Corrections & Retractions

Fundamental Scientific Reports in Multidisciplinary Areas (FSRMA) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record.

When errors, omissions, ethical concerns, or research-integrity issues are identified after publication, the journal will take appropriate action to correct the published record.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, FSRMA may publish a correction, erratum, corrigendum, expression of concern, or retraction.

The journal follows recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing and refers to relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when addressing post-publication concerns.

Corrections

A correction may be issued when an error is identified in a published article but the error does not invalidate the main findings or conclusions of the work.

Examples may include:

  • Errors in author names or affiliations.

  • Incorrect or incomplete funding information.

  • Errors in tables, figures, captions, or supplementary files.

  • Minor numerical or statistical errors that do not materially affect the conclusions.

  • Errors in references.

  • Missing acknowledgements or disclosures.

  • Other factual or production errors requiring correction.

Corrections will be published transparently and linked to the original article.

The original article should remain accessible as part of the scholarly record.

Where technically possible and appropriate, the article may also be updated with a clear indication that a correction has been issued.

Errata and Corrigenda

FSRMA may use the terms erratum or corrigendum where appropriate.

An erratum may be issued for an error introduced during the journal's production or publication process.

A corrigendum may be issued when authors identify an error in their published article that requires formal correction but does not invalidate the article's overall findings.

Regardless of terminology, the journal will aim to make the nature of the correction clear to readers.

Retractions

An article may be retracted when there is reliable evidence that its findings or content are seriously unreliable, invalid, unethical, or affected by substantial publication misconduct.

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

  • Fabrication or falsification of data.

  • Serious plagiarism.

  • Major errors that invalidate the findings or conclusions.

  • Duplicate or redundant publication without appropriate disclosure.

  • Manipulation or compromise of the peer-review process.

  • Unethical research involving human participants or animals.

  • Serious image or data manipulation.

  • Unauthorized use of data or material.

  • Serious authorship misconduct.

  • Copyright infringement.

  • Findings based on research that was conducted or reported in a seriously unethical manner.

  • Other circumstances where the reliability or integrity of the published article has been fundamentally compromised.

Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record and alert readers that the findings should not be relied upon.

Retraction should not be used solely as a punishment for authors.

Retraction Notices

When an article is retracted, FSRMA will publish a clear retraction notice.

The notice should, where legally and ethically appropriate:

  • Identify the retracted article.

  • State that the article has been retracted.

  • Explain the reason for the retraction.

  • Identify who initiated the retraction where appropriate.

  • Be clearly linked to the original article.

  • Be freely accessible to readers.

  • Include sufficient information to distinguish misconduct from honest error where possible.

Retraction notices should use neutral, factual, and non-defamatory language.

Treatment of Retracted Articles

A retracted article will normally remain available on the journal website in order to preserve the scholarly record.

The article should be clearly marked as Retracted.

Where technically feasible:

  • The HTML page should display a prominent retraction notice.

  • The PDF should be clearly marked or watermarked as retracted.

  • The retraction notice should link to the original article.

  • The original article should link to the retraction notice.

  • Article metadata should be updated to reflect the retracted status.

The journal will not normally delete or completely remove a retracted article.

Removal of Published Content

Complete removal of published content will occur only in exceptional circumstances.

Such circumstances may include situations involving:

  • Serious legal restrictions.

  • Defamatory content subject to legal requirements.

  • Court orders.

  • Serious privacy or confidentiality violations.

  • Content presenting an immediate and substantial risk of harm.

Where content must be removed, the journal will normally retain a bibliographic record and publish an explanatory notice where legally permitted.

Expressions of Concern

FSRMA may publish an Expression of Concern when substantial doubts exist about the integrity or reliability of an article but the available evidence is not yet sufficient to justify a correction or retraction.

An Expression of Concern may be appropriate when:

  • An investigation is ongoing.

  • Evidence concerning possible misconduct is inconclusive.

  • An author's institution has not completed an investigation.

  • Serious concerns have been raised but cannot yet be fully resolved.

  • There is reason to believe an investigation may take considerable time.

  • Relevant evidence cannot currently be obtained.

An Expression of Concern should be clearly linked to the affected article.

When the matter is resolved, the journal may subsequently issue a correction, retraction, or other appropriate notice.

Author-Initiated Retractions

Authors may request retraction if they discover a serious error or other problem that substantially undermines the reliability or validity of their published article.

A request from the authors does not automatically result in retraction.

The editorial team will assess the request and determine the appropriate action based on the available evidence and the need to maintain an accurate scholarly record.

Retraction Without Author Agreement

FSRMA may retract an article without the agreement of all authors when sufficient evidence demonstrates that retraction is necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal will make reasonable efforts to inform the authors and provide an opportunity to respond before final action, where appropriate.

An author's failure to respond does not prevent the journal from taking necessary editorial action.

Post-Publication Investigations

When a credible concern about a published article is received, FSRMA may initiate an investigation.

The process may include:

  • Reviewing the published article and relevant documentation.

  • Contacting the corresponding author and, where necessary, co-authors.

  • Requesting original data, images, ethics approvals, or supporting materials.

  • Consulting independent experts where appropriate.

  • Contacting an author's institution, research-integrity office, ethics committee, funder, or another journal where necessary.

  • Reviewing the editorial and peer-review record.

The journal will aim to handle investigations fairly, confidentially, and without unnecessary delay.

Honest Error and Misconduct

FSRMA distinguishes between honest errors and deliberate misconduct where evidence permits.

An honest error that materially affects the reliability of an article may still require correction or retraction, even if no misconduct occurred.

The primary purpose of post-publication action is to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

Partial Corrections

Where only a limited part of an article is incorrect and the central findings remain reliable, a correction may be more appropriate than retraction.

The correction should clearly identify:

  • What information was incorrect.

  • What the corrected information is.

  • Whether the correction affects the interpretation or conclusions of the article.

Changes in Authorship After Publication

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after publication will be considered carefully.

Authors may be required to provide:

  • A written explanation for the requested change.

  • Agreement from all affected authors.

  • Evidence supporting the proposed authorship change where necessary.

Where an authorship change is approved, a formal correction may be published.

Suspected authorship misconduct may be handled under the journal's Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy.

Updates to Funding, Conflict of Interest, or Ethics Statements

Material errors or omissions involving:

  • Funding declarations.

  • Conflicts of interest.

  • Ethical approval.

  • Informed consent.

  • Data availability.

  • Author contributions.

may require a formal correction or other editorial action.

The response will depend on whether the omission affects the reliability, interpretation, or ethical validity of the published research.

Version Control and Transparency

FSRMA aims to preserve a transparent publication record.

Substantive changes to published scholarly content should not normally be made silently.

Where a published article is materially corrected or otherwise changed, the journal should provide a clear notice indicating what was changed and why.

Routine technical corrections that do not alter scholarly meaning, such as minor formatting repairs, may not require a formal correction notice.

DOI and Article Record

Where an article has a DOI or other persistent identifier, that identifier should normally remain associated with the original scholarly record.

Correction and retraction notices may receive their own persistent identifiers where appropriate and should be linked electronically to the affected article.

The journal will seek to update relevant article metadata and indexing information when a correction or retraction occurs.

Notifications to Indexing and Abstracting Services

Where appropriate and technically possible, FSRMA will update or notify relevant indexing, abstracting, archiving, and metadata services regarding significant corrections or retractions.

This helps ensure that the article's current status is accurately reflected across scholarly databases.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors or other affected parties may raise concerns about a correction, retraction, or other post-publication decision in accordance with the journal's Complaints and Appeals Policy.

Appeals should provide a clear explanation and relevant supporting evidence.

Appeals do not automatically suspend necessary measures taken to protect the scholarly record.

Relationship with Other Journal Policies

This policy should be read together with FSRMA's:

  • Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy.

  • Plagiarism and Text Similarity Policy.

  • Conflict of Interest Policy.

  • Authorship and Contributorship Policy.

  • Data Sharing Policy.

  • Peer Review Policy.

  • Complaints and Appeals Policy.

  • Copyright and Licensing Policy.

FSRMA is committed to correcting the scholarly record promptly, transparently, and proportionately whenever reliable evidence demonstrates that published material requires correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction.