Corrections, Updates, Expressions of Concern and Retractions

Correction and update

A Correction addresses an error that affects part of the record but does not invalidate the central conclusions. An Update adds material information or clarifies a developing evidence base without silently replacing the published version. Minor typographical changes that do not affect interpretation may be corrected transparently without a formal notice.

Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued when serious questions exist but an investigation is incomplete, inconclusive or delayed, or when readers need prompt warning.

Retraction

Retraction is considered when findings are unreliable, publication is redundant, serious ethical or integrity violations occurred, or the work cannot be relied upon. A retracted article remains accessible for the historical record, is prominently marked RETRACTED and links to the retraction notice.

Technical record

• Each formal notice has a separate permanent URL and publication date.
• When DOI services are active, each notice receives a DOI and relation metadata linking it to the affected article.
• The article links to every notice and each notice links back to the article.
• The public article status, sitemap, RSS feed, API and OAI-PMH metadata are updated automatically. When Crossref and indexing deposits are active, the Editorial Office submits the corresponding update relations and notifies relevant services.
• The original version is retained. Before a Retraction is published, the Editorial Office must upload a replacement article PDF that is clearly watermarked RETRACTED on every page; the original unmarked file remains preserved in the restricted publication record.
• Crossmark is displayed only after the journal has an active Crossref implementation and a registered update-policy DOI.