Consideration of Information and Appeals

Complaints and Allegations Handling Procedure

The editorial board of the journal Folia Philologica is committed to upholding high standards of academic integrity. All complaints and allegations concerning potential breaches of publication ethics are addressed transparently, objectively, and confidentially, in line with the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The editorial office considers complaints and allegations related to:

plagiarism;

data fabrication or falsification;

duplicate or multiple publication;

inappropriate authorship (e.g., ghost authorship, guest authorship);

violations of the peer review process;

undisclosed conflicts of interest;

unethical conduct by authors, reviewers, or editors.

Complaints must be submitted in writing to the official editorial email address. The complaint should include:

a clear and specific description of the issue;

names or identifying information of the individuals involved;

relevant evidence or references;

the complainant’s contact information (anonymous complaints may be considered if supported by sufficient and verifiable evidence).

Upon receipt of a complaint:

the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editorial board member will conduct an initial assessment within 10 working days;

the complainant may be asked to provide additional information or clarification;

if the complaint appears valid, a formal investigation will be initiated.

The editorial board conducts the investigation, involving independent experts if necessary. All parties involved have the right to provide a written explanation. Each party will be treated fairly and given the opportunity to respond.

Depending on the findings, the editorial board may take one or more of the following actions:

issue a correction or erratum;

publish a notice of concern or a formal retraction;

notify the author’s affiliated institution;

reject the manuscript or withdraw the published article;

impose a submission ban for a specified period;

take other appropriate measures as recommended by COPE.

Individuals subject to the complaint have the right to appeal the decision. A new review may be conducted with the involvement of independent experts who were not part of the initial process. All complaints and outcomes are documented and archived by the editorial office. These records may be used to improve editorial policy and prevent future misconduct.