Correction and Retraction

Journal of Sustainability and Community Empowerment (JSCE) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and completeness of the scholarly record. Once an article has been published, changes to the published record are made only when there is a justified reason and in accordance with established publication ethics principles.

JSCE handles post-publication corrections and retractions transparently to ensure that the scholarly record remains reliable and that readers are clearly informed of any substantive changes.

Corrections

A correction may be issued when a published article contains an error or omission that does not invalidate the overall findings or conclusions but should be amended to ensure accuracy and clarity.

Corrections may concern, among other things:

  • factual information;
  • author names or affiliations;
  • data presentation;
  • tables or figures;
  • references;
  • methodological or descriptive information; or
  • other published information requiring formal amendment.

When a correction is issued:

  • the original article will remain part of the journal's scholarly record;
  • a formal correction notice will be published;
  • the correction notice will be linked to the original article;
  • the nature and reason for the correction will be clearly stated; and
  • where relevant, the corrected information will be identified clearly.

If a correction affects the interpretation, discussion, or conclusions of an article, this will be explicitly explained in the correction notice.

Retractions

A retraction may be issued when substantial concerns arise regarding the reliability, integrity, or ethical validity of a published article.

Reasons for retraction may include, but are not limited to:

  • clear evidence that the findings are unreliable because of serious error or research misconduct;
  • plagiarism or substantial unattributed overlap;
  • duplicate or redundant publication;
  • fabricated or falsified data or findings;
  • unauthorized use of data or research materials;
  • serious ethical violations involving human participants, animals, or other protected subjects; or
  • serious authorship or other publication ethics violations.

When an article is retracted:

  • the original article will generally remain accessible as part of the scholarly record;
  • a clear retraction notice will be published and linked to the original article;
  • the reason for the retraction will be stated clearly;
  • the relationship between the retraction notice and the original article will be clearly indicated; and
  • where appropriate, the notice will indicate whether the retraction was initiated by the authors, the editors, the publisher, or another relevant party.

A retracted article will not normally be removed from the journal website. Removal may be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as legal, ethical, or safety considerations. Where removal is necessary, bibliographic information about the article will be retained whenever possible.

Publisher Corrections

A publisher correction may be issued when an error is introduced during the editorial, typesetting, or publication process.

Examples include errors in:

  • article metadata;
  • article title;
  • author listing;
  • affiliation;
  • pagination;
  • publication information; or
  • other publication details that may affect citation accuracy or readers' understanding of the article.

Where necessary, JSCE may correct the published online version and publish a formal correction notice describing the change.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect the meaning, interpretation, discoverability, or citation of the article may be corrected by the editorial team without issuing a separate formal notice.

Article Replacement

In exceptional circumstances, an article may be replaced with a corrected version when a substantial production or publication error requires replacement in order to preserve the accuracy of the scholarly record.

When article replacement is considered necessary:

  • the corrected version will be clearly identified;
  • the date of the correction or replacement will be stated;
  • a formal notice will explain the reason for the replacement; and
  • the relationship between the original and corrected versions will remain transparent.

Article replacement will be used only in exceptional and editorially justified circumstances.

Post-Publication Responsibility

Authors are expected to promptly inform the Editor-in-Chief or Editorial Office if they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published article.

Concerns may also be raised by editors, reviewers, readers, institutions, or other relevant parties. JSCE will assess post-publication concerns carefully and may request clarification, supporting documentation, or information from relevant institutions when necessary.

Following assessment, the journal may take appropriate action, including publication of a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or another editorial action, depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

Editorial Basis

All correction and retraction decisions are made with the primary aim of preserving the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record.

JSCE applies its publication ethics policies when handling post-publication issues and may consult relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) where appropriate.

For questions or concerns regarding corrections, retractions, or other post-publication matters, please contact the JSCE Editorial Team.