Corrections, Retractions & Withdrawals

ASSRJ is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. When a published article requires change, the journal acts transparently and follows COPE guidelines. All post-publication notices are linked permanently to the original article, and the original article is not removed except in rare legal circumstances.

Correction

A Correction notice is issued when a portion of an otherwise reliable article contains an error — for example in data, an author name, an affiliation or a figure — that affects the record or its interpretation. Minor typographical errors that do not affect meaning may be corrected without a formal notice.

Expression of Concern

The Editor-in-Chief may publish an Expression of Concern where there is well-founded concern about the integrity or reliability of an article and an investigation is ongoing or inconclusive. It alerts readers while the matter is resolved.

Retraction

An article is retracted where there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable — whether through misconduct (for example data fabrication or falsification) or honest error — or where the work constitutes plagiarism, reports unethical research, has been published elsewhere without disclosure, or involves undisclosed conflicts that undermine the conclusions. Retractions follow COPE flowcharts. The retracted article remains available, clearly labelled as retracted, with a linked retraction notice stating the reason.

Withdrawal (before publication)

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before publication. A request must be sent in writing to the Editorial Office by the corresponding author on behalf of all authors. Manuscripts that have completed peer review and been accepted should be withdrawn only for compelling reasons, and the journal discourages withdrawal after acceptance solely to submit elsewhere.

Removal (exceptional)

In rare cases — for example where an article is defamatory, infringes legal rights or poses a serious risk — the article content may be removed while metadata and a notice are retained, to preserve the record of its existence.

How to raise a concern

Readers who identify an error or integrity concern should contact the Editorial Office at assrj@scholarpublishing.org; see also Complaints & Appeals.