Corrections, retractions and matters arising
Corrections and Retractions
On rare occasions, it may be necessary to publish corrections to or retractions of articles previously published in NASR journals to preserve the integrity of the academic record.
Corrections or retractions will be made by publishing a Correction or Retraction note that is bidirectionally linked to the original article. The note will describe any alterations made to the original article. The original article remains in the public domain, and the subsequent Correction or Retraction will be widely indexed. In the exceptional event that material is found to infringe certain rights or is defamatory, NASR may remove that material from its website and archive sites.
Authors, readers, or organizations who become aware of errors or ethical issues in a published article are encouraged to contact the relevant journal directly using the contact information provided on the journal’s website. All reports will be considered by the Editors; additional expert advice may be sought when determining the most appropriate course of action. The NASR Research Integrity Group provides support to Editors in addressing publication ethics issues in a manner consistent with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
Corrections
Errors in published articles that affect the accuracy of the work but do not substantially invalidate its conclusions will, at the Editor(s)’ discretion, be corrected through the publication of a Correction note. This note will be indexed and bidirectionally linked to the original article.
Retractions
On rare occasions when the interpretation or conclusion of an article is substantially undermined, it may be necessary to retract the published article. Editorial decisions to retract are based on the reliability of the article and whether the Editor retains confidence in the interpretation and conclusions presented. NASR follows COPE guidelines in such cases. Retractions are designed as a neutral tool to correct the literature and should not be viewed as punitive. Retraction notices are indexed and bidirectionally linked to the original article. The original article is watermarked as "retracted," and its title is amended with the prefix "Retracted article:".
Editorial Expressions of Concern and Editor’s Notes
-
Editor’s Note: An Editor’s Note is a notification alerting readers that the journal has initiated an inquiry in response to concerns raised about a published article. It is an online-only update made solely to the HTML version of record and is not indexed.
-
Editorial Expression of Concern (EEoC): An EEoC is a statement from the editors alerting readers to serious concerns affecting the integrity of the published paper. EEoCs are published online, bidirectionally linked to the published paper, assigned a DOI, and indexed in major scholarly databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. An EEoC may be an interim measure or may be final.
Publishing an Editor’s Note or EEoC is recommended by COPE as a means of keeping readers updated while a potentially lengthy research integrity investigation is underway. Editor’s Notes and EEoCs are typically (but not always) superseded by the publication of another amendment—such as a correction or retraction—once the investigation is complete.
Removal of Published Content
In exceptional circumstances, NASR reserves the right to remove an article, chapter, book, or other content from its online platforms. Such action may be taken when:
-
NASR has been advised that the content is defamatory, infringes a third party’s intellectual property rights, right to privacy, or other legal rights, or is otherwise unlawful;
-
A court or government order has been issued (or is likely to be issued) requiring removal of such content; or
-
The content, if acted upon, would pose an immediate and serious risk to health.
Removal may be temporary or permanent. Bibliographic metadata (e.g., title and authors) will be retained and accompanied by a statement explaining why the content has been removed.
Matters Arising
NASR journals recognize the importance of post-publication commentary on published research as necessary for advancing scientific discourse. Formal post-publication commentary on published papers may include challenges, clarifications, or, in some cases, replication of the published work. Such commentary should reflect the knowledge available at the time the original paper was written, rather than later scientific developments.
At the Editor’s discretion and depending on the nature of the piece, post-publication comment or discussion will be evaluated, peer-reviewed, and, after peer review, may be published online as Matters Arising. The authors of the original work will be invited to reply, and their response may also be published alongside the post-publication commentary.
