Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern
Principles
The Journal of Evidence-Based Medical Research recognises its responsibility to correct the scholarly record. All notices issued under this policy are published as citable items with their own DOI, are linked bidirectionally to the original article, are made freely available, and are deposited with Crossref so that the notice travels with the article wherever the metadata is indexed. The journal follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines.
Correction
A correction notice is issued where a portion of an otherwise reliable article is misleading, and the error does not affect the article's findings or conclusions. Examples include errors in author names or affiliations, funding statements, figure labelling, or numerical errors that do not alter the results.
The original article is not removed. A correction notice is published, and a prominent link to it is added to the article page.
Retraction
A retraction is issued where the findings of an article are unreliable, whether as a result of major error or of misconduct. Grounds for retraction include:
- clear evidence that findings are unreliable, whether from honest error (for example miscalculation or experimental error) or from research misconduct (fabrication or falsification of data);
- plagiarism;
- redundant publication;
- use of material or data without authorisation;
- copyright infringement or another serious legal issue;
- reporting of unethical research, including research conducted without required ethical approval or consent;
- manipulation of the peer review process;
- failure to disclose a major competing interest that would have materially affected interpretation.
Retracted articles are not removed from the website. The article remains accessible, is watermarked "RETRACTED" on every page of the PDF, is prefixed "RETRACTED:" in its title, and carries a prominent link to the retraction notice. The notice identifies who is retracting the article, states the reason clearly, distinguishes error from misconduct, and records whether all authors agreed to the retraction.
Partial retraction is used where only a defined portion of the findings is unreliable and the remainder is sound.
Expression of Concern
An Expression of Concern is published where the editors have well-founded concerns about an article but the available evidence is inconclusive; where an institutional investigation is under way and its outcome is awaited; or where such an investigation has been requested but will not be conducted fairly or its outcome not communicated.
An Expression of Concern is a provisional notice and is superseded by a correction, retraction or withdrawal of concern once the matter is resolved.
Removal
Articles are removed only in exceptional circumstances — where the article is defamatory, infringes legal rights, is subject to a court order, or where retention presents a serious health risk. Metadata (title, authors, citation) is retained, and a statement explaining the removal is displayed in place of the full text.
Article Versioning
Where the version of record is replaced (for example, correction of a significant production error), both versions remain accessible, are clearly dated, and the change is described.
Raising a Concern
Concerns about a published article may be sent to ethics@jebmr.com. Concerns are assessed regardless of the source, including anonymous notification, and regardless of elapsed time. The journal aims to acknowledge within 15 working days and to keep the person raising the concern informed of progress.
