Article Retraction, Correction, and Removal Policy

Social Sciences Journal (SSJ)  |  e-ISSN 3047-7646

1. Forms of Post-Publication Amendment

1.1 Correction

A correction may address inaccurate data labels, author or affiliation details, citations, figures, tables, acknowledgements, funding information, methodological descriptions, or other errors that do not undermine the article as a whole. The correction will be dated, freely accessible, linked to the original article, and will describe what was changed and why. Silent or undocumented changes to the published scholarly content are not permitted.

1.2 Expression of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when there is credible evidence of a potentially serious problem but the investigation is incomplete, inconclusive, procedurally delayed, or unlikely to reach a timely outcome. It may also be appropriate when an institutional investigation appears unreliable or when the available evidence cannot yet justify either correction or retraction. The notice will be linked to the article and updated or followed by another notice when the matter is resolved.

1.3 Retraction and Republication

In rare cases involving a major but honest error where the central question remains important and a fully corrected article can be independently assessed, the journal may consider retraction followed by peer-reviewed republication. The original and replacement records must remain transparently linked, and the replacement will be treated as a new version or publication with clear bibliographic identification.

2. Grounds for Retraction

An article may be retracted when the Editor-in-Chief and publisher determine that one or more of the following conditions materially compromise the reliability, legality, or ethical acceptability of the publication:

3. Matters That Do Not Normally Require Retraction

Retraction is generally not appropriate when:

• a limited error can be corrected without invalidating the article's central findings;
• an authorship dispute exists but the reliability and validity of the research are not affected—in such cases, a correction or institutional resolution may be appropriate;
• the authors wish to withdraw a valid published article solely because they have changed their interpretation, disagree with subsequent criticism, or prefer publication elsewhere;
• a complaint is unsupported, speculative, malicious, or unrelated to the reliability, ethics, or legality of the publication; or
• the principal issue is a minor language, typographical, formatting, or metadata error that can be corrected transparently.

4. Assessment and Decision Process

The journal seeks to act promptly while ensuring procedural fairness. Retraction or another amendment may proceed even when one or more authors disagree or fail to respond, provided the decision is supported by reliable evidence and appropriate editorial review. Lack of author agreement will be stated in the notice when relevant.

5. Requirements for a Retraction Notice

A retraction notice will be published promptly, permanently, and free of access barriers. It will:

• be clearly titled “Retraction: [Article Title]” and identified as a retraction notice;
• include the full citation, article title, authors, publication details, and DOI or permanent URL;
• state who is retracting the article, such as the author or authors, Editor-in-Chief, journal, or publisher;
• explain the reason for retraction in objective, factual, and sufficiently specific language while avoiding unsupported or defamatory statements;
• distinguish, when evidence permits, between honest error and research or publication misconduct;
• identify which findings, data, images, or parts of the article are affected when this information is material;
• state whether all authors agree with the retraction when relevant;
• display the date of the notice and link bidirectionally to the retracted article; and
• remain permanently available as part of the journal's scholarly record.

6. Treatment of the Retracted Article

• The DOI will normally remain active and resolve to the article record with a prominent retraction status.
• The bibliographic record, publication history, and retraction notice will be preserved.
• The journal will update relevant metadata and notify indexing or abstracting services where feasible.
• Retracted articles should not be presented as valid evidence. When they must be discussed for scholarly reasons, their retracted status should be clearly acknowledged.

7. Article Removal

Complete removal of published content is reserved for exceptional circumstances, including:

• a final court order or binding legal requirement;
• defamatory or unlawful content that cannot be addressed adequately through retraction;
• a serious breach of participant privacy or confidentiality;
• content whose continued availability creates an immediate and substantial risk of harm; or
• a serious infringement of rights requiring takedown.

When content is removed, the article's bibliographic landing page and DOI will be retained whenever legally and technically possible, together with a notice explaining why the content is unavailable. Confidential, identifying, defamatory, or legally prohibited details will not be repeated in the notice.

8. Author-Initiated Requests

Authors who discover a significant error must promptly inform the editorial office and provide a detailed explanation and supporting evidence. An author request does not automatically result in retraction. The journal will independently determine whether a correction, expression of concern, retraction, removal, or no action is appropriate.

Requests based solely on a change of opinion, a later disagreement among authors, reputational concerns, avoidance of criticism, or a desire to submit the published work elsewhere will not normally justify retraction.

9. Appeals and Complaints

An author or other directly affected party may appeal a post-publication decision by identifying a material factual or procedural error and providing supporting evidence. The appeal will be assessed by a senior editor, publisher representative, or independent adviser who was not materially involved in the original decision whenever feasible. Disagreement with an evidence-based outcome, without new information or demonstration of procedural error, is not sufficient grounds for reversal.

An appeal does not automatically suspend a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or removal when delay could mislead readers or create a risk of harm. Any subsequent change to the decision will be documented transparently.

10. Reporting a Concern

Post-publication concerns should be submitted through the journal's official contact channel. The report should include the article title, DOI or URL, a concise description of the concern, relevant page or figure numbers, and supporting evidence or sources. Personal accusations, defamatory language, and irrelevant personal data should be avoided. Reports are assessed on their evidence and substance, not on the status or identity of the reporting party.