INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

"Collection of scientific works of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine" is a scientific journal, concentrates on the results of the scientific studies, which consider fundamental and applied problems of general and regional geology of Ukraine, lithology, marine geology, stratigraphy and paleontology, geology of oil and gas, hydrogeology and engineering geology, geoecology.

The Proceedings is covered the wide range of the modern problems – from the general issues of the geological studies history, modern research methods, regional geological problems, facial and formation analyses, the theory of lithogenesis, spreading of minerals in sedimentary basins, modern sedimentation, peculiarities of technogenic lithogenesis to the geological terminology.

The editorial staff accepts accepts original articles, reviews, scientific reports covering both fundamental and applied problems. Materials covering science education, the history of geological science, scientific schools, informational announcements about jubilee, memorable and outstanding events of scientific life, personalities are also reviewed.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

An article manuscript (in doc or docx format) and separate files of figures or photographs (high resolution in JPEG, EPS, TIFF formats) should be submitted here. The article size should not exceed 10 pages of 11 pt with an interval of 1.5.

The following must also be provided:

1. two printed copies of the manuscript, signed by all authors;
2. information about the authors (last name, first name, position, degree, affiliation, phone number, postal and e-mail addresses);
3. cover letters from organizations where the authors work.

MANUSCRIPT STRUCTURE:

• UDC index;
• Title of the article (in the original language and in English);
• Initials and last names of authors (in original language and in English);
• Information about the authors (affiliation), full address, city, country, e-mail address (in original language and in English);
• Abstract in Ukrainian and English (up 150-250 words), which must clearly reflect the purpose, object and methods of research, main conclusions;
• Keywords (no more than 10) in the original language and in English;
• References

Complaint handling procedure

The procedure for handling complaints by the editorial board of the *Collection of Scientific Works* is based on the principles of legality, objectivity, confidentiality and the presumption of integrity.

The main stages and rules of the procedure include:

1. Procedure for submitting a complaint
• Form: Complaints must be submitted in writing to the editorial board’s official email address (geol_journal@ukr.net).
• Content of the complaint: The complainant’s full name (or the name of the organisation), contact details, the nature of the violation, a reference to the publication, as well as a statement of grounds and supporting materials must be provided.
• Formatting requirements: The complaint must be concise and specific. The editorial board may refuse to consider the complaint if it is submitted in an offensive or threatening manner.

2. Grounds for submission
A complaint may be submitted in the event of:
• Plagiarism, falsification or fabrication of data.
• Duplication of a publication or a hidden conflict of interest.
• Undisclosed use of AI technologies.
• Breach of the double-blind peer review procedure.

3. Review process
• Timeframes: Reports are reviewed within 30 working days. If the case is complex, the investigation may take longer.
• Standards: The Editorial Board is guided by the current legislation of Ukraine and the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
• Confidentiality: All information regarding the review is confidential and is not disclosed to third parties (except in cases provided for by law).

4. Possible decisions
Based on the findings of the investigation, the editorial board may take the following decisions:
• To dismiss the complaint as unfounded.
• To request the author to make corrections or clarifications.
• To retract the article or reject it.
• To publish a retraction or an editorial note.
• Notification of the author’s employer, or restriction of the author’s right to further publication in the journal.

The editorial board also notes that personal complaints against authors or members of the editorial board, which fall outside the remit of the editorial board of ‘Collection…’, are not subject to investigation

Procedure for the retraction of published articles

The policy on the retraction of articles in the *Collection of Scientific Papers* is designed to correct published information and ensure academic integrity in accordance with COPE standards.

1. Grounds for retracting an article
The editorial board may decide to retract an article in the following cases:
• Serious breaches of integrity: clear evidence of plagiarism (not identified through the use of strikeplagiarism.com or the peer review process), falsification or fabrication of data (including manipulation of images).
• Duplicate publication: if the results have previously been published in another publication without proper citation or justification.
• Ethical violations: evidence of unethical research, fraudulent authorship, hidden conflicts of interest, or a compromised peer-review process.
• Use of AI: undisclosed use of artificial intelligence technologies to obtain results.

2. Review procedure
• Initiation: A request for retraction may be submitted by authors, editors, reviewers or third parties (readers) in writing, providing substantiated evidence.
• Investigation: The editorial board verifies the information received. The authors of the article and external independent experts may be involved in the process.
• Right of reply: Authors must be notified of the start of the investigation and given the opportunity to provide an explanation.
• Decision-making: The final decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief or their deputy. The review process usually takes 30 working days, but may be extended in complex cases.

3. Implementation of the retraction decision
If a decision to retract is made, the article is not removed from the journal’s archive entirely, but undergoes the following changes:
• The electronic version of the article is watermarked with ‘Retracted’ and the date.
• The title of the article is changed to ‘Retraction: [Article title]’.
• A separate retraction notice with a DOI is published, explaining the reasons for the retraction and providing the bibliographic details of the original.

4. Withdrawal of a manuscript prior to publication
Authors have the right to withdraw their manuscript only up until the moment of its publication. To do so, they must send a letter to the editorial office with a clear explanation of the reasons, signed by all authors of the article. In such cases, the manuscript is completely removed from the database.

5. Alternative measures
If the error is not fundamental and does not affect the overall reliability of the study, instead of a full retraction, the editorial board may propose:
• Correction/Corrigendum: a notice of a significant error made by the authors.
• Erratum: a correction of a significant error made by the editorial board during the preparation of the article