Corrections, Expressions of Concern & Retractions

Rationale

JPDMHD is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published record. When errors are identified — whether from honest mistake or misconduct — the journal will act promptly to correct, express concern, or retract as appropriate. This policy follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

Corrections (Erratum / Corrigendum)

A correction is issued when:

  • A small portion of an otherwise reliable article contains an error that does not affect the integrity of the findings
  • The authorship list contains an error (e.g., a name is misspelt or an author omitted)
  • Metadata (title, affiliation, ISSN) contains an inaccuracy

Corrections are published as a formal notice linked to the original article. Both the notice and the original article are updated to cross-reference each other. Corrections do not change the article's DOI.

Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern (EOC) is published when:

  • There is evidence of possible misconduct but an investigation has not been concluded
  • An investigation by an institution is inconclusive
  • The editor has reason to believe the peer review was compromised

An EOC is a temporary measure. Once an investigation is resolved, the EOC is replaced by a correction, retraction, or a statement that no action was required.

Retractions

A retraction is issued when published work:

  • Contains major errors or unreliable data that invalidate the conclusions
  • Constitutes plagiarism or duplicate/redundant publication
  • Involves fabricated or falsified data
  • Was conducted without the required ethical approvals
  • Involved undisclosed conflicts of interest that materially affect interpretation

Retraction notices will: (i) clearly identify the retracted article by title, authors, and DOI; (ii) be freely accessible to all readers; (iii) state the reason for retraction; and (iv) be published promptly. The original article will be watermarked 'RETRACTED'. Retractions do not remove the article from the archive but make clear it should not be relied upon.

Process for Requesting a Correction or Retraction

Authors, readers, or institutions who identify an error or potential misconduct in a published article should contact the editor at editor.jpdmhd@gmail.com. The editor will acknowledge the request within 10 business days, conduct an investigation (involving the authors and, where appropriate, their institutions), and issue a decision within 60 days. Where the case is complex, interim updates will be provided.

Post-Publication Discussion

JPDMHD encourages post-publication debate. Readers may submit letters to the editor via email at editor.jpdmhd@gmail.com. Substantive letters that raise scientific concerns will be considered for publication in a future issue. Authors of the original article will be invited to respond. The journal also supports the use of PubPeer (pubpeer.com) for open post-publication commenting.