Article Retention Policy

Retraction Policy

The integrity of the scholarly record is of paramount importance. Articles may be retracted when serious issues are identified that compromise the validity, reliability, or ethical standing of the research.

Grounds for Retraction

Retraction may occur in the following circumstances:

·         Author-initiated corrections of inadvertent errors (e.g., data misinterpretation, methodological flaws, or use of faulty equipment).

·         Research misconduct, including data fabrication, falsification, or image manipulation.

·         Duplicate or overlapping publication in violation of publishing ethics.

·         Plagiarism or misappropriation of intellectual property.

·         Unethical research practices, including breaches of research ethics approval.

Retraction Notices

·         A formal retraction notice will be published and linked to the original article.

·         The notice will clearly state the reason(s) for retraction and identify the party responsible for initiating the process (author, editor, publisher, or institution).

·         The original article will remain accessible online but will be prominently labeled as “Retracted”, including in the PDF version.

Removal of Articles

Content removal is rare and will only occur under legal or ethical obligations, such as:

·         Defamation or infringement of legal rights.

·         Court orders or enforceable regulations.

·         Proven risks to public health or safety.

In such cases, bibliographic information and a statement explaining the reason for removal will remain permanently available to maintain transparency in the scholarly record.

Corrections and Partial Retractions

Where feasible, erroneous but non-fraudulent articles may be corrected rather than fully retracted. In instances where a corrected version replaces an unsafe or misleading version, the reason for removal and republication will be explicitly documented.