Corrections & Retractions

When an error is identified in a published article that does not undermine its overall conclusions — an incorrect affiliation, a miscalculated but non-material value, a citation error — the journal publishes a linked correction notice. The original article remains available; the correction is never made by silently editing the published version.

When a serious concern is raised about a published article and the investigation needed to resolve it will take time, the journal may publish an expression of concern on the article page while that investigation proceeds, rather than leaving readers with no indication that a question has been raised.

An article may be retracted when, for example:

• Its findings are unreliable because of research misconduct or honest error.
• It contains plagiarized content or was published without proper attribution.
• It was submitted or published in violation of the journal’s ethics policies.
• It reports unethical research.

A retracted article is not removed from the site. It remains accessible, clearly marked as retracted, with a linked retraction notice explaining the reason. This is a structural rule of the platform, not a case-by-case choice — a retracted or corrected article is never displayed as if nothing had happened.

Concerns are investigated by the editors, with the corresponding author given an opportunity to respond before a final decision. Where the concern involves a specific individual’s conduct, that investigation follows the confidentiality expectations described in Complaints & Appeals.