Correction and Retraction Policy

General Principles

After the publication of an article, a correction or retraction may be initiated by:

  • Authors,
  • Members of the editorial board,
  • Peer reviewers,
  • Academic institutions, or
  • Independent experts.

All requests are considered individually by the editorial board in accordance with the journal’s Code of Ethics and the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), in order to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and transparency of the academic record.

  • Who verifies the error: The initial assessment is carried out by the editorial team; if necessary, independent experts may be invited.
  • Who makes the final decision: The final decision is taken by the editorial board

 

Corrections

Post-publication corrections are permitted only to address technical inaccuracies and must not alter the substantive content or conclusions of the research.

Examples of technical inaccuracies include:

  • Correction of numerical data (e.g., typographical error in a figure or percentage),
  • Correction of an author’s name or institutional affiliation,
  • Formatting errors in hyperlinks or bibliographic references.

Process and conditions:

  • Form of publication: A Correction Notice is published, specifying the source of the error (author or editorial office).
  • Method of publication: The notice is published on the journal’s website, linked to the original article, and reflected in the updated PDF version.
  • Timeline: Corrections must be published within 30 days of the error being identified.
  • DOI preservation: All corrections and related notices retain the article’s permanent identifier (DOI).
  • Author notification: Authors are informed by email, official letter, or both.

3. Retractions

Retraction of an article is possible in the following cases:

  • Plagiarism or data falsification;
  • A serious methodological or factual error that affects the reliability of the research;
  • Ethical violation (e.g., incorrect indication of authorship, undisclosed conflict of interest, violation of legal rights, etc.);
  • Duplicate or repeated publication without proper reference;
  • Use of false data, fictitious authors, or incorrect institutional affiliation;
  • Mandatory court decision.

4. Cancellation procedure and publicity

Decision-making: After thorough

consideration, the final decision is taken by the editorial board.

Author notification: Authors are immediately informed of the decision with a detailed explanation (by email, official letter, or both).

Method of publication: The retracted article remains in the journal’s database with a permanent DOI but will be clearly marked as retracted. An official Retraction Notice will be attached to the PDF version.

Public disclosure: Retraction notices are published with open access on the journal’s website and, if necessary, disseminated on additional platforms.

Responsibility: The editorial board evaluates the responsibility of the authors and, if necessary, takes additional measures in accordance with the journal’s Code of Ethics. 5. Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern is published when:

There is credible information about possible violations, but the investigation is still ongoing;

The evidence is not sufficient for immediate retraction.

The Expression of Concern is published openly on the journal’s website, linked to the original article, and remains in place until the investigation is completed. Depending on the final outcome, it may subsequently be replaced with a correction or a retraction.

 

Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern is published when:

There is credible information about possible violations, but the investigation is still ongoing;

The evidence is not sufficient for immediate retraction.

The Expression of Concern is published openly on the journal’s website, linked to the original article, and remains in place until the investigation is completed. Depending on the final outcome, it may subsequently be replaced with a correction or a retraction.

Transparency and Standards

 

All corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern will be published with open access for readers.

All changes will retain a permanent DOI and will be linked to the original article.

Changes will be reflected in indexing databases (Crossref, Scopus, etc.) and public archives.

The policy complies with the COPE guidelines and international best editorial practices.