The journal follows internationally accepted publication ethics standards and takes guidance from the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Decisions regarding corrections, retractions, and editorial expressions of concern are made by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Editorial Board and, where appropriate, the publisher and relevant institutions.
Corrections
A correction is issued when an error affects the interpretation, citation, metadata, or reliability of part of an article but does not undermine the validity of the work as a whole. The correction notice identifies the article concerned and describes the changes made. The original article remains accessible and is electronically linked to the correction notice.
Retractions
Retraction of an article may be appropriate if the results are unreliable, the work involves serious ethical or legal concerns, plagiarism, or redundant publication that substantially affects the scientific record, the peer-review process has been compromised, or other circumstances prevent the work from being relied upon.
A retraction notice will clearly state the reason for retraction and identify the party initiating the action where appropriate. The notice will distinguish between misconduct and honest error whenever possible, avoid defamatory or inflammatory language, remain permanently accessible, and be linked to the retracted article. Retracted articles will remain part of the scholarly record and will be clearly identified as retracted. They will not be removed without exceptional legal or ethical justification.
Expressions of concern
An Editorial Expression of Concern may be issued when serious concerns have been raised regarding a publication but the available evidence remains inconclusive, an investigation is ongoing or substantially delayed, or a potentially significant risk cannot yet be adequately assessed. The notice will explain the nature of the concern and will remain linked to the article until a final outcome is reached.
Removal and legal requests
Complete removal of published content is an exceptional measure and may be considered only when the material is unlawful, poses a serious and immediate risk to privacy, confidentiality, or public safety, contravenes binding legal requirements, or cannot remain publicly accessible due to other exceptional and compelling legal considerations. Where legally possible, the bibliographic record will be retained.
Minor editorial changes
Minor typographical, grammatical, formatting, or metadata errors that do not affect the interpretation or reliability of the work may be corrected without a formal correction notice, provided that the integrity of the scholarly record is preserved.