The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record. Retraction is considered an important mechanism for correcting the scientific literature when a published article is found to contain serious problems that affect the reliability of its findings, conclusions, or publication integrity.
The journal follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling article retractions.
Grounds for Retraction
A published article may be considered for retraction when there is clear evidence of serious problems, including but not limited to:
- Significant errors in data, analysis, methodology, or interpretation that invalidate the main findings or conclusions.
- Fabrication or falsification of research data.
- Plagiarism or substantial unauthorized use of another person's work.
- Duplicate or redundant publication.
- Serious ethical violations in research involving human participants or other research subjects.
- Manipulation or serious compromise of the peer-review process.
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest that significantly affect the interpretation or credibility of the research.
- Fictitious, manipulated, or inappropriate authorship that compromises the integrity of the publication.
- Serious violations of copyright or publication ethics.
- Other forms of research or publication misconduct that substantially compromise the reliability of the published article.
Retraction may also be considered when the article is found to be seriously unreliable because of an honest error or substantial methodological problem. Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record and protect readers, researchers, and the wider academic community.
Retraction Procedure
Concerns regarding a published article may be raised by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other relevant parties.
When a concern is received, the Editor-in-Chief or authorized editor will conduct an initial assessment. If the concern appears to have sufficient grounds, the journal may initiate a further investigation and request clarification or supporting evidence from the authors and, where appropriate, their affiliated institution.
The authors will normally be given an opportunity to respond to the concerns. However, the journal may proceed with a retraction when there is sufficient evidence that the article is unreliable or seriously violates publication ethics, even if the authors do not agree to the retraction.
The final decision regarding retraction is made by the Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the Editorial Board and other appropriate parties when necessary. Editorial decisions concerning retraction are made independently of commercial, financial, or other external interests.
Retraction Notice
When an article is retracted, the journal will publish a separate Retraction Notice that:
- Clearly identifies the retracted article, including its title, authors, publication information, and DOI.
- Clearly states that the article has been retracted.
- Explains the reason or reasons for the retraction.
- Identifies who issued the retraction.
- Is linked to the original article.
- Is made freely accessible to readers.
- Is published as promptly as reasonably possible after the retraction decision.
The retraction notice will form part of the permanent scholarly record. These practices follow COPE recommendations for transparent and timely retraction notices.
Status of the Retracted Article
A retracted article will normally remain accessible on the journal's website and in the journal archive in order to preserve the scholarly record. The article will be clearly marked as "RETRACTED" in the article's online version and PDF, where technically applicable.
The article's bibliographic metadata and DOI will be retained. Where applicable, the journal will update the article's metadata and notify relevant indexing and DOI services regarding the retraction.
The journal will not normally delete a retracted article from the archive because removing the article completely may obscure the scholarly history and prevent readers from understanding the reason for the retraction. This approach is consistent with established scholarly publishing practice.
Correction Instead of Retraction
Retraction will not be used for minor errors that do not affect the validity or reliability of the article.
If an error is limited in scope and the main findings and conclusions remain reliable, the journal may publish a Correction, Erratum, or Corrigendum, as appropriate.
Expression of Concern
If there is a serious concern regarding the reliability or integrity of a published article but the available evidence is not yet sufficient to support a retraction, the journal may publish an Expression of Concern while further investigation is undertaken.
If subsequent investigation establishes that the article is unreliable, the Expression of Concern may be followed by a formal Retraction Notice. If the concerns are resolved and the article is found to be reliable, the journal may publish an appropriate clarification.
Author-Initiated Retraction
Authors who discover serious errors or ethical problems in their published article may contact the Editor-in-Chief and request retraction.
Such requests will be independently evaluated by the editorial team. Submission of a retraction request by an author does not automatically result in retraction. The final decision remains the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief based on the available evidence and the need to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.
Editorial Independence
The decision to retract an article is based solely on scholarly, ethical, and publication-integrity considerations. Payment of Article Processing Charges, institutional affiliation, author status, citation performance, or other commercial considerations will not influence the decision to retract an article.
The journal is committed to handling retraction cases fairly, transparently, consistently, and in accordance with recognized publication ethics standards.
This Retraction Policy is periodically reviewed by the Editorial Board to ensure alignment with developments in scholarly publishing and the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).