General Principles
The published scholarly record should remain as accurate and reliable as reasonably possible. Science Insights and its journals therefore consider credible concerns about published articles and take appropriate action where the integrity, interpretation or reliability of the record is materially affected.
Post-publication action will depend on the nature, seriousness and effect of the issue. Not every error requires a formal correction, and not every concern requires retraction.
Where formal action is necessary, the purpose is to provide readers with a clear and transparent scholarly record rather than to conceal that a change has occurred.
Corrections
A formal correction may be issued when an error or omission in a published article affects the accuracy, clarity or interpretation of the work but does not invalidate the article's principal findings or conclusions.
Corrections may address matters such as significant factual errors, errors in data presentation, figures, tables, author information, affiliations or other elements of the published record where a formal amendment is warranted.
The correction should identify the article concerned and describe the relevant change clearly enough for readers to understand what has been corrected.
Minor Errors
Minor typographical, grammatical or formatting errors that do not affect the meaning, interpretation, discoverability or scholarly integrity of an article may not require a formal correction notice.
Where a minor error materially affects a name, identifier, citation, data value or another element important to the scholarly record, a formal correction may nevertheless be appropriate.
The decision to issue a formal correction will be based on the significance of the error rather than solely on its size or location in the article.
Retractions
Retraction may be considered where there is reliable evidence that the findings or conclusions of a published article are seriously unreliable or where publication integrity has been substantially compromised.
Circumstances that may warrant retraction include fabrication or falsification of data, serious plagiarism, major methodological or analytical errors that invalidate the principal conclusions, fraudulent or manipulated peer review, serious ethical violations, unauthorized publication of protected material or other substantial forms of research or publication misconduct.
Retraction may also be appropriate where an article reports substantially redundant or duplicate publication without adequate justification or disclosure and the integrity of the publication record requires corrective action.
Retraction is not limited to cases of deliberate misconduct. An article may require retraction when an honest error renders its principal findings unreliable.
Retraction Notices
Where an article is retracted, a retraction notice should be published and linked clearly to the affected article. The article record should also indicate clearly that the work has been retracted.
The notice should identify the article and, where reasonably possible, explain the reason for the retraction in a clear and factual manner.
Where appropriate, the notice may identify whether the retraction was initiated by the authors, editors, publisher or another responsible party. Statements concerning responsibility should be made only where they are supported by sufficient information.
Retraction notices form part of the scholarly record and should remain publicly accessible.
Expressions of Concern
An expression of concern may be issued where significant questions have been raised about a published article but the available information is not yet sufficient to determine whether a correction or retraction is required.
An expression of concern may also be appropriate where an investigation is ongoing, where reliable findings from another responsible body are awaited, or where an investigation cannot presently reach a sufficiently clear conclusion.
An expression of concern is intended to alert readers to unresolved issues. It should not be presented as a finding that misconduct has occurred unless such a finding has been established independently.
The notice may subsequently be updated or followed by a correction, retraction or other action when sufficient information becomes available.
Article Removal
Complete removal of published scholarly content is reserved for exceptional circumstances. Retraction, with preservation of the publication record, is generally preferable where it can adequately address the concern.
Removal may be considered where continued public availability would create a serious legal, privacy, confidentiality or safety concern, or where Science Insights is required to remove content by an appropriate legal authority.
Where an article is removed, the bibliographic record should, where legally and practically possible, remain available with a notice explaining that the content has been removed and providing an appropriate reason.
Article Replacement
Replacement of a published article is expected to be uncommon. Where substantial changes are necessary, preservation of a transparent record of the original publication and subsequent action is important.
A replacement should not be used merely to conceal substantial errors or silently substitute a materially different article for the version originally published.
Where replacement is considered appropriate, the relationship between the original and replacement versions should be made clear to readers.
Reporting Post-Publication Concerns
Readers, authors, reviewers and other parties may bring credible concerns about published material to the attention of the relevant journal or Science Insights.
Reports should identify the article concerned, describe the specific issue and, where possible, provide supporting information that allows the concern to be assessed.
Concerns should be raised in good faith. The existence of an allegation alone does not establish that an article is unreliable or that misconduct has occurred.
Assessment of Concerns
Science Insights or the relevant journal may conduct an initial assessment and seek information from authors, reviewers, editors, institutions or other appropriate parties where necessary.
Depending on the issue, authors may be asked to provide underlying data, documentation, ethical approvals, explanations or other information relevant to the published work.
Where a concern involves possible research or publication misconduct, the matter may also be considered under the Research Integrity and Misconduct Policy .
Science Insights may consider reliable findings from institutions, ethics committees, research organizations, funding bodies or other appropriate authorities when determining what action is required in relation to the published record.
Metadata and Article Record
Formal post-publication notices should be linked appropriately to the affected article so that readers can understand the status of the publication.
Where technically appropriate, relevant metadata may also be updated to reflect a correction, retraction or other formal change in publication status.
A retracted article should be identified clearly as retracted while remaining accessible where possible and appropriate. The original publication should not ordinarily disappear from the scholarly record solely because it has been retracted.
Preservation of the Version of Record
Science Insights seeks to preserve the integrity and transparency of the version of record. Material changes to published scholarly content should not ordinarily be made silently.
Where a substantive amendment is required, the nature of the change should be documented through an appropriate correction, retraction or other notice so that the history of the published work remains understandable.
This approach supports transparency for readers, authors, libraries, indexing services and other users of the scholarly record.