Retraction Policy
Withdrawal/Retraction Policy
A retraction notice will be issued where a major error invalidates the conclusions in the article, or where research misconduct or publication misconduct has taken place. The decision to issue a retraction for an article will be made in accordance with COPE guidelines.
COPE Retraction Guidelines
- Clear evidence that findings are unreliable (misconduct or honest error).
- Findings have been published elsewhere without proper justification (duplicate publication).
- Plagiarism or fraudulent authorship.
- Evidence of compromised peer review.
- Evidence of unethical research.
Journal Actions:
- Add a “retracted” watermark to the published version.
- Issue a separate retraction statement linked to the article.
- Make the retraction statement available in the online issue.
What should I do if my article contains an error?
Authors should notify us as soon as possible if they find errors in their published article, especially errors affecting data interpretation. It is the corresponding author's responsibility to ensure consensus among co-authors before requesting corrections or retractions.
To report errors or request corrections:
submit@bs.med.lyPost-Publication Notices
Corrections: Issued when an error affects interpretation of the article.
Expressions of Concern: Issued if an investigation is inconclusive but concerns are major.
Article Removal
Removal is rare and reserved for serious cases (e.g., content posing a risk, privacy violation, or court order). A removal notice replaces the article.
Updates and Discussions
Addenda: Notifications adding key information (not for fixing errors).
Comments: Short articles observing a published article, subject to peer review and response.
