Retraction and Expression of Concern Policy

A retraction notice will be issued for a published article when there is a major error (for example, in data analysis or methodology) that invalidates the findings presented in the article, or in cases of research or publication misconduct. Such misconduct includes, but is not limited to: failure to obtain required ethical approvals, data fabrication, manipulated images, plagiarism, duplicate publication, and similar forms of misconduct.

Decisions regarding article retraction are made in accordance with COPE guidelines and involve an investigation conducted by the Journal’s editorial team in collaboration with the Editor. Authors and their institutions may also request retraction of their articles if the reasons meet the Journal’s retraction criteria.

Criteria for Retraction in Accordance with COPE Guidelines

Articles may be retracted in the following cases:

  • There is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of misconduct (e.g., data fabrication or image manipulation) or honest error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error).
  • The findings have been previously published elsewhere without proper citation, permission, or justification (e.g., duplicate publication or redundant publication).
  • The research constitutes plagiarism or there is evidence of fraudulent authorship.
  • There is evidence of compromised peer review.
  • There is evidence of unethical research practices.

 

Actions Taken by the Journal

In such cases, the Journal will:

  • Add a “Retracted” watermark to the published version of the article.
  • Publish a separate retraction notice entitled “Retraction: [Article Title]”, which will be linked to the retracted article.
  • Make the retraction notice freely available in the online issue of the Journal.

 

What Should Authors Do If Errors Are Discovered After Publication?

Authors must notify the Journal as soon as possible if they discover errors in their published article, particularly errors that may affect the interpretation of data or the reliability of the findings.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors agree before submitting any correction or retraction request.

If, after reviewing the guidelines, authors believe that a correction or retraction is necessary, they should contact the Journal’s production editor.

 

Post-Publication Notices to Safeguard the Scholarly Record

A correction notice will be issued when it is necessary to amend or remove information that could affect the interpretation of the article. However, in cases where minor issues exist that do not affect interpretation (such as missing funding information), no change will be made to the published version.

 

Expression of Concern

In certain cases, an Expression of Concern may be issued when serious concerns have been raised (e.g., suspected plagiarism or publication misconduct), but the outcome of the investigation is inconclusive or significantly delayed due to complexity.

Once the investigation is complete, a retraction or correction may follow the Expression of Concern. Both the original article and the notice will remain part of the permanent scholarly record.

An Expression of Concern may be published if:

1.    There is inconclusive evidence of research or publication misconduct, but the nature of the concerns warrants informing readers.

2.    There are well-founded concerns that the findings may be unreliable, or misconduct may have occurred, but there is limited cooperation from the authors’ institution(s).

3.    An investigation into alleged misconduct is not, or will not be, fair, impartial, or conclusive.

4.    An investigation is ongoing, but a final decision will not be available for a considerable period, and the concerns are serious enough to warrant informing readers.

5.    The Expression of Concern will be linked to the relevant published article.

 

Article Removal (Retraction and Removal from the Record)

Articles may be removed in rare cases where the issues are extremely serious and cannot be addressed through retraction or correction. Removal may be considered in cases such as:

  • The article contains content that poses a serious risk if acted upon.
  • The article infringes upon the privacy rights of research participants.
  • The article is defamatory or otherwise violates legal rights.
  • The article is subject to a court order.

If an article is removed from the Journal’s website, a removal notice will be issued in its place.

 

Erratum and Supplementary Policy

An erratum is a notice adding information to a published article. Errata do not contradict the original publication and are not used to correct errors that require a correction notice. If authors need to update or add essential information, an erratum may be published. Such additions may be subject to peer review and are typically overseen by the Journal’s editors.

All errata are electronically linked to the original published article.

 

Comments on Published Articles

Comments are short communications that provide observations on a published article. When submitted to the Journal Editor, comments may undergo peer review and are shared with the authors of the original article, who are invited to respond.

Subsequent notes may also undergo peer review and be shared with the original authors, who may be invited to submit a rejoinder. The rejoinder may also be peer-reviewed and shared with the commenting author.

No further correspondence will be considered for publication. The Editor may reject submissions at any stage prior to completion of the comment-response process.