Corrections & Retractions

4. Corrections, Retractions & Post-Publication Matters

UFCP supports the maintenance of an accurate, transparent, and trustworthy scholarly record. Concerns relating to published content will be assessed according to the nature of the issue, available evidence, applicable publication policies, and recognized publication-ethics principles.

4.1 Corrections

A correction may be issued where an error affects the accuracy, clarity, metadata, author information, data presentation, or interpretation of a published work but does not invalidate the work as a whole. Minor technical or metadata errors may be corrected directly where appropriate and where the integrity of the scholarly record is not affected.

4.2 Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be considered where serious questions have arisen regarding a publication but sufficient evidence is not yet available to reach a final conclusion.

4.3 Retraction

Retraction may be considered where reliable evidence demonstrates that a publication is seriously compromised by issues such as:

  • fabrication or falsification;

  • plagiarism;

  • serious methodological or reporting problems invalidating the findings;

  • unauthorized duplicate publication;

  • unethical research;

  • manipulated peer review;

  • serious authorship or legal concerns; or

  • other substantial breaches of publication integrity.

4.4 Scholarly Record

Where a publication is retracted, the scholarly record should ordinarily be preserved with its retracted status clearly identified and an appropriate notice explaining the basis for the action.

Content will not normally be removed entirely unless compelling legal, privacy, safety, or other exceptional circumstances require removal.