Procedure for retracting published articles

1. The retraction (withdrawal) procedure defines the process for removing from scientific circulation research papers published in the University’s periodical journals that contain significant violations of academic integrity or substantial errors. The purpose of retraction is to ensure the reliability of scientific information, uphold the principles of academic integrity, and inform the scholarly community about the invalidity of research results. Retraction is carried out in accordance with the principles of transparency, objectivity, impartiality, and adherence to ethical standards in the publication of scientific works.

2. The retraction of a published scientific article may be initiated in the event of the following grounds being established: violations of academic integrity (plagiarism or self-plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, authorship manipulation, duplicate publication, undisclosed conflict of interest, etc.); scientific or technical errors (significant methodological errors, unreliable results, or incorrect conclusions that distort scientific information); violations of ethical standards (breaches of bioethical norms, lack of informed consent, improper use of data); and legal grounds (copyright infringement, court decisions, or other legal requirements under applicable legislation).

3. Initiators of the retraction of a published article may include the author(s) of the article, the journal’s editorial board, reviewers, members of the editorial board, readers, or third parties, as well as the institution where the research was conducted. The retraction initiative is submitted in the form of a written statement specifying the article title, authors, grounds for retraction, and supporting evidence.

4. The preliminary review of the request includes its registration by the editorial office and an initial verification. A responsible person is appointed, or a committee is formed, chaired by the Editor-in-Chief of the journal. If grounds for retraction are established, the editorial board initiates a formal procedure. The authors are personally informed about the initiation of the procedure.

5. The retraction procedure includes: analysis of the submitted materials, plagiarism checking, requests for authors’ explanations, involvement of independent experts, and cooperation with the authors’ institutions. The editorial board ensures the confidentiality of the procedure, the authors’ right to present their position, and impartiality of the assessment.

6. Based on the review of all submitted materials and circumstances, the editorial board of the journal may decide on the full retraction of the published article, the removal of specific parts of the article, the publication of corrections to the article (in accordance with the corrigendum/erratum principle), or the refusal to proceed with retraction. The final decision is formalized in the minutes of the editorial board meeting.

7. In the event of retraction of a published article, the journal’s editorial office publishes a retraction notice, retains the article in the University repository DSpace (https://dspace.lute.lviv.ua/) and in the archive of periodicals on the relevant page of the website http://journals-lute.lviv.ua with the label “The article has been retracted”, indicates the reason for retraction, and ensures a clear link between the article and the retraction notice. The notice must include all article metadata, the reasons for retraction, the date of the decision, information about the initiating party, and information on the responsibility of the parties.

8. The journal’s editorial office notifies bibliometric databases, repositories, DOI registrars, and libraries about the retraction of the article. A corresponding note is added to the article’s metadata.

9. Authors may initiate the retraction of an article on their own. Voluntary retraction does not release authors from ethical evaluation or from responsibility for violations of the principles of academic integrity. The editorial board may indicate the voluntary nature of the article’s retraction.

10. Authors have the right to provide explanations, to review the materials of the retraction procedure, and to appeal the decision in accordance with the established procedure.

11. The journal’s editorial board is obliged to act in accordance with ethical standards, remain impartial, ensure transparency, and avoid conflicts of interest.

12. Authors may appeal the editorial board’s decision on article retraction and submit an appeal within 14 (fourteen) days. The appeal is reviewed by an independent commission. The decision on the appeal is final.

13. All materials related to the article retraction procedure are stored in the journal’s editorial office for a period of 2 (two) years.

Requirements for Formatting and Submission of Publications for the Scientific Journals
of Lviv University of Trade and Economics

Regulation on Compliance with the Principles of Academic Integrity
at Lviv University of Trade and Economics

Regulation on Editorial Policy and Ethical Standards for Publications in Scientific Journals
of Lviv University of Trade and Economics