Correction and Retraction
Correction and Retraction
Keeping the scholarly record accurate
Sophist corrects errors in published articles openly and promptly. Corrections, expressions of concern and retractions follow the COPE Retraction Guidelines, and every notice is linked to the original article so readers always see its current status.
✎
Erratum
Error made by the journal
↺
Corrigendum
Error made by the authors
!
Concern
Expression of concern while under investigation
✕
Retraction
Article withdrawn from the record
Types of Notice
1 Correction
Published when a small part of an otherwise reliable article is wrong, such as an author name, affiliation, figure, table or reference. It is called an erratum when the error came from the journal and a corrigendum when it came from the authors. The article is updated and the correction notice is linked to it.
2 Expression of Concern
Published when there is serious doubt about an article but the investigation is not yet complete, or the evidence is inconclusive. It is replaced by a correction or retraction, or removed, once the case is resolved.
3 Retraction
Published when the findings are unreliable because of major error or misconduct, or when the article is plagiarised, redundant, or violates ethical standards or copyright. The retraction notice states the reason and who requested it.
4 Withdrawal before publication
Authors may withdraw a manuscript before it is accepted by writing to the editor. After acceptance, withdrawal is possible only for serious reasons and with the editor's agreement.
Procedure
2
Assessment
The Editor-in-Chief reviews the evidence with the authors and, where needed, reviewers or the authors' institution.
3
Decision
The editor decides on the type of notice. Authors are informed before the notice is published.
4
Publication
The notice is published in the next issue, linked to the article, and the metadata are updated with Crossref.
How Notices Appear
Linked Every notice has its own page and is linked both ways with the original article.
Marked A retracted article stays online, with each page of the PDF marked "RETRACTED" and the reason shown on the article page.
Removal Content is removed only in rare legal cases, such as defamation or privacy violation; the bibliographic record and the reason for removal remain.
