Publication Ethics and Procedures
Editorial Ethics Policy
Fizjoterapia Polska adheres to the highest ethical standards in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and international norms of scientific integrity. The editorial board is committed to promoting honesty, transparency, and openness throughout the publication process.
Key Principles
- Published articles must be based on reliable research and credible data. Any form of manipulation, plagiarism, falsification of results, or duplication of the same content in different places (so-called secondary publications) is strictly prohibited.
- Information regarding authors, sources of funding, conflicts of interest, and the peer review process is fully disclosed.
- Each author, editor, and reviewer is responsible for adhering to editorial ethics and for the quality and reliability of the publication process.
Response to Cases of Scientific Misconduct
The editorial board of Fizjoterapia Polska treats all reports of potential breaches of scientific ethics with utmost seriousness and is committed to promptly and thoroughly investigating each case.
Examples of Violations
- Plagiarism (misappropriation of others’ results or text)
- Falsification or fabrication of data
- Manipulation of citations
- Duplicate publication (publishing the same results in different journals)
- Improper attribution of authorship (e.g., ghostwriting, guest authorship)
Investigation Procedure
Reporting Misconduct
Any reader, reviewer, author, or other person may report suspected violations of editorial ethics by contacting the editorial office.
Preliminary Assessment
The editorial board conducts an initial assessment to determine whether the allegation is substantiated and warrants further action.
Contact with Authors
In cases of serious suspicion, the editorial board promptly contacts the authors of the publication, requesting clarification and, if necessary, additional source materials.
Consultation with Experts
If needed, the editorial board seeks opinions from independent experts or members of the scientific board.
Decision-Making
Based on the gathered information, the editorial board may decide to:
- Issue a correction to the article – in cases of errors that can be rectified,
- Retract the article – if the violation is serious and confirmed,
- Reject the allegation – if the charges prove unfounded.
Notifying Institutions
In cases of serious misconduct (plagiarism, data falsification), the editorial board also notifies the relevant academic institutions, the author’s home institution, or the research funding bodies.
Publication of Information
Decisions regarding corrections, retractions, or other actions are publicly announced on the journal’s website and in the article archive. Each case is thoroughly documented.
COPE Standards and Procedures
The editorial board of Fizjoterapia Polska operates in accordance with international procedures established by COPE. Detailed descriptions of these procedures (including flowcharts for handling plagiarism, conflicts of interest, data fabrication, and other situations) are available at:
https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts
Reporting Misconduct
Any suspected scientific misconduct should be reported to the editorial office via email: redakcja@fizjoterapiapolska.pl. We guarantee full confidentiality of all reports and a professional approach to each case.
