions:

• dismiss the complaint as unfounded;
• correct the article by publishing a correction note;
• officially retract the article with a retraction notice.

5. Retraction Procedure

5.1. After a decision to retract an article is made:

• the published version of the article will be marked with a “Retraction” watermark;
• the article title will be changed to “Retraction: [Article Title]”;
• A separate retraction statement will be published under the title “Retraction: [Article Title].”
• The author(s) will receive written notification of the reasons for and consequences of the retraction.
• The requester (if not the author) will be informed of the editorial decision.

The journal’s editors will sign this notification; the retraction statement will be numbered and assigned a DOI.

 6. Appeal

6.1. The author(s) have the right to file an appeal within 30 days of receiving notification of the retraction.

6.2. The appeal is reviewed by the editorial board and independent experts, whose decision is final.

 Timeliness of Procedures

Decisions regarding the publication of corrections, statements of concern, or retractions are made by the editorial board and implemented as soon as possible after substantial violations are identified. If final agreement on the text with the authors is not possible, the editorial board reserves the right to publish the statement without delay in order to preserve scientific integrity.

 Accessibility of retracted articles

Retracted articles remain openly accessible in the journal’s archives and in databases with the designation “Retraction.” Complete removal is possible only in cases where required by applicable laws.

 Mass manipulation and “paper mills”. If it is determined that an article is part of a group of publications compromised by “paper mills” or other systematic fraudulent practices, the editorial board may decide to retract the article as part of the package. The retraction statement must specify that the article belongs to a group of works affected by similar violations.

Use of Artificial Intelligence. The concealed or undeclared use of artificial intelligence systems to generate text, images, or other data in a manuscript is considered a serious violation and may constitute grounds for retraction. Authors are required to transparently disclose the use of such tools. Concealment of such facts may be considered grounds for retraction. The editorial board reserves the right to check manuscripts for the use of generative artificial intelligence systems. Automated detection tools, expert assessment by reviewers, and additional inquiries to authors may be used for this purpose.

Falsification of Authorship and Identity Theft. Manuscripts may be retracted in cases of confirmed false authorship, the use of another person’s personal data (name, ORCID, etc.), as well as hidden or coerced authorship.

Expression of Concern

In cases where there are serious suspicions regarding the authenticity of an article or a violation of academic integrity, but there is insufficient evidence for immediate retraction, the editorial board may publish a statement of concern. Such a statement has its own DOI, is linked to the original article, and contains a brief explanation of the reasons for publication. The Expression of Concern remains available until the editorial investigation is completed.

 Principles of the Article Retraction Procedure

• Transparency – Retraction notices are public and accessible.
• Impartiality – All decisions are made based on evidence and expert conclusions.
• Accountability – Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy and quality of the results presented.