Authors wishing to withdraw a manuscript before publication must contact the editorial office, identify the manuscript, and provide a clear reason. The request should reflect the agreement of all authors and becomes effective upon editorial confirmation.
A published article may be retracted when reliable evidence establishes serious problems that invalidate its findings or compromise publication integrity, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical conduct.
Retracted articles will normally remain accessible and be clearly marked as retracted. A publicly accessible retraction notice will identify the article, explain the reason, and indicate who is issuing the retraction. The notice and article will be linked.
A correction may be published when an error can be addressed without invalidating the article's principal findings. An expression of concern may be issued when serious concerns remain unresolved and a final conclusion cannot yet be reached.
