Correction And Retraction Policy

Justicia Journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the scholarly record. When errors, ethical concerns, or research misconduct are identified in a published article, the journal will take appropriate and transparent corrective action.

This policy governs corrections, corrigenda, errata, expressions of concern, retractions, and article withdrawal. It follows the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The purpose of corrective action is not to punish authors, but to preserve trust in the published literature and ensure that readers can rely on the scholarly record.

1. Scope

This policy applies to all articles published in Justicia Journal, including articles published in electronic and printed formats.

Corrective action may be initiated by the authors, readers, peer reviewers, editors, editorial board members, institutions, funders, or other concerned parties.

2. Types of Post-Publication Action

Justicia Journal may issue the following types of post-publication action:

Correction

A correction is issued when a published article contains an error that affects the accuracy of the scholarly record but does not invalidate the overall findings, arguments, or conclusions of the article.

Examples include errors in author names, affiliations, titles, abstracts, keywords, figures, tables, references, units, calculations, or minor textual inaccuracies.

Corrigendum

A corrigendum is issued when the original authors identify and request correction of an error in their own published article.

The corrigendum must clearly describe the error and the change made to the article.

Erratum

An erratum is issued when an error arises from the editorial, production, typesetting, or publishing process rather than from the authors’ original manuscript.

The erratum must identify the nature of the error and its correction.

Expression of Concern

An expression of concern is issued where there are serious unresolved concerns regarding the integrity or reliability of a published article.

An expression of concern may be issued where:

There is inconclusive evidence of research or publication misconduct.
There is evidence that the findings may be unreliable, but the investigation has not yet been completed.
The authors’ institution is unwilling or unable to conduct a fair and impartial investigation.
An investigation is ongoing and a final decision is not expected in the near future.

An expression of concern will be linked to the original article and will state the reasons for the concern. It may later be replaced by a retraction notice, a correction, or a statement confirming the integrity of the article, depending on the outcome of the investigation.

Retraction

A retraction is issued when the findings, data, or conclusions of a published article cannot be relied upon due to major error, misconduct, or serious ethical violation.

Retraction is a mechanism for correcting the scholarly literature and alerting readers to articles whose findings and conclusions should not be relied upon.

Withdrawal

Withdrawal may be considered where an article is removed before formal publication due to legal, ethical, privacy, or safety concerns.

Withdrawal is exceptional and will be handled carefully to preserve the transparency and traceability of the scholarly record.

3. Grounds for Correction

A correction may be issued where a published article contains:

A factual, typographical, or grammatical error that affects the accuracy of the article.
An error in the title, abstract, keywords, author name, affiliation, or corresponding author details.
An error in a table, figure, graph, image, or supplementary material.
An error in a citation, reference, DOI, or bibliographic detail.
A minor methodological or analytical error that does not invalidate the main findings.
An error in the interpretation or presentation of data that does not affect the overall conclusions.

If the error is minor and does not affect the reliability of the article, the Editorial Board may determine that a correction is more appropriate than a retraction.

4. Grounds for Retraction

Justicia Journal may retract a published article where there is clear evidence that:

The findings are unreliable due to major error, fabrication, or falsification.
The article contains substantial plagiarism or unattributed use of another work.
The article has been published elsewhere without proper attribution, permission, or disclosure.
The article contains unauthorized material or infringes copyright.
The authorship is inaccurate due to unethical authorship practices.
The peer-review process has been compromised.
The article reports unethical research or violates applicable legal, ethical, or regulatory requirements.
The authors fail to disclose a major conflict of interest that materially affects the integrity of the work.
The article has been used to support misleading, unlawful, or harmful claims.

5. Requesting a Correction or Retraction

A request for correction or retraction may be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief through the official editorial contact of Justicia Journal.

The request should include:

The full title of the article.
The DOI, volume, issue, and publication year.
A clear and specific description of the error or concern.
The location of the error, such as page, paragraph, line, table, figure, or reference.
Supporting evidence, documents, data, or references.
The name, affiliation, and contact details of the requester, unless the concern is submitted confidentially.

The Editorial Board may request additional information or clarification from the requester, authors, reviewers, or relevant institutions.

6. Editorial Assessment and Investigation

Upon receiving a correction or retraction request, the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor will conduct an initial assessment.

The assessment will consider:

The nature, significance, and verifiability of the alleged error or concern.
The impact on the validity, reliability, and conclusions of the article.
The evidence provided by the requester and the response of the authors.
The need for further investigation or expert consultation.

The corresponding author will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the concern and provide clarification or supporting documents.

Where necessary, the Editorial Board may consult peer reviewers, independent experts, the authors’ institution, the funder, or other relevant bodies.

7. Decision-Making Process

The Editorial Board will make a decision based on the available evidence, the nature of the issue, and the potential impact on the scholarly record.

The Editorial Board may decide to:

Take no further action if the concern is not substantiated.
Request clarification or revision from the authors.
Issue a correction, corrigendum, or erratum.
Issue an expression of concern.
Retract the article.
Refer serious cases to the authors’ institution, funder, or other relevant bodies.

The final editorial decision will be communicated to the corresponding author in writing.

8. Correction Notice

A correction notice will be published promptly and linked to the original article.

The correction notice will include:

The title and citation details of the original article.
A clear description of the error or change.
The corrected information, where applicable.
The date of the correction.
The party responsible for issuing the correction.

The original article will remain accessible and will be linked to the correction notice. The article may be updated or annotated to indicate that a correction has been issued.

9. Retraction Notice

A retraction notice will be published promptly and freely accessible to readers.

The retraction notice will include:

The title, authors, and citation details of the retracted article.
A clear statement that the article has been retracted.
The reason and basis for the retraction.
The party issuing the retraction, such as the authors, Editorial Board, or publisher.
The date of the retraction.
A link to the original article.

The original article will remain accessible but will be clearly marked as retracted. The retraction notice will be permanently linked to the article to preserve the transparency and traceability of the scholarly record.

10. Retraction by Authors

Authors may request retraction of their own article where they identify a serious error, ethical concern, or issue that affects the reliability of the work.

All co-authors must agree to the retraction request, unless there is a valid reason why such agreement cannot be obtained.

The Editorial Board will assess the request and determine whether retraction, correction, or another form of post-publication action is appropriate.

11. Appeals

Authors may submit a written appeal if they disagree with a correction or retraction decision.

Appeals must include the article details, a clear explanation of the grounds for appeal, and supporting evidence.

The Editorial Board will review the appeal objectively and may seek independent expert advice where necessary. The final editorial decision will be communicated in writing to the corresponding author.

12. Policy Review

This Correction and Retraction Policy will be reviewed periodically by the Editorial Board of Justicia Journal to ensure alignment with developments in publication ethics, scholarly communication, and COPE guidance.