Correction and Retraction

Dampak corrects errors in published articles with labelled notices linked to the original, issues an expression of concern when doubts about an article cannot yet be settled, and retracts an article when its findings can no longer be relied on. Following COPE, the aim is to correct the literature, not to punish authors.

1. Introduction

Dampak: Jurnal Teknik Lingkungan Universitas Andalas keeps the published record accurate. Science improves by revision, and an article that turns out to be wrong or unreliable must be corrected in a way readers can see. This policy sets out how Dampak corrects, flags and retracts published articles. It follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applies to every article published in Dampak, whatever its age.

Discussion of published articles, and how concerns are first raised and assessed, are covered by the Post-Publication Discussions policy. Misconduct and its sanctions are covered by Allegations of Misconduct and the Plagiarism Policy.

2. Description

A published article may be amended because of:

  • an honest error by the authors or by the journal that affects interpretation but not the main findings;
  • new critical information that significantly affects the findings or conclusions;
  • research or publication misconduct, such as plagiarism, redundant publication, or fabricated or falsified data.

Each amendment is published as a notice whose title names its type, for example "Corrigendum: [article title]".

Type Used when What the journal publishes
Minor correction A slip that does not change the meaning, such as a misspelt author name or a wrong affiliation The article file is corrected, with a dated correction note on the article page
Corrigendum An error made by the authors that affects interpretation but not the main findings A citable notice linked to the article, written or approved by the authors
Erratum An error made by the journal in production, such as a missing figure or a wrong value in a table A citable notice linked to the article, issued by the journal
Addendum Information from the authors that is needed to understand the article but corrects no error A citable notice linked to the article
Expression of concern Serious, credible doubts about reliability that cannot yet be resolved A citable notice linked to the article, updated or replaced when the matter is settled
Retraction The editor no longer has confidence in the findings or conclusions A retraction notice. The article stays online, marked as retracted.
Retraction with replacement A serious error that does not invalidate the underlying work A retraction notice, and the corrected study published as a new, linked article
Retraction with removal Rare cases only: a privacy violation, a court order, or a serious risk to health or the environment A retraction notice. The content is removed, and the notice gives the reason.

3. Policy

  • Purpose. Corrections and retractions exist to correct the literature and protect its integrity. They are not punishments. Sanctions for misconduct are decided separately under the Allegations of Misconduct and Plagiarism policies.
  • Who decides. The Editor-in-Chief decides, on the advice of the ethics panel described in the Allegations of Misconduct policy. If the Editor-in-Chief, or the editor who handled the article, has a conflict of interest, another board member decides, as set out in the Conflict of Interest policy.
  • Impartiality. The status, affiliation or seniority of the authors makes no difference.
  • Transparency. Every notice is labelled, says what changed and why, and links to the article, and the article links back. Notices are free to read.
  • Objectivity. Notices are factual. They avoid accusing language, speculation about motives and personal remarks, and state only what is established.
  • Promptness. Notices are published as soon as the editor is confident of the decision. When a decision is delayed, the journal issues an expression of concern.
  • No charge. The journal does not charge for notices.
  • Known to authors. This policy is linked from the Author Guidelines and referred to in the copyright transfer form that all authors sign, so authors know it applies when they submit.

4. Procedures

4.1 How a case begins

A case may begin with a concern from a reader or reviewer, handled under Post-Publication Discussions; with an allegation of misconduct, handled under Allegations of Misconduct; with an error found by the editors; or with a request from the authors.

Authors who find a significant error in their published article must tell the journal promptly and work with the editors to correct or retract it, as the Publication Ethics statement requires. Authors who ask for a retraction must explain why and provide enough documentation for the editors to judge the request independently.

4.2 Timing

Step What happens Target time
Inform all authors Before any decision, every author, not only the corresponding author, is told what is proposed, why the article was examined, and why a correction cannot settle it. They are reminded that the aim is not to assign blame. They may respond with data or an explanation. 14 days to respond
Decide The Editor-in-Chief decides whether the article needs a correction, an expression of concern, a retraction or no action, and tells the authors and anyone who raised the concern. Within 14 days of the end of the response period
Publish The notice is published and linked, and indexing services are told (Section 4.8). Within 14 days of the decision
If a decision is delayed An expression of concern is published while the case continues. If there is no decision within 30 days of the end of the response period

Slow or uncooperative authors or institutions are not a reason to delay. The journal waits only if more relevant information is reasonably expected, and issues an expression of concern in the meantime. It does not have to wait for an institutional investigation to finish if the editor is confident that the article is unreliable. Findings that arrive later can be added to the notice.

4.3 Corrections

A confirmed error that matters for interpretation is corrected by a corrigendum (author error) or an erratum (journal error). A correction can be enough when it deals with the errors and does not unduly affect the main results and conclusions. The notice:

  • names the type in its title, and gives the title, authors and DOI of the article;
  • says exactly what was wrong and what the correct information is;
  • says whether the error was made by the authors or by the journal;
  • carries the date.

The original article is not silently replaced. Its article page, and a note on the first page of its PDF, point to the notice. A minor correction is made in the article file with a dated note on the article page.

A correction to the author list is made only for documented reasons and with the written agreement of all authors, as the journal's authorship policy provides. Removing an author is appropriate only if an authorship investigation confirms the person was listed without consent.

4.4 Expressions of concern

An expression of concern is issued when serious, credible concerns exist but the evidence does not yet show whether the work is unreliable, for example when:

  • the concern is about an error, a flawed analysis or an integrity issue that could affect the main findings;
  • an institution, funder or other body is investigating, and the result may lead to a correction;
  • the authors were asked for more information that is not yet available;
  • a journal policy breach cannot yet be resolved, for example data that were available at publication are now withheld;
  • a resolution is not expected for several months.

It is not used when the editor can decide promptly on a correction, a retraction or no action, when the answer is expected within a few weeks, when the main findings still appear reliable, or when the only concern is authorship.

The notice identifies the article by title and authors, states the reasons for the concern in objective and factual language, and links to the article, which links back. It is temporary. When the matter is settled, it is followed or replaced by a correction or a retraction, which says that it supersedes the expression of concern, or, if the article needs no further change, it stays as the final notice.

4.5 Retractions

The editor retracts an article when no longer confident in its findings or conclusions. The grounds are:

  • clear evidence of major errors that make the findings unreliable;
  • fabricated or falsified data, or irregularities in data or images;
  • plagiarism, or findings published elsewhere without attribution, permission or justification (redundant publication);
  • use of material or data without proper authorisation;
  • unethical research, for example a missing ethical approval or consent;
  • misrepresentation that compromises reliability, such as fictitious authorship;
  • compromised peer review, or an undisclosed conflict of interest that could bias how the work is read;
  • systematic manipulation of the publication process, such as a paper mill, which may call for retracting several articles together.

Retraction is not used for minor errors, for an authorship dispute alone, or because publication fees were not paid. Partial retractions are avoided, because it is hard to say which parts of an article can be relied on. If there is not enough information to be confident either way, the journal issues an expression of concern instead.

Before retracting, the journal tells all authors, as in Section 4.2, and may ask the publisher for legal advice on the wording of the notice. Agreement of the authors to the wording is welcome, but the retraction goes ahead even if some or all authors object or cannot be reached.

The retraction notice is titled "Retraction: [article title]", gives the title, authors and DOI of the article, and is written by the Editor-in-Chief, with the publisher where needed. It:

  • states who is retracting the article, and the reasons and basis for the decision, so that readers understand why the article cannot be relied on;
  • says whether this is a retraction, a retraction with replacement or a retraction with removal;
  • names a finding of misconduct only if it is attributed to the body that made it, and names a person who raised the concern only if relevant and with permission;
  • may say whether the authors agreed or disagreed;
  • says that it supersedes an earlier expression of concern, if there was one;
  • links to material used in the decision, such as a published critique, and to the underlying data where available;
  • covers one article, except when several articles are retracted together for the same systematic cause.

The retracted article generally stays online and searchable, so that the record stays complete. Its article page is marked "Retracted" and carries the notice, every page of its PDF is watermarked "RETRACTED", and the notice is placed at the start of the PDF. The retraction is shown wherever the article is listed, including the table of contents of the issue.

Retraction with removal is used only in rare cases, such as a privacy violation, a court order, or a serious risk to health or the environment. The title, authors, publication date, issue, journal name and affiliations stay visible, and the notice gives the reason. Retraction with replacement is used for a serious error that does not invalidate the underlying work. The corrected study is published as a new article with its own DOI, and the original stays online, linked to it and to the retraction notice.

4.6 Old articles

Dampak applies no age limit. A concern about integrity is considered at any time, and a retraction or expression of concern is not avoided only because the article is old. The editors decide case by case which concerns can be investigated, bearing in mind that old data may no longer be available.

4.7 Citing retracted articles

A retracted article must not be cited without saying that it has been retracted, except where the citation is needed to discuss the retraction itself. Authors check their references before submitting, and the editors check them where they can during editing.

4.8 Notices, linking and indexing

  • Notices are published promptly in the next issue or online first, with their own DOI, and are freely accessible.
  • The article's metadata is updated, including its registration with Crossref, so that the notice is linked to the article wherever the article appears and databases can identify a retraction.
  • The editorial office tells the indexing services that list Dampak, such as Garuda and Google Scholar, and links the notice to other online copies of the article known to the journal, such as repository copies.

4.9 Records and review

The editorial office keeps a confidential record of each case, the evidence, the decision and the notice, for at least five years. The editorial board reviews this policy at least once a year and updates it as COPE guidance changes.

5. COPE resources and related policies