Once an article is published, it is the permanent version of record and is never silently changed. Every change after publication is made through a public notice that is linked to the article. This follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines and the NISO CREC recommended practice on communicating retractions.
Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern
Version 2.0 · Last updated 6 October 2026
1. Types of post-publication notice
| Notice | When it is used | Effect on the article |
|---|---|---|
| Correction (Erratum / Corrigendum) | An honest error that affects part of the article, while the main findings stay valid. Examples: a wrong figure label, a missing funder, or an incorrect affiliation | A corrected version is published, with a dated correction notice that lists the changes |
| Expression of Concern | Serious doubts about the reliability of the article, while an investigation has not yet reached a conclusion | The article stays online, marked with a link to the notice. The notice is later updated, or replaced by a correction or retraction |
| Retraction | The findings are unreliable, because of serious error or misconduct, duplicate publication, plagiarism, unethical research, compromised peer review, or an undisclosed conflict that undermines the work | The article stays online, clearly watermarked "RETRACTED" and linked to the retraction notice |
| Removal | Only in rare legal cases (for example defamation, a court order, or a serious risk to someone's health or privacy) | The full text is removed. The bibliographic information stays, with a note giving the reason |
2. Principles
- The purpose of a retraction is to correct the scholarly record. It is not a punishment of the authors.
- A notice is published as soon as the editor is sure it is needed. If an investigation will take a long time, an Expression of Concern is published first.
- A retraction notice is freely available. It names the article (title, authors, DOI), says who is retracting it (the editor, the authors, or both), gives a clear reason, and states whether the authors agreed.
- Authors are told about the notice before it is published. However, a retraction can go ahead without their agreement.
- Every notice is linked to the article it concerns, and the article page shows its updated status.
3. Author-initiated changes
Authors who find an error in their published article should contact the editorial office straight away. Minor errors that do not affect how the article is read or understood, such as a typo in the text, may be noted without a formal correction. Any change to the data, results, conclusions, authorship, or funding needs a published correction.
4. Post-publication discussion
Readers may comment on a published article by sending a Letter to the Editor. A letter that raises a substantial scientific point may be peer-reviewed and published, together with a reply from the authors. The journal also takes into account concerns raised on platforms such as PubPeer, and assesses them under Section 2.