1. Purpose of this policy

The purpose of this Corrections and Retractions Policy is to explain how the Interdisciplinary Research Journal & Archives, also known as IRJAR, responds when published or submitted work requires correction, clarification, withdrawal, expression of concern, or retraction.

This policy applies to journal articles, books, book chapters, reviews, essays, special issues, archives, conference proceedings, metadata records, DOI-related records, author profiles, and other scholarly materials published or managed by IRJAR.

2. Core principles

IRJAR handles corrections and retractions according to principles of fairness, transparency, editorial independence, evidence-based review, and respect for the permanence of academic publishing.

3. Types of editorial actions

IRJAR may use different editorial actions depending on the nature, timing, and seriousness of the concern.

4. Corrections

A correction may be issued when a published work contains an error that should be fixed for accuracy, clarity, attribution, discoverability, or scholarly integrity, but the error does not invalidate the publication as a whole.

Corrections may be appropriate for:

• Incorrect author names, affiliations, biographies, ORCID iDs, or contact information.
• Errors in title, abstract, keywords, DOI metadata, page numbers, issue details, or citation information.
• Incorrect references, missing citations, incomplete bibliographic information, or broken DOI links.
• Errors in tables, figures, captions, charts, images, or appendices.
• Factual errors that require clarification but do not undermine the entire argument.
• Missing acknowledgements, funding information, ethics approval details, or conflict-of-interest disclosures.

5. Retractions

A retraction is a serious editorial action used when a publication should no longer be relied upon as part of the scholarly record. Retraction does not necessarily mean every author acted dishonestly; it means the published work contains a serious problem that affects its reliability, legality, originality, or ethical standing.

Retractions may be appropriate when there is evidence of:

• Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or duplicate publication.
• Fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or unreliable data.
• Major methodological or analytical errors that invalidate the findings.
• Unethical research involving participants, communities, interviews, private data, or sensitive information.
• Copyright infringement or unauthorized use of protected materials.
• False authorship, ghost authorship, forged approval, or serious authorship disputes.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest that seriously affect interpretation.
• Defamatory, unlawful, dangerous, or seriously misleading content.

A retraction notice should clearly identify the publication, explain the reason for retraction, and remain linked to the original publication record when possible.

6. Withdrawals before publication

Withdrawal may apply before final publication when an author requests removal from consideration, when a submission was made in error, when serious concerns are identified during review, or when IRJAR determines that the manuscript should not proceed.

A manuscript may be withdrawn when:

• The author formally requests withdrawal before publication.
• The manuscript is under review elsewhere without disclosure.
• Co-author approval is missing or disputed.
• Ethics approval, permission, or required documentation is unavailable.
• Serious plagiarism, copyright, or legal concerns arise before publication.
• The author does not respond to essential editorial requests within a reasonable period.

Once a work is formally published, withdrawal is generally no longer the preferred term. Corrections, retractions, or removal notices may be more appropriate.

7. Expressions of concern

IRJAR may publish an expression of concern when serious questions have been raised about a publication but the evidence is not yet complete, the investigation is ongoing, or author/institutional responses are pending.

An expression of concern may be used when:

• There are credible allegations of research misconduct but the investigation is unresolved.
• There is uncertainty about data reliability, authorship, ethics approval, or permission.
• Legal, institutional, or editorial review is still in progress.
• Readers should be alerted while IRJAR gathers evidence.

An expression of concern may later be removed, replaced by a correction, replaced by a retraction notice, or updated with the outcome of the review.

8. Review process for correction or retraction concerns

IRJAR reviews correction and retraction concerns carefully. The process may vary depending on urgency, evidence, publication type, legal risk, privacy risk, and the seriousness of the issue.

9. Author response and fairness

IRJAR aims to treat authors fairly when correction or retraction concerns arise. Unless the matter involves urgent legal, safety, privacy, or ethical risk, authors should normally be given an opportunity to respond before a major editorial action is finalized.

Authors may be asked to provide:

• An explanation of the alleged error or concern.
• Original data, notes, ethics approval, or consent documentation.
• Proof of copyright permission or licence rights.
• Clarification of authorship, contribution, or co-author approval.
• Corrected metadata, references, tables, figures, or wording.
• A proposed correction statement or author response.

10. Publication record, DOI metadata, and archiving

IRJAR values the permanence and transparency of the scholarly record. When a correction, retraction, withdrawal, or expression of concern is issued, IRJAR may update the article page, PDF, metadata, archive entry, DOI-related record, table of contents, and relevant publication notices.

When possible, the original publication record should remain discoverable with a clear notice explaining the editorial action. This helps readers understand what changed and why.

Public notices may include:

• The title of the affected publication.
• Author name or publication metadata.
• The type of editorial action.
• The reason for the action.
• The date of the correction, concern, withdrawal, or retraction.
• A link to the corrected version, retraction notice, or updated record.

11. How to submit a correction or retraction request

Authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, or copyright holders may contact IRJAR if they believe a publication requires correction, clarification, withdrawal, expression of concern, or retraction.

Your request should include:

• Your full name and contact information.
• Your relationship to the publication, such as author, reader, reviewer, institution, or copyright holder.
• The title of the publication.
• The author name, DOI, URL, publication date, or issue information if available.
• A clear description of the concern.
• Specific location of the problem, such as page number, paragraph, table, figure, reference, or metadata field.
• Supporting evidence or documentation.
• The action requested, such as correction, metadata update, retraction review, or permission review.

12. Frequently asked questions

13. Contact for corrections and retractions

Questions about corrections, retractions, withdrawals, expressions of concern, copyright concerns, authorship disputes, metadata errors, or publication integrity should be directed to IRJAR.

IRJAR CORP.
Registered in Manitoba, Canada
Business Number: [IRJAR BUSINESS NUMBER]
Website: irjar.org
Email: support@irjar.org