Corrections, Retractions, and Article Withdrawal Policy

 

 

Corrections, Retractions, and Article Withdrawal Policy

 

The Journal of Administration and Economics (JAE) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, reliability, and transparency of the scholarly record. The Journal therefore takes appropriate action whenever errors, omissions, or concerns relating to research or publication integrity are identified before or after publication.

This policy is guided by the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), particularly those concerning corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, and the investigation of research and publication misconduct.

The policy applies to all research articles, reviews, scholarly contributions, and other materials submitted to, accepted by, or formally published in the Journal.

  1. General Principles
  2. Preserving the accuracy and integrity of the published scholarly record.
  3. Avoiding substantive alterations to published articles without transparent and permanent documentation.
  4. Distinguishing between errors that can be adequately addressed through correction and serious errors or misconduct that warrant retraction.
  5. Ensuring fairness and impartiality and, where appropriate, providing the parties concerned with a reasonable opportunity to respond before a final decision is reached.
  6. Making decisions concerning corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern according to the nature and impact of the issue on the reliability of the publication, rather than as a means of punishing authors.
  7. Ensuring that any change to the published record is transparent, permanent, and traceable.
  8. Updating article metadata and, where appropriate and technically possible, communicating relevant changes to DOI registration agencies, abstracting and indexing services, and other relevant databases.
  9. Corrections

A correction may be issued when an error or omission is identified in a published article and the error requires formal correction but does not invalidate the article's principal findings or conclusions.

2.1 Author Errors – Corrigendum

If an author identifies an error after publication involving data, calculations, tables, figures, text, or other information, and the error warrants correction but does not invalidate the principal findings and conclusions of the article, the corresponding author should notify the Editorial Office as soon as possible.

The Editorial Board will assess the nature and significance of the error and may seek additional expert or peer review where necessary.

Where a correction is considered appropriate, the Journal will publish a Corrigendum clearly identifying the error and providing the corrected information. The Corrigendum will be permanently linked to the original article.

2.2 Journal or Publisher Errors – Erratum

Where an error has been introduced during editorial processing, typesetting, production, or publication, the Journal may issue an Erratum. Such errors may include, but are not limited to:

  • errors in author names or institutional affiliations;
  • production or typesetting errors that materially affect interpretation;
  • omitted text, figures, or tables;
  • technical errors introduced during publication.

The Erratum will clearly describe the error and the correction made.

2.3 Requirements for Corrections

  • be clearly and permanently accessible;
  • be explicitly identified as corrections;
  • identify the original article, including its title, authors, and DOI where available;
  • be electronically linked to the original article, with reciprocal linking from the original article to the correction;
  • clearly state what has been corrected and why.

The Journal does not permit silent changes to the scholarly content of published articles. Where updating the published PDF or online article is necessary, the presence of a formal correction must be clearly indicated and the publication history must remain traceable.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect the meaning, interpretation, or scholarly record may not require a formal correction, at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

  1. Retractions

Retraction is a mechanism for correcting the scholarly record and alerting readers that the findings or content of a publication can no longer be considered reliable in whole or in substantial part. Retraction is not intended as a punitive measure against authors.

The Journal may retract a published article where reliable evidence demonstrates one or more of the following:

  1. The findings are seriously unreliable as a result of a major honest error, such as a substantial error in data, calculation, or analysis.
  2. Data, results, images, or other research material have been fabricated, falsified, or manipulated.
  3. The article constitutes plagiarism or contains substantial unattributed overlap with previously published work.
  4. The findings or substantial parts of the article have previously been published elsewhere without appropriate disclosure, justification, attribution, or permission.
  5. The article contains material, data, images, or other content that the authors were not authorised to use or publish.
  6. Copyright, privacy, confidentiality, or other significant legal rights have been infringed.
  7. The research was conducted or reported in violation of fundamental research ethics requirements, including the absence of required ethical approval or informed consent.
  8. There is evidence of compromised, fabricated, or manipulated peer review or substantial interference with the integrity of the editorial process.
  9. There is serious manipulation or misrepresentation of authorship, author identity, or author contributions.
  10. A major competing interest or conflict of interest was not disclosed and, in the Editor’s judgment, could have materially affected the interpretation, evaluation, peer review, or editorial decision concerning the article.
  11. Any other serious breach of research or publication ethics causes the Editor to lose confidence in the reliability or integrity of the article.

3.1 Retraction Procedure

  1. The Journal will publish a separate Retraction Notice.
  2. The notice should carry a clear title such as: Retraction: [Article Title].
  3. The Retraction Notice will objectively and accurately identify the retracted article, state the reason or reasons for retraction, identify who is retracting the article, and provide sufficient information for readers to understand the basis for the decision.
  4. The Retraction Notice will be freely accessible to readers wherever possible.
  5. The Retraction Notice and the original article will be electronically and reciprocally linked.
  6. The original article will normally remain part of the Journal’s electronic scholarly record unless exceptional legal or ethical grounds require removal.
  7. The published article will be prominently and permanently marked RETRACTED, preferably on every page of the PDF.
  8. The article landing page and metadata will be updated to clearly indicate its retracted status.
  9. Where technically possible, the Journal will communicate the retraction status to the relevant DOI registration service, abstracting and indexing services, and other appropriate databases.
  10. The Retraction Notice will remain a permanent part of the scholarly record.

The Editor-in-Chief may retract an article even where some or all of the authors disagree, provided that sufficient evidence exists to justify the retraction.

Where an error affects only a limited part of an article and the principal findings remain reliable, a correction should ordinarily be preferred to full retraction.

  1. Article Withdrawals Before Final Publication

Article withdrawal at this stage refers to the discontinuation of publication proceedings for a manuscript that has been submitted to or accepted by the Journal but has not yet become part of the final published scholarly record.

4.1 Author-Initiated Withdrawal

  1. A formal request is submitted to the Editor-in-Chief or Editorial Office.
  2. The reasons for withdrawal are clearly stated.
  3. All authors agree to the withdrawal, wherever reasonably possible, and such agreement is documented.
  4. Withdrawal is not used as a means of avoiding an ongoing investigation into a suspected breach of publication ethics.

4.2 Editorial Withdrawal

The Journal reserves the right to discontinue the publication process or withdraw a manuscript before final publication where there is evidence of:

  • simultaneous submission to another journal;
  • plagiarism or duplicate publication;
  • fabricated or falsified data;
  • serious authorship irregularities;
  • substantial ethical violations;
  • manipulation of peer review or the editorial process;
  • any other serious violation of the Journal’s policies.

Where an article has already been formally published online and has entered the scholarly record, including where a formal DOI and publication record have been established, the appropriate action will be determined under the Journal’s correction or retraction procedures rather than treated simply as a pre-publication withdrawal.

  1. Editorial Expression of Concern

The Editor-in-Chief may issue an Editorial Expression of Concern when serious questions have been raised about the integrity or reliability of a published article but the available evidence is not yet sufficient to justify a correction or retraction.

  1. There is inconclusive evidence suggesting that part or all of the publication may be unreliable.
  2. Serious allegations of research or publication misconduct remain under investigation.
  3. A fair or conclusive investigation cannot be completed within a reasonable period.
  4. The Journal is awaiting the outcome of a formal investigation by an author’s institution, research organisation, or other competent authority.

The Expression of Concern will be electronically linked to the original article and will describe the nature of the concerns without presenting unsubstantiated allegations as established facts.

Once the matter has been resolved, the Journal may:

  • take no further action where the integrity of the article has been confirmed;
  • issue a correction;
  • publish an editorial note;
  • retract the article.

The publication history, including the Expression of Concern and the final outcome, will remain traceable in order to preserve transparency in the scholarly record.

  1. Article Removal

Article removal is distinct from retraction. The Journal will remove the full text of a published article only in exceptional circumstances, such as where:

  1. Removal is required by a court order or other binding legal obligation.
  2. The article contains information that seriously violates an individual’s privacy or confidentiality.
  3. The article contains material that constitutes a serious legal infringement that cannot adequately be addressed through retraction.
  4. Continued availability of the content presents an immediate and substantial risk of serious harm.

In such exceptional circumstances, the Journal will, wherever possible, retain the basic bibliographic metadata of the article, including its title, authors, and DOI, and replace the full text with a notice stating that the article has been removed and explaining the reason to the extent permitted by applicable legal and ethical requirements.

  1. Investigation and Decision-Making
  2. The Editorial Board will conduct an initial assessment of the available information and evidence.
  3. The author or authors concerned will normally be provided with a reasonable opportunity to respond, where appropriate.
  4. The Journal may request original data, documentation, ethical approvals, or other supporting evidence.
  5. Independent reviewers or subject specialists may be consulted when necessary.
  6. The Journal may contact the author’s institution or an appropriate research integrity body where the matter requires institutional investigation.
  7. Allegations and correspondence will be handled with appropriate confidentiality during the investigation, while maintaining transparency in the final published outcome.
  8. The final editorial decision concerning a correction, retraction, Expression of Concern, or other appropriate action rests with the Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the Editorial Board or the Journal’s publication ethics committee where appropriate.
  9. All decisions will be evidence-based, and published notices will use objective, factual, and non-inflammatory language.
  10. Preservation of the Scholarly Record and Metadata

The Journal is committed to preserving the permanence, transparency, and traceability of the scholarly record. Accordingly, notices of correction, retraction, Expression of Concern, or removal:

  • constitute formal publications associated with the article concerned;
  • remain part of the Journal’s permanent archive;
  • are clearly linked to the original article;
  • include a DOI or complete bibliographic information wherever available;
  • are reflected in relevant metadata and indexing systems wherever technically possible.

The Journal will not delete or replace published articles without an appropriate public record, except in the exceptional circumstances specifically described in this policy.

  1. Ethical Framework

This policy is guided by internationally recognised principles of research integrity and publication ethics, particularly the recommendations and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) concerning corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, and the management of research and publication misconduct.

The Journal of Administration and Economics (JAE) reserves the right to periodically review and update this policy in response to developments in international standards and best practices in scholarly publishing, while preserving the fundamental principles of transparency, fairness, accountability, and integrity of the scholarly record.