Corrections, expressions of concern and retractions

Sometimes after an article has been published it may be necessary to make a change to the final published version. This change will be made after careful consideration by the journal’s editorial team, with support from other Dove Medical Press staff to ensure any necessary changes are done in accordance with both Dove Medial Press policies and guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Any necessary changes will be accompanied by a post-publication notice, which will be permanently linked to the original article. These changes can be in the form of a Correction notice, an Expression of Concern, a Retraction, and in rare circumstances, a Removal.

The purpose of linking post-publication notices to the original article is to provide transparency around any changes and to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record. Note that all post-publication notices are free to access from the point of publication.

Each article published by Dove Medical Press journals constitutes the final, definitive, and citable version in the scholarly record. Recognizing a published article in this way helps to provide further assurance that it is accurate, complete, and citable. Wherever possible it is our policy to maintain the integrity of the final published version in accordance with STM Association guidelines:

“Articles that have been published as the version-of-record should remain extant, exact and unaltered to the maximum extent possible”

STM Guidelines on Preservation of the Objective Record of Science

What should I do if my article contains an error?

Authors should notify us as soon as possible if they find errors in their published article, especially errors that could affect the interpretation of data or reliability of information presented. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure consensus has been reached between all listed co-authors prior to requesting any corrections to an article.

If, after reading the guidance, you believe a correction is necessary for your article, please contact the journal’s editorial team, or contact us.

Post-publication notices to ensure the accuracy of the scholarly record

Correction notice

A Correction notice will be issued when it is necessary to correct an error or omission, where the interpretation of the article may be impacted but the scholarly integrity or original findings remains intact.
A correction notice, where possible, should always be written and approved by all authors of the original article. On very rare occasions where there is a need to correct an error made in the publication process, the journal may be required to issue a correction without the authors’ direct input. However, should this occur, the journal will make best efforts to notify the authors.

Please note that correction requests may be subject to full review, and if queries are raised, you may be expected to supply further information before the correction is approved.

Dove Medical Press utilizes two types of correction notice; a Corrigendum will typically be issued for errors introduced by the authors, whereas an Erratum is typically issued for errors introduced by the publisher.

The correction notice should provide clear details of the error and the changes that have been made to the final published version. Under these circumstances, Dove Medical Press will:
• Issue a separate correction notice electronically linked back to the corrected version.
• Paginate and make available the correction notice in the online issue of the journal.
• Make the correction notice free to view.

Retractions

A Retraction will be issued where a major error (e.g., in the methods or analysis) invalidates the conclusions in the article, or where it appears research or publication misconduct has taken place (e.g., research without required ethical approvals, fabricated data, manipulated images, plagiarism, duplicate publication, etc.).

The decision to retract an article will be made in accordance with both Dove Medical Press policies and COPE guidelines. The decision will follow a full investigation by Dove Medical Press editorial staff in collaboration with the journal’s editorial team. Authors and institutions may request a retraction of their articles if they believe their reasons meet the criteria for retraction.

Retractions are issued to correct the scholarly record and should not be interpreted as punishments for the authors.

The COPE guidance can be found here.

Retractions will be considered in cases where:

• There is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of misconduct (e.g., data fabrication or image manipulation) or honest error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error).
• The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper referencing, permission, or justification (e.g., cases of redundant or duplicate publication).
• The research constitutes plagiarism.
• The Editor no longer has confidence in the validity or integrity of the article.
• There is evidence or concerns of authorship for sale.
• There is evidence of compromised peer review or systematic manipulation.
• There is evidence of unethical research, or there is evidence of a breach of editorial policies.
• The authors have deliberately submitted fraudulent or inaccurate information, or breached a warranty provided in the Author Publishing Agreement (APA).

Where the decision has been taken to retract an article, Dove Medical Press will:
• Add a “retracted” watermark to the final published version of the article.
• Issue a separate retraction statement, titled ‘[article title] [Retraction]’, that will be linked to the retracted article on the Dove Medical Press website.
• Paginate and make available the retraction statement in the online issue of the journal.

Expressions of concern

In some cases, an Expression of Concern may be considered where concerns of a serious nature have been raised (e.g., research or publication misconduct), but where the outcome of the investigation is inconclusive or where due to various complexities, the investigation will not be completed for a considerable time. This could be due to ongoing institutional investigations or other circumstances outside of the journal’s control.

When the investigation has been completed, a Retraction or Correction notice may follow the Expression of Concern, alongside the original article. All will remain part of the permanent publication record.

Expressions of Concern notices will be considered in cases where:

• There is inconclusive evidence of research or publication misconduct by the authors, but the nature of the concerns warrants notifying the readers.
• There are well-founded concerns that the findings are unreliable or that misconduct may have occurred, but there is limited cooperation from the authors’ institution(s) in investigating the concerns raised.
• There is an investigation into alleged misconduct related to the publication that has not been, or would not be, fair and impartial or conclusive.
• An investigation is underway, but a resolution will not be available for a considerable time, and the nature of the concerns warrant notifying the readers.

The Expression of Concern will be linked back to the published article it relates to.

Article removal

An Article Removal will be issued in rare circumstances where the problems cannot be addressed through a Retraction or Correction notice. Dove Medical Press will consider removal of a published article in very limited circumstances where:

• The article contains content that could pose a serious risk of harm if acted upon or followed.
• The article contains content which violates the rights to privacy of a study participant.
• The article is defamatory or infringes other legal rights.
• An article is subject to a court order.

In the case of an article being removed from Dove Medical Press Online, a removal notice will be issued in its place.

 

Updated 3 October 2023