Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern Policy

The International Journal of Mathematics and Sciences Education (IJMSEd) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record.

When significant errors, ethical concerns, or questions regarding the reliability of published content are identified, IJMSEd will take appropriate post-publication action. Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, this may include a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or, in exceptional circumstances, removal of an article.

Post-publication actions are intended to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record rather than to punish authors.

1. General Principles

IJMSEd will consider post-publication action when information becomes available indicating that a published article may contain significant errors, unreliable findings, ethical violations, or other problems affecting the accuracy or integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal will seek to ensure that:

  • concerns are assessed objectively;

  • authors are given an opportunity to respond where appropriate;

  • relevant evidence is considered before action is taken;

  • conflicts of interest are appropriately managed;

  • editorial actions are proportionate to the nature of the problem; and

  • the scholarly record remains transparent.

Minor disagreements concerning interpretation or scholarly opinion do not normally justify correction or retraction.

2. Corrections

A correction may be issued when an error or omission affects the accuracy, interpretation, attribution, or understanding of an article but does not invalidate the article's principal findings or conclusions.

Examples may include:

  • incorrect author information;

  • errors in affiliations;

  • incorrect numerical values;

  • errors in tables or figures;

  • mislabeled data;

  • incorrect methodological descriptions;

  • errors in references;

  • omitted acknowledgments or funding information;

  • errors affecting interpretation without invalidating the study; or

  • other significant mistakes requiring clarification.

3. Minor Errors

Minor typographical, grammatical, formatting, or stylistic errors that do not affect the scientific meaning, interpretation, indexing, attribution, or integrity of an article do not normally require a formal correction notice.

Where appropriate and technically possible, such minor errors may be corrected without issuing a separate formal notice.

Substantive changes to the scholarly content must not be made silently.

4. Correction Notices

When a formal correction is required, IJMSEd will publish a correction notice that:

  • clearly identifies the affected article;

  • describes the error;

  • explains the correction;

  • is linked to the original article; and

  • forms part of the permanent scholarly record.

Where technically appropriate, the original article may also contain a notice or link informing readers that a correction has been published.

5. Retractions

Retraction may be considered when there is clear evidence that the findings or integrity of a published article are seriously compromised.

Grounds for retraction may include:

  • major errors that invalidate the findings or conclusions;

  • fabrication of data;

  • falsification of data or results;

  • substantial plagiarism;

  • serious image or data manipulation;

  • duplicate or redundant publication without appropriate disclosure;

  • unethical research;

  • serious authorship misconduct;

  • fraudulent peer-review manipulation;

  • serious copyright infringement;

  • publication without required authorization or consent;

  • unreliable findings resulting from misconduct or major error; or

  • other serious breaches of publication ethics that substantially undermine the integrity of the article.

Retraction may result from research misconduct or from honest error. Where reasonably possible, the retraction notice should distinguish between these circumstances.

6. Retraction Process

When a potential basis for retraction is identified, the journal will conduct an initial assessment.

Depending on the circumstances, IJMSEd may:

  1. review the published article and relevant editorial records;

  2. contact the corresponding author and, where appropriate, other authors;

  3. request relevant data, documentation, or clarification;

  4. consult editorial board members or independent experts;

  5. contact the authors' institution, ethics committee, or other competent authority where formal investigation is required; and

  6. consider all reasonably available evidence before making a final editorial decision.

The journal may take interim action while an investigation is ongoing if necessary to protect readers or the scholarly record.

7. Retraction Notices

A retraction notice should:

  • be clearly identified as a Retraction;

  • identify and link to the retracted article;

  • state the reason for the retraction;

  • indicate who initiated the retraction where appropriate;

  • distinguish between error and misconduct when sufficient evidence is available;

  • avoid defamatory or unsupported statements; and

  • remain freely accessible.

The notice should provide sufficient information for readers to understand why the article should no longer be relied upon.

8. Treatment of Retracted Articles

Retracted articles will normally remain accessible as part of the scholarly record rather than being deleted.

The article should be clearly identified as retracted. Where technically possible, a watermark, label, banner, or equivalent notice stating “RETRACTED” should be applied to the article and/or its PDF.

The article page should be linked to the retraction notice so that readers can readily understand its status.

The DOI and bibliographic record should normally remain active to preserve the publication history and scholarly record.

9. Expressions of Concern

IJMSEd may publish an Expression of Concern when serious questions have been raised regarding an article but the available evidence is not yet sufficient to justify a correction or retraction.

An Expression of Concern may be appropriate when:

  • evidence regarding potential misconduct is inconclusive;

  • an institutional investigation is underway;

  • the journal has been unable to obtain sufficient information;

  • there are significant concerns regarding the reliability of the article;

  • an investigation is likely to take a substantial period of time; or

  • immediate notification to readers is warranted while the matter remains unresolved.

10. Expression of Concern Notices

An Expression of Concern should:

  • identify the article concerned;

  • describe the nature of the concern to the extent appropriate;

  • avoid presenting unresolved allegations as established facts;

  • be linked to the original article; and

  • remain part of the scholarly record.

Once the matter has been resolved, the journal may issue a correction, retraction, explanatory notice, or other appropriate update.

11. Article Removal

Removal of a published article is an exceptional measure and will not be used merely because an article has been retracted.

Removal may be considered only when continued public availability creates a serious problem that cannot reasonably be addressed through correction, retraction, or an expression of concern.

Examples may include:

  • a binding legal requirement;

  • serious violation of privacy or confidentiality;

  • publication of information that creates a significant risk of harm;

  • content subject to a valid legal restriction; or

  • other exceptional circumstances requiring removal.

Where an article is removed, IJMSEd will normally retain a bibliographic landing page explaining that the content has been removed and, where legally permissible, the general reason for removal.

12. Replacement of Articles

In exceptional cases where an article contains seriously problematic material but a corrected version can appropriately replace it, IJMSEd may consider retraction and republication or another transparent form of replacement.

Any replacement must clearly document the publication history and must not conceal the existence of the original problem.

13. Author-Initiated Retraction Requests

Authors may request retraction of their own article when they identify a serious error or ethical problem that substantially undermines the reliability or integrity of the publication.

An author request does not automatically result in retraction. The editorial team will assess the circumstances and determine the appropriate action.

Retraction should not be used simply to withdraw valid findings, avoid scholarly criticism, or remove an article from the publication record for personal convenience.

14. Authorship Corrections

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after publication will be assessed carefully.

The journal may require:

  • an explanation of the requested change;

  • written agreement from all affected authors; and

  • additional documentation where necessary.

Where an authorship dispute cannot be resolved by the parties involved, IJMSEd may refer the matter to the relevant institution rather than attempting to determine disputed contributions independently.

Approved authorship changes should be documented transparently through an appropriate correction notice.

15. Post-Publication Concerns Raised by Readers

Readers, researchers, institutions, and other stakeholders may notify IJMSEd of concerns regarding published articles.

Concerns should provide sufficient information and evidence to allow an initial assessment.

The journal will evaluate substantive concerns regardless of whether they are raised by an author, reviewer, reader, institution, or other credible source.

Anonymous allegations may be considered when they provide specific and credible evidence that can reasonably be evaluated.

16. Institutional Investigations

IJMSEd recognizes that journals are responsible for protecting the integrity of the scholarly record but are not normally responsible for conducting formal investigations into researcher employment or institutional misconduct.

Where formal investigation is necessary, IJMSEd may refer the matter to the relevant university, research institution, ethics committee, funding agency, or other competent authority.

The journal may take appropriate editorial action based on the available evidence and the findings of a competent investigation.

17. Confidentiality and Fair Process

Investigations will be handled confidentially to the extent reasonably possible.

Individuals against whom concerns are raised should normally be given an appropriate opportunity to respond before a final adverse editorial action is taken, except where immediate action is required for legal, ethical, or safety reasons.

The journal will avoid making unsupported allegations or unnecessarily disclosing confidential information.

18. Conflicts of Interest

Editors involved in decisions concerning corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern must disclose relevant conflicts of interest.

An editor with a significant conflict should not make the final decision.

Where the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, responsibility for the matter should be assigned to another independent editor or an appropriate representative of the publisher.

19. Preservation of Publication History

IJMSEd will seek to maintain transparent links among:

  • the original article;

  • corrections;

  • retraction notices;

  • expressions of concern; and

  • other relevant post-publication notices.

Post-publication changes should be documented in a manner that allows readers to understand the history and current status of the article.

20. DOI and Metadata Updates

Where a correction, retraction, or other significant post-publication action occurs, IJMSEd will seek to update relevant article metadata and DOI-related information where technically appropriate.

The objective is to ensure that indexing and scholarly discovery systems can identify the current publication status of the article.

21. Relationship to Other IJMSEd Policies

This policy should be read together with the journal's:

  • Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement;

  • Complaints and Appeals Policy;

  • Peer Review Policy;

  • Copyright and Licensing Policy; and

  • other applicable editorial policies.

22. Reporting Concerns

Questions or concerns regarding published IJMSEd content should be directed to the editorial office.

Correspondence should clearly identify the article concerned and explain the issue, preferably with supporting evidence.

International Journal of Mathematics and Sciences Education (IJMSEd)
Publisher: Nashir Al-Kutub Indonesia
Official Email: ijmsed@nakiscience.com

Suggested email subject:

Post-Publication Concern – [Article Title/DOI]