Correction, Retraction, and Expression of Concern Policy
Post-publication action is intended to protect readers and preserve the integrity of the literature. It is not used merely as a punitive measure. Decisions are based on the nature, seriousness, and effect of the issue, the available evidence, and the need for a clear and durable public record.
Used when a limited error affects part of the article but the overall findings and conclusions remain substantially reliable.
Used when findings are unreliable, publication is seriously unethical, or the article should not continue to be relied upon.
Used when serious concerns exist but the evidence is incomplete, disputed, or still under investigation.
Used only when continued public display creates a serious legal, privacy, safety, or security risk that cannot be addressed by retraction alone.
A correction may be issued when an error or omission affects the article's accuracy, interpretation, attribution, or presentation but does not invalidate the article as a whole.
Retraction may be appropriate when the article is substantially unreliable or when serious ethical or publication misconduct affects the validity or legitimacy of publication.
A retraction notice should identify the article, state who is retracting it, explain the reason in clear and factual language, distinguish honest error from misconduct where possible, avoid defamatory or unsupported statements, and be freely accessible.
PJKM may issue an expression of concern when there is credible evidence of a potentially serious problem but the available information is inconclusive, an institutional investigation is incomplete, parties disagree materially about the evidence, or a final outcome is likely to be delayed.
An expression of concern is temporary and precautionary. It may later be replaced by a correction, retraction, or notice that no further action is required.
Complete removal of article content is reserved for exceptional circumstances, such as a binding legal order, severe privacy breach, immediate and substantial risk to public safety, unlawful confidential information, or content whose continued display would create serious harm that cannot be mitigated by correction or retraction.
The journal receives a correction request, allegation, complaint, institutional notice, or editorial concern.
The editor assesses credibility, seriousness, urgency, available evidence, and potential risk to readers or participants.
Authors may be asked for explanations, original data, ethics records, permissions, or supporting documents. Institutions or other competent bodies may be contacted when appropriate.
The journal may seek additional editorial, methodological, statistical, legal, or ethical advice.
The editor determines the appropriate action and publishes or updates the linked notice.
Notify the journal promptly of significant errors and cooperate honestly with post-publication review.
Assess concerns fairly, maintain confidentiality, seek evidence, and take proportionate action.
Support independent editorial decisions and ensure that notices, metadata, and article status are implemented correctly.
Provide specific, verifiable, and good-faith information when raising a concern.
PJKM will seek author input where appropriate, but author agreement is not required for a correction, expression of concern, or retraction when the evidence supports editorial action. If authors disagree, the notice may record that disagreement factually.
Post-publication notices should be assigned persistent identifiers where appropriate, linked to the affected article, and reflected in the article metadata. PJKM may notify Crossref, indexing services, repositories, aggregators, and preservation systems so that the article status is represented accurately across external platforms.
The journal will seek to resolve concerns without unnecessary delay. Complex matters may require institutional investigation or specialist advice. Where readers may be at risk of relying on potentially unreliable findings, PJKM may issue an interim expression of concern while the matter remains unresolved.
