Article Withdrawal & Correction

Our Journal is committed to maintaining the integrity and permanence of the scholarly record. This policy explains how manuscripts may be withdrawn before publication, and how errors or concerns in published articles are addressed through corrections, retractions and in rare cases, removal. Our approach follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Withdrawal before Publication

An author may request to withdraw a manuscript before it is published. Requests should be made in writing to the editorial office, stating the manuscript title, Manuscript ID, and the reason for withdrawal.

• A manuscript may be withdrawn at any stage before publication, though authors are asked to decide as early as possible, out of respect for the time of editors and reviewers.
• Submitting a manuscript elsewhere while it is still under consideration by our Journal without first withdrawing it, is strictly prohibited.
• Where an article has already been accepted and the processing charge paid, any refund is governed by our Refund Policy.
• Once withdrawal is confirmed by the editors, the author is free to submit the work elsewhere.

2. After Publication: Correcting the Record

Once an article is published, the record is maintained through one of the following formal actions, depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue. Each is published as a separate, linked and citable notice, and the original article is retained.

Corrections (Errata and Corrigenda)

A correction is issued when a published article contains an error that affects the record but does not undermine its overall findings or reliability.

• An erratum: addresses an error introduced by the publisher during production.
• A corrigendum: addresses an error made by the author(s).

The correction notice describes the change clearly and is linked to the original article. The article is corrected or annotated so that readers can see what was changed and why.

Retractions

A retraction is issued when the findings or conclusions of a published article are seriously flawed or unreliable, such that the article should no longer be relied upon. Grounds for retraction include:

• Clear evidence that findings are unreliable due to major error or misconduct (for example, fabrication or falsification of data).
• Plagiarism or substantial overlap with other published work.
• Fabricated, misused or seriously misattributed citations that undermine the work.
• Redundant or duplicate publication.
• Serious ethical breaches, such as research conducted without required ethical approvals.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest that materially affect the work.

A retracted article is not deleted. It remains available but is clearly marked as retracted, and a retraction notice explaining the reason is published and linked to it. This preserves transparency while alerting readers that the work should not be relied upon.

Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be published when there are well-founded concerns about an article but an investigation is ongoing or inconclusive. It alerts readers to the concern while the matter is examined, and may later be followed by a correction, a retraction, or a notice that the concern has been resolved.

3. Article Removal (Rare and Exceptional)

In rare circumstances, an article may be removed entirely, the only situation in which the published record is deleted. This is limited to cases where the article’s continued availability poses a serious risk, for example:

• It is defamatory or infringes legal rights.
• It is subject to a valid court order.
• It could pose a serious risk if acted upon.

Where an article is removed, a notice is retained in its place stating that the article has been removed and the reason, so far as this can lawfully be disclosed. Metadata (title and authors) is retained where possible.

4. How Concerns Are Raised and Handled

• Anyone—an author, reader, reviewer or editor—may raise a concern about a published article by contacting the editorial office with specific details.
• The editors assess the concern and, where warranted, investigate in accordance with COPE guidance, giving the authors an opportunity to respond.
• The outcome: correction, retraction, expression of concern, removal or no action, is decided by the editors and communicated transparently.
• All notices are made freely available, linked to the original article, and assigned the appropriate metadata so that they are discoverable alongside it.

5. Author Obligations

Authors are expected to notify the editorial office promptly if they discover a significant error or concern in their own published work, so that it can be corrected. Prompt, good-faith cooperation in correcting the record is part of responsible authorship.