Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern
Last updated: 1 November 2026. JCP follows COPE guidance on retractions.
|
Notice |
When |
How |
|
Correction (erratum/corrigendum) |
A small portion of an otherwise reliable article is misleading, or the author list is wrong |
A notice is published, linked to the article in all online versions. If a correction affects reading, the article is updated with a dated note; the original is not silently changed. |
|
Expression of concern |
Inconclusive evidence of misconduct; an investigation is underway for a long time; the institution will not investigate; findings may be unreliable |
A notice linked to the article, stating the concern; replaced by a correction or retraction when resolved. |
|
Retraction |
Clear evidence of unreliable findings (major error, fabrication, falsification); plagiarism; redundant publication; unauthorised use of material or infringement; unethical research; compromised peer review; undisclosed major competing interest |
A retraction notice, linked to the article, titled as a retraction, stating who retracts and why, objective and freely accessible. The PDF is kept and clearly marked “Retracted”. |
Retraction is usually not appropriate when authorship is disputed but the findings remain valid, when a correction is sufficient, when the evidence is inconclusive, or when a late-reported conflict of interest probably did not affect the conclusions. Authors who want to withdraw a manuscript during the review process write from the corresponding author’s email address to the editorial office; the editor decides. Metadata for corrections and retractions is updated.