Corrections, Retractions and Withdrawals

Corrections, Retractions, Withdrawals, and Expressions of Concern Policy of TJEB

1. General Principles

TJEB is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and trustworthiness of the scholarly record. Where errors, ethical concerns, or other serious issues are identified before or after publication, the journal will take appropriate action to correct or safeguard the published record in a transparent and timely manner. Actions may include:

  • corrections;
  • retractions;
  • withdrawals;
  • expressions of concern.

The action taken will depend on the nature, severity, and evidentiary status of the issue.

2. Corrections

Corrections may be issued where errors are identified in a published article that do not invalidate the work as a whole but require amendment to ensure accuracy, transparency, and clarity. Corrections may address both minor and major errors, depending on their nature and impact. Examples may include:

  • typographical or formatting errors;
  • errors in references or metadata;
  • errors in figures, tables, or calculations;
  • errors in author information or affiliations;
  • inaccuracies that affect part of the interpretation but do not invalidate the overall findings.

Corrections will be published in a transparent manner and clearly linked to the original article. TJEB's policy is in line with relevant guidelines from COPE (COPE guidelines on corrections and retractions).

3. Retractions

A retraction may be issued where an article is found to be seriously unreliable or where serious publication misconduct or ethical breach has occurred. Grounds for retraction may include, but are not limited to:

  • fabrication or falsification of data;
  • plagiarism;
  • serious methodological or analytical errors rendering the findings unreliable;
  • duplicate or redundant publication;
  • unethical research or publication practices;
  • undisclosed serious competing interests that compromise the integrity of the publication.

A retracted article will remain part of the scholarly record unless legal or exceptional circumstances require otherwise, but it will be clearly marked as retracted. A retraction notice will be published, linked to the original article, and made freely accessible to readers. TJEB's policy is in line with retraction guidelines from COPE (COPE retraction guidelines).

4. Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued where serious concerns have arisen about an article, but the available evidence is inconclusive or an investigation is still ongoing. This may be appropriate where:

  • an allegation of misconduct is under investigation;
  • there is reason to doubt the reliability or ethical integrity of the article, but the matter has not yet been resolved;
  • the journal is awaiting information from authors, institutions, or other relevant parties.

An expression of concern will be published as a formal notice, linked to the relevant article, and made freely accessible to readers. TJEB's policy is in line with relevant guidelines from COPE (COPE expressions of concern).

5. Article Withdrawal

Withdrawal may apply in limited circumstances, usually before formal publication, or in exceptional cases after publication where removal is legally required or otherwise justified. Withdrawal may be considered where:

  • an article was submitted, posted, or published in error;
  • the article contains serious legal risks, including defamation or unlawful content;
  • the article must be removed due to legal or regulatory requirements;
  • the article should not have entered or remained in the publication process for exceptional reasons.

Where an article is withdrawn, the journal will preserve the integrity of the scholarly record as far as possible by replacing the article with an appropriate public withdrawal notice.

6. Decision-Making Authority

Decisions regarding corrections, retractions, withdrawals, and expressions of concern are made by the Editor-in-Chief (EIC), normally in consultation with the editorial team and, where appropriate, the publisher or relevant institutional bodies. All decisions are made on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the journal's policies and internationally recognised publication ethics principles.

7. Notice Format

All corrections, retractions, withdrawals, and expressions of concern must be communicated through a formal editorial notice. The notice must, where applicable:

  • clearly identify the affected article;
  • state the type of action taken;
  • explain the reason for the action in a clear and factual manner;
  • indicate who is issuing the notice;
  • be linked to the original article;
  • be freely accessible to readers.

8. Versioning and Archive Integrity

TJEB is committed to preserving the integrity and traceability of the scholarly record:

  • corrected articles and related notices must be clearly linked;
  • retracted articles should remain accessible as part of the record unless removal is legally required;
  • withdrawn articles should, where possible, be replaced by a withdrawal notice;
  • all post-publication changes must be clearly documented and traceable.

9. Relationship with Other Journal Policies

This policy should be read together with other relevant TJEB documents, including:

  • Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
  • Peer Review Policy
  • Competing Interests / Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Research Ethics / Ethical Oversight Policy
  • Copyright, Licensing, and Author Rights Policy
  • Archiving and Preservation Policy