Publication Ethics policy
Publication Ethics
The journal adheres to the principles and guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
The editorial policy of Problems of Tribology is based on internationally recognized standards of academic integrity and the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All participants in the publication process (editors, reviewers, and authors) are expected to adhere to ethical principles in scholarly publishing.
Responsibilities of the Editorial Office
The editorial office is responsible for making publication decisions and ensuring the quality of published content. In particular, the editorial office:
– evaluates manuscripts based on their scientific merit, originality, and reliability;
– ensures fair and unbiased consideration regardless of authors’ background, gender, nationality, or other personal characteristics;
– maintains confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and does not use unpublished materials for personal purposes;
– prevents the publication of manuscripts containing plagiarism, fabrication, or other forms of misconduct;
– responds to substantiated complaints and takes appropriate actions, including corrections or retractions when necessary.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers provide independent expert evaluation of manuscripts and must:
– adhere to principles of objectivity, impartiality, and confidentiality;
– not disclose or share manuscripts with third parties without editorial permission;
– provide constructive and reasoned feedback focused on the scientific content;
– refrain from using unpublished materials for personal research;
– declare any conflicts of interest or inability to provide an objective review.
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are fully responsible for the content of their submissions and must:
– submit only original, accurate, and previously unpublished work;
– properly acknowledge all sources and avoid plagiarism in any form;
– avoid fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data;
– ensure that all contributors who meet authorship criteria are properly listed;
– not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously;
– promptly inform the editorial office of significant errors discovered in submitted or published work;
– disclose any conflicts of interest.
Complaints and Appeals Procedure
The editorial office considers all complaints regarding violations of academic integrity and publication ethics (including plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship disputes, conflicts of interest, or misconduct in peer review).
The procedure includes:
– submission of a complaint to the editorial office with a clear description of the issue and, where possible, supporting evidence;
– acknowledgment of receipt within 3 working days;
– preliminary assessment of the validity of the complaint;
– investigation involving reviewers, editorial board members, and, where appropriate, authors’ institutions;
– providing authors with the opportunity to respond;
– ensuring confidentiality of all parties involved;
– making a final decision in accordance with COPE recommendations.
Depending on the outcome, actions may include rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, retraction of the article, notification of the authors’ institutions, or other appropriate measures.
Complaints that are unsubstantiated or submitted in bad faith will not be considered.
Conflict of Interest
All participants in the publication process must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the review, editorial decision, or publication of a manuscript.
