Publication Recall Policy
The scientific journal Bulletin of Lviv Polytechnic National University. Series of Architecture / Вісник Національного університету «Львівська політехніка». Серія «Архітектура» stands for adherence to COPE principles against all possible violations. Particular attention is paid to checking works for originality and avoiding cases of plagiarism.
Resubmission. Authors must submit manuscripts that are unique and must not be submitted to any other journal (except in some unusual circumstances and only with the reviewer's approval). Sometimes authors may ignore this requirement by submitting the same document to several journals or submitting several documents based on the same research. As in the case of plagiarism, resubmission can take many forms: literal copying, partial but substantial copying, or even paraphrased copying of research. Violation of this policy will result in immediate rejection and possible sanctions against the authors.
Citation manipulation. Submitted manuscripts found to contain citations whose primary purpose is to increase the number of references to a given author's work or articles published in a particular journal will be immediately rejected, and sanctions against the authors are possible.
Data falsification. If falsified or fabricated experimental results (including image manipulation) are found in a submitted article, it will cause for immediate rejection and possible sanctions against the authors.
In cases of suspected misconduct or fraud, the journal will conduct an investigation in accordance with COPE guidelines. If, after investigation, reasonable concerns remain, the authors involved will be contacted via their email addresses and given the opportunity to resolve the issue. Depending on the situation, this may result in the journal taking certain measures. If the manuscript is still under review, it may be rejected. If the article has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the violation, the journal will immediately take the following measures:
- Correction.
A correction may be posted alongside the article if a fundamental error or mistake (e.g., experimental error or miscalculation) is discovered.
- Erratum.
An erratum will be used if a significant error was made by the journal's editorial board during the preparation of the article for publication, including errors of omission, such as failure to make corrections to factual evidence requested by the authors within the time frame set by the journal and within the framework of the journal's policy. A significant error is one that affects the scientific record, the scientific integrity of the article, or the reputation of the authors or the journal.
- Corrigendum.
A corrigendum is a notice of a significant error made by the authors of an article. All corrections are approved by the journal's editorial board.
Correction procedure:
- Corrections may be initiated by authors, editors, or readers.
- The editorial team evaluates the request and, if necessary, consults with the authors.
- Once approved, corrections are published as a separate document linked to the original article, marked “Correction.”
Retraction.
In some cases, the editorial board may decide to retract an article. Reasons for potential retraction (withdrawal) of a work:
- there is clear evidence that the results are not reliable, regardless of whether they are the result of misconduct (e.g., fabricated data and image manipulation);
- the research results have been published elsewhere without proper references, licenses, or justification (e.g., in cases of redundant or duplicate publication);
- the research is plagiarized;
- there is evidence of fraudulent authorship;
- it has been proven that the review process was compromised;
- there is evidence of unethical research and violation of professional codes of ethics.
Requests for retraction may be submitted by authors, editors, or third parties. The editorial board conducts an investigation with the involvement of the authors and, if necessary, external experts. The decision is made by the editor-in-chief of the journal or his/her deputy. After the decision to retract the article has been made:
- A watermark stating “Retraction” will be added to the published version of the article.
- The title of the article will be “Retraction: [Article Title]”.
- A separate retraction statement will be published under the title “Retraction: [Article Title]”.
The editors of the journal will sign this notice; the retraction statement will be numbered and will have a DOI identifier.
In some cases, the authors of a scientific article under consideration by the journal may request to withdraw their manuscript. Such a request can only be made before the article is published. To withdraw a manuscript, authors must contact the journal's editorial office with a letter containing a clear and understandable explanation of the reasons for the withdrawal. The letter should be concise and signed by all authors of the article. The withdrawn manuscript will be completely removed from the publisher's database, but the copyright remains with the authors of the article.
Additional conditions:
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 a package. The retraction statement must indicate that the article belongs to a group of works affected by similar violations.
Use of artificial intelligence.
Hidden or undeclared use of artificial intelligence systems to create text, images, or other data in a manuscript is considered a serious violation and may be grounds for retraction. Authors are required to transparently disclose the use of such tools. Concealing 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. This may involve the use of automated detection tools, expert assessment by reviewers, and additional inquiries to authors.
Falsification of authorship and identity theft.
Manuscripts may be retracted in cases of confirmed false authorship, use of someone else's personal data (name, ORCID, etc.), as well as hidden or forced authorship.
Expression of Concern.
In cases where there are serious concerns about the integrity of an article or a breach of academic integrity, but there is insufficient evidence for immediate retraction, the editorial board may publish an expression 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 complete.
Efficiency of procedures.
The decision to publish corrections, statements of concern, or retractions is made by the editorial board and implemented as soon as possible after significant violations are identified. In cases where 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.
Availability of retracted articles.
Retracted articles remain openly accessible in the journal's archives and databases with a clear indication of “Retraction.” Complete removal is possible only in exceptional cases when required by applicable legal regulations (in particular, personal data protection, copyright infringement, enforcement of court decisions, or security considerations).