Retraction, Withdrawal & Correction

Commitment to the Integrity of the Scholarly Record

MPR is committed to maintaining the integrity, reliability, transparency, and accuracy of published scholarly research.

The journal recognizes that errors, ethical concerns, and questions regarding research reliability may arise after publication. Such concerns are addressed through appropriate editorial procedures, including retractions, withdrawals, expressions of concern, corrections, and exceptional content removals.

Post-publication actions follow the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Retraction Guidelines (2025) and the NISO RP-45-2024: Communication of Retractions, Removals, and Expressions of Concern (CREC).

The purpose of these actions is to correct and protect the scholarly record, inform readers accurately, and maintain confidence in published research. Editorial action is based on the reliability of the publication and the available evidence rather than on punitive considerations.

Core Principle

Corrections and retractions are mechanisms for maintaining the accuracy of scholarly literature. A retraction may result from an honest error or research misconduct. The notice must distinguish these circumstances where the available evidence permits, without making unsupported allegations.

Retraction Published findings are unreliable or the work is seriously compromised.
Withdrawal An unpublished manuscript is withdrawn from editorial processing.
Expression of Concern Serious concerns remain unresolved or are under investigation.
Correction Significant errors require amendment while the main findings remain reliable.

1. Retractions

A retraction is issued when a published article contains seriously flawed, invalid, or unreliable research findings, or when serious publication-integrity violations compromise the scholarly record.

Retraction may be appropriate regardless of whether the underlying problem resulted from an honest mistake, research misconduct, or manipulation of the publication process.

Grounds for Retraction
  • Unreliable findings: Clear evidence of major analytical errors, miscalculations, data fabrication, falsification, or serious methodological problems that invalidate the findings or conclusions.
  • Plagiarism: Substantial unattributed use of another person's intellectual contributions, published work, evidence, or research findings.
  • Redundant publication: Previously published research presented as an original scholarly contribution without appropriate disclosure, attribution, or justification.
  • Unethical research: Serious violations of ethical requirements, participant consent, privacy protection, or required institutional approval.
  • Unauthorized material: Research involving data or documents used without necessary permission or in violation of applicable legal or ethical restrictions.
  • Publication manipulation: Evidence of fabricated peer review, manipulated reviewer identities, paper-mill activity, or other systematic interference with editorial procedures.
  • Undisclosed competing interests: Major conflicts of interest that materially compromise the credibility, interpretation, or editorial assessment of the research.
Requirements for Retraction Notices
  • The notice must be clearly identified as a Retraction.
  • It must clearly identify the affected article, including its title, authors, and publication details.
  • It must explain the reasons for retraction using objective and factual language.
  • It must identify who is retracting the article, such as the Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Team, publisher, or authors.
  • It must be freely accessible and permanently linked to the original publication.
  • The article and retraction notice must be cross-linked wherever technically possible.
  • The original article must be clearly marked as retracted on the journal website and in associated publication records.
  • The notice should be issued promptly once the decision is supported by sufficient evidence.
Important: Retraction is not normally appropriate where the main findings remain reliable and the identified problems can be adequately addressed through a correction. Authorship disputes alone do not automatically justify retraction when the reliability of the research is unaffected.

2. Manuscript Withdrawal & Exceptional Removal

Withdrawal and removal are distinct procedures. Manuscript withdrawal normally concerns work that has not yet been published, whereas the removal of already published content is considered only in exceptional circumstances.

2.1 Withdrawal Before Publication

Authors may request withdrawal of a submitted or accepted manuscript before it has been published online. Requests must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office with an appropriate explanation.

Withdrawal may be considered in circumstances such as:

  • Accidental duplicate submission or acceptance.
  • Discovery of significant errors invalidating the research.
  • Unresolved authorship or ethical concerns.
  • Other substantial reasons that justify discontinuing editorial processing.

Withdrawal becomes effective once confirmed in writing by the Editorial Office. If an accepted manuscript has already been assigned a publicly accessible record or DOI, the journal will preserve or update the relevant metadata and issue an appropriate notice where necessary.

2.2 Published Version of Record

An article made publicly available online as the definitive published version is part of the scholarly record, even when it has not yet been assigned to a journal issue.

Such an article should not ordinarily be withdrawn or deleted because of an author request, disagreement, or correctable error. Where published findings are unreliable, the appropriate mechanism is generally a retraction. Where the conclusions remain valid, a correction may be appropriate.

2.3 Exceptional Article Removal

Removal of published content is strongly discouraged and may be considered only in exceptional circumstances, including:

  • A binding legal requirement or court order.
  • A serious privacy or confidentiality violation that cannot be adequately resolved through a correction or restricted amendment.
  • Publication of highly sensitive information that creates a credible and substantial risk to personal safety or security.
  • Serious copyright or intellectual-property infringement requiring removal.

Where removal is necessary, the journal should retain a publicly accessible notice explaining the action to the extent legally and ethically possible. Article metadata, identifiers, and the relationship to the removed content should be preserved wherever appropriate and permitted.

3. Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued when serious questions arise about the integrity or reliability of a published article but sufficient evidence is not yet available to determine whether a correction or retraction is warranted.

Circumstances That May Justify an Expression of Concern
  • Credible allegations of research or publication misconduct are being investigated.
  • Evidence suggests that a published article may be unreliable, but verification remains incomplete.
  • An institutional investigation is significantly delayed or inconclusive.
  • Relevant institutions are unable or unwilling to provide necessary findings.
  • Serious unresolved questions concerning research data, analytical integrity, ethical compliance, or publication procedures may affect readers' interpretation of the article.
Editorial Status: An Expression of Concern does not constitute a finding of misconduct or a retraction. It informs readers about serious unresolved issues while further assessment continues.

Expressions of Concern must be clearly identified, freely accessible, dated, and linked to the affected article.

Once sufficient evidence is available, the Editorial Team will determine whether the concern should be followed by a correction, retraction, explanatory statement, or a notice resolving the concerns. Earlier notices will remain appropriately linked to preserve the editorial history.

4. Corrections (Errata & Corrigenda)

Corrections are issued when errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in a published article require amendment but do not invalidate the principal findings or overall conclusions.

A correction may be initiated by authors, editors, readers, or other parties who identify a substantiated error affecting the interpretation, transparency, or discoverability of the publication.

Examples of Correctable Errors
✓ Factual or numerical errors that do not invalidate the principal conclusions ✓ Incorrect figures, tables, or data presentation
✓ Missing funding or acknowledgment statements ✓ Errors in author names, affiliations, or other important metadata
✓ Missing or inaccurate ethical declarations ✓ Incomplete or incorrect conflict-of-interest information
Correction Procedures
A. Online-First Articles
For articles published online before assignment to an issue, necessary amendments must be recorded transparently. Changes affecting scholarly content require an identifiable dated correction statement or notice, with the original publication history preserved.
B. Articles Published in an Issue
For articles already assigned to a journal issue, substantive corrections should ordinarily be published through a separate correction notice, with clear links connecting the notice and the original article.
C. Minor Typographical Changes
Minor spelling, punctuation, or formatting errors that do not affect the meaning, interpretation, or discoverability of an article generally do not require a formal correction notice.
Transparency Requirement: Substantive changes to published content must not be made silently. Corrections should identify the information amended, the date of the action, and the relationship between the correction and the original publication.

5. Editorial Handling & Transparency

MPR evaluates post-publication concerns through a fair, confidential, evidence-based editorial process. Decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief or authorized Editorial Team, with independent advice where appropriate.

1
Concern Received
An author, reader, reviewer, institution, or other stakeholder submits a documented concern to the Editorial Office.
2
Preliminary Assessment
The Editorial Team examines the concern, the affected publication, and the supporting evidence to determine the appropriate course of action.
3
Author Clarification and Investigation
Relevant authors are ordinarily given an opportunity to respond. Where necessary, the Editorial Team may request original data, supporting documentation, institutional findings, or independent expert assessments.
4
Editorial Decision
The journal determines whether the matter requires no public amendment, a correction, an Expression of Concern, a retraction, or exceptional removal.
5
Publication and Record Maintenance
An appropriate notice is published where required, linked to the affected article, and reflected in relevant publication records and metadata wherever technically supported.
Required Information in Formal Notices
  • Type of notice: Retraction, Correction, Expression of Concern, Withdrawal, or Removal.
  • Full title of the affected article.
  • Name(s) of the article author(s).
  • Journal name, publication date, volume, issue, and other applicable bibliographic details.
  • Original article DOI or permanent URL.
  • Date of the editorial notice.
  • Clear and factual explanation of the reason for the action.
  • Identification of the responsible editorial party or requesting authors, as appropriate.
  • Permanent links connecting the notice and the affected publication where applicable.
Record Preservation: Formal post-publication notices must remain freely accessible. Where supported, article-status updates should be communicated through DOI metadata, relevant indexing services, and the journal's publishing platform to ensure that readers and scholarly databases can identify amendments to the publication record.

6. References & Governance

This policy is informed by internationally recognized publication-ethics guidelines and recommended practices for managing and communicating post-publication amendments.

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
COPE Retraction Guidelines, Version 3 (2025). Guidance on the grounds, procedures, and communication of retractions.
View COPE Retraction Guidelines →
National Information Standards Organization (NISO)
NISO RP-45-2024: Communication of Retractions, Removals, and Expressions of Concern (CREC). Recommended practice for publication-status metadata and communication.
View NISO CREC 2024 →
Wiley — Research Integrity & Publishing Ethics
Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics, including guidance on corrections, withdrawals, expressions of concern, and retractions.
View Publishing Ethics Guidelines →