Update, Correction and Retraction Policy of Research Papers of UNWE
Research Papers of UNWE is committed to maintaining a complete, accurate, and reliable scholarly record. This page explains how the journal reviews content before publication, how readers can report concerns about published work, and when an already published article may be corrected, updated, or retracted.
Editorial policies and peer review
Every manuscript submitted to Research Papers of UNWE undergoes double-blind peer review, with a minimum of two independent reviewers assessing each submission for its scholarly quality, originality, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope. Reviewers and editors are expected to evaluate manuscripts fairly, confidentially, and without conflicts of interest. Editorial decisions on peer review, revision, acceptance, or rejection are made independently within the journal's own editorial workflow, regardless of manuscript language (Bulgarian or English).
Further detail on the journal's editorial governance is available on the Editorial Governance of Research Papers of UNWE page, and the full review workflow is described on the Peer Review Process page.
Ethical standards for authors
Authors publishing in Research Papers of UNWE are expected to adhere to the ethical and academic-integrity standards set out in the journal's Publication Ethics policy and the Code of Ethics of Academic Publishing House UNWE, which cover originality, plagiarism, responsible use of AI, authorship, data integrity, conflicts of interest, and peer-review ethics, and which are aligned with the core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Manuscript formatting, referencing, and submission requirements are set out in the Author Guidelines.
How to report a concern
Readers, authors, or any other party who identifies a potential error, ethical concern, or other issue with a published article should contact the editorial office at [email protected], describing the article (title, DOI, and/or publication details) and the nature of the concern. The editorial team reviews all reports and, where warranted, refers them to the Editor-in-Chief and, if necessary, escalates them in line with COPE guidelines.
When content may be updated or retracted
Published articles may be corrected, updated, or retracted under circumstances that include, but are not limited to:
- Correction / corrigendum / erratum — a significant error introduced by the author(s) (corrigendum) or by the journal during production (erratum) that affects the scholarly record but does not invalidate the article's overall findings or conclusions.
- Retraction — well-founded evidence of research or publication misconduct (e.g., data fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, duplicate or redundant publication, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or unethical research), or of major errors that fundamentally invalidate the findings or conclusions of the article.
- Expression of concern — where credible evidence of a potential problem exists but an investigation is still ongoing, or in cases where a definitive resolution is not yet possible.
- Withdrawal — in exceptional cases affecting an article before its formal publication in an issue.
Decisions on corrections and retractions are made by the Editorial Board in accordance with COPE's guidelines and, where relevant, in consultation with the authors, their institution(s), and other appropriate parties.
What happens to updated or retracted content
The original published version of an article is never silently deleted. Where a correction, retraction, or expression-of-concern notice is issued:
- The original article remains accessible online. It is clearly and prominently marked as corrected/retracted, with a link to the corresponding notice.
- The correction, retraction, or expression-of-concern notice is itself published as a separate, citable item, linked bidirectionally to the original article.
- Where feasible, the notice explains the reason for the correction/retraction and identifies what has changed.
- In-situ replacement of the original file (without a separate notice) is used only for minor, non-substantive corrections that do not affect the scholarly record (e.g., typographical or formatting fixes) and does not require a new registration.
About the Crossmark button
Crossmark, from Crossref, provides a standard way for readers to locate the current version of a piece of content. By clicking the Crossmark button displayed on Research Papers of UNWE's articles, readers can determine whether changes have been made to that content after publication.
