Retraction and Correction Policy
The published record should be accurate and reliable. MJMS follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines. Published articles are never deleted; changes are made through dated, linked notices.
| Type | When it is used | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Correction (erratum / corrigendum) | An error that does not change the findings or conclusions (e.g. a wrong date, an author's affiliation, a table value). | A corrected version is published with a dated correction notice. The DOI metadata is updated. |
| Expression of concern | Serious concerns about an article while an investigation is ongoing, or when an investigation cannot reach a conclusion. | A notice is linked to the article. It is updated or removed when the investigation ends. |
| Retraction | Unreliable findings (error or misconduct), plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research (e.g. no ethics approval), peer-review manipulation, or major undisclosed conflicts of interest. | The article stays online, marked "RETRACTED" on every page, with a linked retraction notice explaining the reason and who requested it. |
| Removal | Only in exceptional legal cases or where the content poses a serious health risk. | The text is removed; the metadata and a notice explaining the reason remain. |
Who can request a change
Authors, readers, editors, institutions or the publisher can raise a concern by writing to [email protected]. Authors are expected to request a correction or retraction themselves when they find a significant error in their work.
Process
Each concern is investigated by the editors following COPE flowcharts. The authors are contacted and given a chance to respond. Decisions on retraction are made by the Editor-in-Chief. Correction and retraction notices are freely available, list the article's DOI, and are deposited with Crossref.
