Principles

The journal protects the integrity of the published record and follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines. The journal never changes the version of record without a published notice. Every notice receives a DOI, links to the original article, and appears in the article's Crossref metadata.

Withdrawal before publication

Authors are free to withdraw a manuscript before acceptance by sending a written request, signed by all authors, to the Editor-in-Chief with the reason. After acceptance, withdrawal happens only for serious reasons, such as a major error or an ethical problem, and requires the approval of the Editor-in-Chief.

Erratum

The journal publishes an erratum to correct an error introduced by the journal during production.

Corrigendum

The journal publishes a corrigendum to correct a significant error made by the authors which does not invalidate the findings or conclusions. All authors sign the request.

Expression of concern

The journal publishes an expression of concern when evidence of misconduct or unreliable findings remains inconclusive, or when an investigation is under way.

Retraction

The journal retracts an article when the findings are unreliable because of misconduct or major error, or when the article involves plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research, manipulation of peer review, copyright infringement, or an undisclosed conflict of interest serious enough to change the editorial decision. The retraction notice states the reason and the party requesting the retraction. The retracted article stays online with a "RETRACTED" watermark on every page.

Removal

The journal removes an article only in rare legal cases, such as a court order, defamation, a breach of privacy, or a serious risk to health or safety. The title, authors, and a note explaining the removal stay on the website.

Requests

Anyone with evidence of an error or misconduct writes to the Editor-in-Chief. The editor informs the authors, gives them 14 days to respond, and communicates the outcome to all parties.