Article Correction, Retraction & Misconduct Policy
Article Correction and Retraction
Editor of the Journal is the authority to take approval for all the Corrections made to a published article. Editors will decide the magnitude of the corrections. Minor corrections are made directly to the original article. For major changes below cases are applicable.
Erratum
An error introduced by the publisher that affects the integrity of the version of record, the reputation of the authors, or the reputation of the journal, is termed as Erratum.
An erratum is a notice of correction that is issued for a specific error or errors discovered in a published article. It is a means of acknowledging and rectifying mistakes made by the authors, editors, or the publishing process. Errata are typically minor corrections that do not significantly impact the overall findings or conclusions of the paper. The corrected article is not removed from the online journal, but notice of erratum is given. The Erratum is made freely available to all readers and is linked to the corrected article. It includes
- Improper Citations
- Grammatical Errors
- Corrections in the spelling of Existing Authors Name & email address.
Republication:
Republication involves the issuance of an entirely new version of an article as Version 2 (to be mentioned in republished paper), often referred to as a new "edition" or "version." This process is reserved for more significant corrections that go beyond minor errors. Republication may be necessary when the integrity of the research is compromised, and the errors substantially impact the understanding or validity of the article. It involves a comprehensive review, correction, and re-evaluation of the entire manuscript. A clear editorial note is provided with the republished version, explaining the reason for the republication and the corrections made.
Key points about republication:
- Republication involves a more extensive correction of the entire article, addressing substantial errors or issues.
- Corrections in a republication are often major and may include changes to methods, results, or interpretations that significantly impact the overall content.
- The republished version is typically treated as a new publication with its own DOI, publication date, and version number.
Addendum
An addendum is a notification of the addition of information to an article. Addenda are published when the editors decide that the addendum is crucial to the reader’s understanding of a significant part of the published contribution. Addenda include Editorial Expression of Concern, which is an editorial statement alerting our readership to serious concerns with the published paper. Editorial Expression of Concern is typically updated with another amendment once further information is available.
Addenda do not contradict the original publication, but if the author inadvertently omitted significant information available at the time, this material can be published as an addendum. Addenda may be peer-reviewed, according to journal policy, and are normally subject to oversight by the editors of the journal. Addenda relating to the article content are published only rarely and only when the journal editors decide that an addendum is crucial to the reader’s understanding of a significant part of the published article. All addenda are linked to the original article to which they relate.
Retraction
A Retraction is a notice that the paper should not be regarded as part of the scientific literature. Retractions are issued if there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, this can be as a result of misconduct or honest error. Retraction takes place if:
- The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper referencing, permission or justification.
- If the work is plagiarized
- If the work reports unethical research.
- Honest Errors
- Withdrwal request from author
To protect the integrity of the record, the retracted article is not removed from the online journal, but notice of retraction is given, also it is made freely available to all readers, and is linked to the retracted article. Retractions can be published by the authors when they have discovered substantial scientific errors; in other cases, the Editors or Publisher may conclude that retraction is appropriate. In all cases, the retraction indicates the reason for the action and who is responsible for the decision. If a retraction is made without the unanimous agreement of the authors, that is also noted.
In rare and extreme cases involving legal infringement, the Publisher may redact or remove an article. Bibliographic information about the article will be retained to ensure the integrity of the scientific record.
Honest errors leading to retraction can include things such as unintentionally using incorrect data, contains some exclusive and private data of a community or an inappropriate or misleading data analysis technique. Another example of an honest error might be unintentional duplicate publication; for example, if an article was accidentally submitted to two different journals by two different co-authors, and this error was only discovered after publication.
Corrigendum
A corrigendum is a notification of a significant error made by the authors of the article. All corrigenda are normally approved by the editors of the journal. Corrigendum or Author Correction. Notification of an important error made by the author(s) that affects the publication record or the scientific integrity of the paper, or the reputation of the authors or the journal.
Handling Misconduct
The publisher will work closely with the editors to take all necessary steps to clarify the issue and correct the offending article in cases of suspected or established scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism. This covers the speedy release of an update, clarification, or, in the worst scenario, the retraction of the problematic piece of work. The publisher and editors must work together to identify and stop the publication of papers that contain research misconduct. Under no circumstances should this misconduct be encouraged or knowingly permitted to occur.
