Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern Policy

The Publisher is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record. When significant errors, ethical concerns, or questions regarding the reliability of published work are identified, appropriate corrective action will be taken.

This policy applies to all journals published by the Publisher.

1. General Principles

Concerns regarding published articles may be raised by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, research organizations, or other parties.

All concerns will be evaluated objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with accepted standards of publication ethics.

Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the Publisher may issue:

a Correction;
an Expression of Concern;
a Retraction;
another appropriate editorial notice.

Corrective notices will be published transparently and linked to the original article whenever technically possible.

2. Corrections

A correction will be issued when an error is identified in a published article but the error does not invalidate the principal results or conclusions of the work.

Corrections may be appropriate for errors involving:

author names or affiliations;
tables or figures;
numerical or statistical information;
factual information;
methodological descriptions;
acknowledgements;
funding information;
conflicts of interest;
other errors affecting the accuracy or interpretation of the publication.

The correction notice will clearly identify the original article and describe the nature of the correction.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect the scientific meaning or interpretation of an article may not require a formal correction.

3. Retractions

An article may be retracted when there is clear evidence that its findings or conclusions are unreliable or when a serious violation of research or publication ethics has occurred.

Retraction may be considered in cases including, but not limited to:

fabrication or falsification of data;
major errors that invalidate the findings or conclusions;
plagiarism;
duplicate or redundant publication without appropriate justification;
unethical research;
serious deficiencies in ethical approval or informed consent;
fraudulent peer review;
inappropriate manipulation of images or data;
serious authorship misconduct;
other substantial violations of publication ethics.

A retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record and alert readers that the findings of the article should no longer be considered reliable.

Retraction is not primarily intended as a punishment of authors.

4. Retraction Notices

A retraction notice will:

clearly state that the article has been retracted;
identify the retracted article by title, authors, citation, DOI, or other relevant information;
explain the reason for the retraction;
distinguish, where possible, between honest error and research or publication misconduct;
identify who initiated the retraction when appropriate;
be publicly accessible;
be linked electronically to the original article.

The original article will normally remain available as part of the permanent scholarly record but will be clearly marked as retracted.

The Publisher will not remove a published article solely because it has been retracted, except in exceptional circumstances involving legal requirements, serious privacy violations, or substantial risk of harm.

5. Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be published when serious questions have been raised regarding a published article but sufficient evidence is not yet available to determine whether a correction or retraction is required.

An Expression of Concern may be appropriate when:

evidence of possible research or publication misconduct is inconclusive;
an institutional investigation is ongoing;
there are substantial concerns regarding the reliability of the data;
an investigation is significantly delayed;
relevant institutions are unable or unwilling to investigate;
concerns regarding ethical approval, consent, or research integrity remain unresolved.

An Expression of Concern is intended to alert readers while an investigation is ongoing.

After the matter has been resolved, the Expression of Concern may be followed by a correction, retraction, or a notice indicating that the concerns have been resolved.

6. Investigation Process

When a concern is received, the Publisher or journal editor will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether the concern has sufficient basis for further investigation.

Where appropriate, the process may include:

documenting the concern;
reviewing the published article and supporting information;
contacting the corresponding author and, when necessary, other authors;
requesting original data, ethics documentation, consent records, images, or other relevant materials;
seeking clarification from reviewers or independent experts;
contacting the authors’ institution, ethics committee, research organization, or funder when appropriate;
evaluating the available evidence;
determining the appropriate editorial action.

The Publisher will seek to conduct investigations fairly and without unnecessary delay.

7. Author Notification

Authors will normally be informed of concerns relating to their publication and will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond.

However, corrective action does not require unanimous agreement from all authors.

If sufficient evidence supports a correction, retraction, or Expression of Concern, the Publisher may proceed even if one or more authors disagree with the decision.

8. Institutional Investigations

The Publisher recognizes that journals are generally not responsible for conducting formal investigations into allegations of research misconduct.

Where appropriate, suspected misconduct may be referred to the relevant institution, ethics committee, research integrity office, funder, or other competent authority.

The journal may consider the findings of institutional investigations when determining appropriate editorial action.

The Publisher may also take independent editorial action when necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

9. Corrections or Retractions Requested by Authors

Authors who discover a significant error in their published work should promptly notify the journal.

The editorial team will assess whether the issue requires:

no formal action;
a correction;
a retraction;
another appropriate notice.

Authors are encouraged to report honest errors without delay.

Voluntary disclosure of an error does not prevent the Publisher from investigating whether additional ethical or scientific concerns exist.

10. Post-Publication Concerns

Credible concerns raised after publication will be considered regardless of when the article was published.

The identity of individuals raising concerns will be treated confidentially where appropriate and legally permissible.

Concerns should be supported by specific information or evidence sufficient to allow meaningful editorial assessment.

11. Linking and Indexing of Notices

Corrections, retractions, and Expressions of Concern will be clearly linked to the original article whenever technically possible.

The original article will also contain a clear link or notice directing readers to the relevant corrective publication.

Corrective notices should be independently identifiable and citable.

Where applicable, corrected or retracted publication information will be communicated through appropriate indexing, metadata, DOI, and archiving systems.

12. Article Version and Scholarly Record

The Publisher seeks to preserve the scholarly record transparently.

Published articles will not ordinarily be silently replaced or modified in a way that obscures the publication history.

Where a substantive correction is made, readers should be able to identify what was changed and why.

13. Removal of Published Content

Removal of an article from the journal website will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as:

a legal requirement;
a court order;
serious violation of privacy or confidentiality;
content presenting a substantial and immediate risk of harm;
other exceptional legal or ethical circumstances.

Where possible, a notice explaining the removal will remain in place.

14. Editorial Expressions and Neutrality

Corrective notices will describe the relevant facts and editorial decision as accurately and neutrally as possible.

The Publisher will avoid making unsupported allegations regarding individual responsibility or misconduct.

Where investigations have established misconduct, the notice may state the relevant confirmed findings.

15. Responsibility for Corrective Action

The Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the Publisher and other appropriate editorial or ethics personnel, is responsible for determining whether a correction, retraction, Expression of Concern, or other editorial action is required.

Individuals with relevant conflicts of interest must not participate in the decision-making process.

16. Compliance with International Standards

The Publisher handles corrections, retractions, and Expressions of Concern with reference to internationally recognized standards and guidance, including: