Corrections

Correction Policy

JUMATISI issues corrections when an error or omission in a published article requires a transparent amendment, while the article remains substantially reliable overall. The handling of corrections is determined by the effect of the error on the article, rather than solely by whether the error originated from the authors or the journal.

1. WHEN A CORRECTION IS APPROPRIATE

Corrections may be issued in the following circumstances:

• Errors in values, labels, calculations, tables, figures, or supplementary materials that can be corrected without undermining the overall reliability of the article.

• Incorrect author information or approved changes to authorship in accordance with the applicable policy.

• Missing or inaccurate information regarding funding, competing interests, acknowledgments, or other declarations.

• Errors in references, source attribution, or factual statements that require public clarification.

• Limited issues whose effects on the scholarly record can be adequately addressed through a specific amendment or explanation.

Corrections must not be used to conceal research findings that are fundamentally unreliable. Significant changes to an article's conclusions must be assessed to determine whether a correction remains sufficient. Authorship eligibility and approval requirements are governed by the Authorship and Contributorship Policy.

2. REQUEST AND ASSESSMENT

Authors or readers may submit correction requests by providing the article DOI, the affected passage or item, the proposed amendment, and a relevant explanation with supporting evidence. Authors are required to promptly report any significant errors they discover after publication.

The responsible editor assesses the impact of the error on the article and may request responses from the authors or seek independent advice from qualified experts. If evidence indicates a broader research integrity concern, the assessment will proceed in accordance with the Research Integrity Investigation Policy.

Author agreement will be sought where appropriate. However, an author's disagreement does not prevent the publication of a correction necessary to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

3. CORRECTION NOTICE

A formal correction notice must identify the affected article, describe the error and the corresponding amendment, and explain any impact on the interpretation or conclusions of the research, where applicable.

The correction notice must be dated, clearly labelled, freely accessible, and linked to the affected article.

Minor typographical or technical errors that have no material impact on the article's content or interpretation may be addressed through an appropriate version note or administrative update. Substantive amendments must not be made silently.

Requests to correct an author's name, including name changes involving sensitive personal identity information, will be handled respectfully and with appropriate privacy safeguards. Public explanations must not unnecessarily disclose previous personal information or the reasons for the change.

Implementation: The Scholarly Record Updates Policy governs changes to article files, version identification, metadata, and the dissemination of correction notices.

Correction requests may be submitted via email to [email protected].

Retractions

Retraction Policy

Retraction is an action taken to inform readers that a publication is substantially unreliable or affected by a serious publication integrity issue that cannot be adequately resolved through correction. Its primary purpose is to protect the scholarly record, not to punish authors.

1. GROUNDS FOR RETRACTION

Retraction may be considered under the following circumstances:

• Clear evidence that research findings are unreliable due to major errors, fabrication, falsification, or materially inappropriate analysis.

• Substantial plagiarism or undisclosed redundant publication that compromises the integrity of the scholarly record.

• Unauthorized use of materials, infringement of rights, or other serious rights-related issues that cannot be adequately resolved through a more limited corrective measure.

• Serious ethical violations in the conduct of research.

• A compromised or manipulated evaluation or peer-review process that leaves no adequate basis for confidence in the validity of the publication.

• A major undisclosed competing interest that improperly influenced the interpretation or assessment of the research and cannot be adequately addressed through disclosure and correction.

Retraction may result from honest error as well as research misconduct or integrity violations. Decisions must be based on evidence supporting the assessment of the publication's reliability and integrity. Establishing personal intent is not always necessary before corrective action is taken to protect the scholarly record.

2. DECISION-MAKING SAFEGUARDS

The retraction decision is made by an authorized editor who has no conflict of interest, with support from the publisher in implementing the decision. Evidence assessment and opportunities for relevant parties to respond are conducted in accordance with the Research Integrity Investigation Policy.

Unsubstantiated allegations, authorship disputes alone, disagreement with a scientifically defensible interpretation, or errors that have been adequately resolved through correction do not normally constitute sufficient grounds for retraction.

Transparent disclosure of an article's prior publication as a preprint does not constitute redundant journal publication under the JUMATISI Preprint Policy.

Authors will normally be notified and given a reasonable opportunity to respond. Author agreement is not required when the available evidence warrants retraction. The protection of readers must not be delayed indefinitely because of a lack of response from relevant parties or an unresolved institutional process.

3. RETRACTION NOTICE

A retraction notice must clearly identify the article and its DOI, state who is issuing the retraction, explain the reasons for retraction based on the available evidence, and distinguish established findings from unresolved issues.

The authors' agreement or disagreement may be accurately recorded in the notice.

The wording of the notice must be factual and proportionate. Collective responsibility must not be inferred merely because multiple authors or articles are involved. Related cases may be examined together, but each affected article must have an adequate evidential basis to support its retraction.

The retraction notice must be dated, freely accessible, clearly labelled as a Retraction, and permanently linked to the affected article.

As a general rule, a retracted article remains available in the publication archive with a clear and unmistakable retraction status notice rather than being deleted from the archive. This approach preserves transparency and the integrity of the scholarly record.

Scholarly Record Handling: The Scholarly Record Updates Policy governs retraction labelling, metadata updates, exceptional removal, and article version history.

Retraction does not, in itself, revoke rights previously granted under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.