Correction and Retraction
Correction and Retraction
Maintaining the integrity, accuracy, and reliability of the scholarly record is a fundamental obligation of the journal. Errors, oversights, or ethical breaches may occasionally come to light after an article has been published online or in print. The journal is committed to addressing these issues promptly and transparently in accordance with the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The primary purpose of issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions is not to punish authors, but rather to correct the scientific literature, alert the academic community to potential flaws, and preserve public trust in published research.
When a published article contains a minor error that affects the clarity, accuracy, or metadata of the text without compromising the main scientific findings or overall conclusions, a formal correction notice will be published. Errors introduced by the authors during manuscript preparation or proof revision are published as a Corrigendum, whereas errors introduced by the publisher during the editing or typesetting process are published as an Erratum. The correction notice will describe the exact changes made, appear in the next available issue, and be permanently linked to the original article online. To maintain a transparent record, the original article file will be updated to reflect the correction alongside a footnote detailing the modification date and nature of the fix.
The Editor-in-Chief may issue an official Expression of Concern when serious doubts arise regarding the validity, integrity, or ethical conduct of a published paper, but conclusive evidence is not yet available to warrant a retraction. This notice alerts readers while an ongoing investigation is being conducted by the journal, the authors' host institution, or a relevant regulatory body. An Expression of Concern may also be published if an institutional investigation appears unduly delayed, biased, or inconclusive. Once the formal investigation reaches a definitive conclusion, the Expression of Concern will be resolved and replaced by a formal Retraction, a Corrigendum, or an editorial statement confirming the article's validity.
A published article will be formally Retracted if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the core findings, methodology, or conclusions are fundamentally unreliable, uninterpretable, or the result of research misconduct such as data fabrication, falsification, major plagiarism, or duplicate publication. Retractions may also be issued in cases of severe ethical violations or failure to disclose major, fatal conflicts of interest. Retraction notices may be initiated by the journal editors, requested jointly by the authors, or recommended following an institutional investigation.
When an article is retracted, a formal Notice of Retraction will be published, signed by the Editor-in-Chief and, when applicable, the authors. The notice will clearly state the reasons for the retraction and provide full citation details to ensure complete transparency. In line with digital archiving standards, the original article will not be removed from the journal's website or electronic databases; instead, the PDF document will be watermarked with the word "RETRACTED" on every page, and the HTML version will feature a prominent statement declaring its retracted status to prevent future citation of invalid work.
