Definition
A retraction is a public notice that a previously published article should no longer be relied upon. The article is not removed from the journal: it remains permanently identifiable in the published record and is clearly marked as retracted. The retraction may be initiated by the journal's editors or by the author(s) of the paper. However, since the editors are responsible for the journal's content, they always decide to retract the material. The journal editors may retract publications even if all or some authors refuse to retract the publication.
When should a publication be retracted?
Only published items can be retracted. Publications should be retracted as soon as possible when the journal editors are convinced that the publication is seriously flawed and misleading (or is redundant or plagiarized).
What Are the Compelling Reasons?
- Plagiarism
- Bogus claims of authorship
- Multiple submission
- Fraudulent use of data
- Infringements of professional, ethical codes
- Redundant publication
- Failure to disclose a significant competing interest
Expression of Concern
Where a concern about a published article is serious but unresolved — an investigation is inconclusive or still under way, or the available evidence is not sufficient to support a retraction — the journal publishes an Expression of Concern instead. It is linked to the original article, alerts readers that the reliability of the work is in question, and is itself replaced by a correction, a retraction, or a notice of resolution once the matter is settled. An Expression of Concern is not a finding of misconduct.
The recognised post-publication remedies are therefore correction, Expression of Concern, retraction and — only where a legal requirement such as defamation or a breach of privacy applies — removal. Withdrawal is not a post-publication remedy: it applies only before an article is finally published.
Should retraction be applied in cases of disputed authorship?
Authors sometimes request that articles be retracted when authorship is disputed after publication. Suppose there is no reason to doubt the validity of the findings or the reliability of the data. In that case, it is not appropriate to retract a publication solely for an authorship dispute. In such cases, the journal editor should inform those involved in the conflict that s/he cannot adjudicate in such cases. Still, they may be willing to publish a correction to the author/contributor list if the authors/contributors (or their institutions) provide appropriate proof that such a change is justified.
Article Retraction Process in Brieflands Journals
- A retraction note entitled "Retraction: [article title]" signed by the authors and/or the editor is published in the paginated part of a subsequent issue of the journal and listed in the contents list.
- In the electronic version, a link is made to the original article.
- The original article is retained unchanged, except for a watermark on the .pdf file version on each page to indicate that it is "retracted."
- The watermarked PDF remains the full text of record. It stays available in full, with “retracted” on every page.
- On the HTML page, the abstract remains and the article body is replaced by a statement that the article has been retracted. “[Retracted Article]” is added to the beginning of the title, and a working link to the retraction notice is shown.
- The original DOI keeps resolving, and the retraction notice and the article are linked to each other in both directions.
- Where the journal deposits in PubMed Central, the full text of the retracted article remains in PMC unchanged, carrying the retraction notice. The complete text therefore stays publicly retrievable there as well as in the watermarked PDF.
- This is deliberate: the body is replaced on the HTML page so that a reader who lands on it cannot mistake the retracted text for current findings, while the full text stays retrievable through the PDF and PMC for anyone examining what was retracted. See Withdrawal vs Retraction for the full comparison.
Retraction Fee
The retraction has no separate fee. The retraction notice itself is free to publish and free to read. A retracted article is a published article, and consequently "article acceptance fee" will be applied to retracted articles.