Correction and retraction policy

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) has produced a document called “Retraction Guidelines” (COPE Council, 2019) that proposes the following concepts:

The purpose of retraction

Retraction is a mechanism for correcting the literature and alerting readers to articles whose content or data are so seriously flawed or erroneous that their results and conclusions cannot be trusted. Unreliable content or data may be due to honest error, naive mistakes, or poor research practices. The primary objective of retraction is to correct the literature and ensure its integrity, rather than to punish authors. Retractions can be used to alert readers to cases of redundant publication, plagiarism, manipulation of peer review, unauthorized reuse of material or data, copyright infringement or other legal issues, unethical research, and/or failure to disclose a significant competing interest that may have unduly influenced interpretations or recommendations.

Which publications should be retracted?

If only a small part of an article contains flawed data or content, it is best to correct it. Partial retractions are not helpful because they make it difficult to determine the article's overall state and which parts can be relied upon. Similarly, if only a small portion of an article is plagiarized (for example, a few sentences in the discussion), editors should consider a correction (which might point out that the text was used without proper attribution and cite the source) rather than retracting the entire article, which may contain sound and original data.

What form should a retraction take?

Generally, a retraction notice should refer to a single retracted article. Retraction statements should mention the reasons and grounds for the retraction so that readers understand why the article is unreliable. They should also specify who is retracting the article and, if possible, how the matter came to the journal's attention (complainants may only be named with their permission).

References: COPE Council. (2019). Guidelines: Retraction Guidelines. 16(1), 127-141. https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.4