Corrections, Expressions of Concern, Retractions, and Manuscript Withdrawal Policy:

The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and the COPE Retraction Guidelines. Readers, authors, reviewers, and editors are encouraged to notify the Editorial Office if they identify errors, ethical concerns, or potential misconduct in published articles.

In cases requiring corrections, errata, or retractions, the journal is committed to timely action. Following the completion of investigation and editorial decision, corrections will normally be issued within one month. This ensures prompt rectification of the scholarly record while maintaining transparency, accountability, and adherence to COPE guidelines.

Where necessary, the journal will publish Corrections (Errata or Corrigenda), Expressions of Concern, Retractions, or, in exceptional circumstances, Removal Notices to ensure the integrity of the published literature. All such notices will be clearly identified, freely accessible, permanently linked to the original article, and published promptly after an appropriate editorial assessment or investigation.

The journal will ensure that all corrective notices are issued in a transparent, timely, and objective manner and are clearly distinguishable from the original published article.

(i) Correction (Erratum/Corrigendum)

A Correction is issued when an error is identified that does not invalidate the overall findings or conclusions of the published article. Examples include errors in author names, affiliations, figures, tables, minor numerical values, references, or formatting.

• An Erratum is published to correct errors introduced during the publication or production process. 
• A Corrigendum is published to correct errors made by the author(s). 

(ii) Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued when there is credible evidence that the reliability or integrity of a published article is in question, but a formal investigation is ongoing or the available evidence is inconclusive. The journal will update or replace the Expression of Concern following completion of the investigation, where appropriate.

(iii) Retraction

A Retraction will be issued when there is clear evidence that the findings of a published article are unreliable due to major error, research misconduct (including data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical research), or other serious breaches of publication ethics. Retraction notices will clearly state the reason for the retraction and will remain permanently linked to the original article. The original article will remain accessible as part of the scholarly record and will be clearly identified as retracted.

Retractions may be initiated by authors, journal editors, or the authors’ institutions in cases of proven misconduct, significant errors, or ethical concerns. The journal evaluates all retraction requests following COPE guidelines and ensures that decisions are made transparently, with appropriate notification to all parties involved.

(iv) Partial Retraction

In exceptional cases where only a specific part of an article is found to be unreliable while the remainder remains scientifically valid, the journal may issue a Partial Retraction. The notice will clearly identify the affected sections and explain the reasons for the partial retraction.

(v) Removal (Exceptional Circumstances)

Removal of a published article will occur only in exceptional circumstances, such as legal requirements, court orders, serious privacy violations, or situations where the published content poses a significant risk to public health or safety. In such cases, the bibliographic information (including the title, authors, publication details, and DOI) will remain available, together with a notice explaining the reason for removal.

(vi) Withdrawal of Manuscripts Before Publication

Authors may request withdrawal of their manuscript at any stage before publication by submitting a written request explaining the reason for withdrawal. Withdrawal requests submitted after peer review has commenced will be considered only in exceptional circumstances and must provide valid justification. The Editorial Office will consider such requests in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and COPE guidance. Once an article has been formally published, it cannot be withdrawn and any post-publication issues will be handled through the journal's Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction procedures, as appropriate.

The journal investigates all allegations of publication misconduct in accordance with the COPE Core Practices, COPE flowcharts, and relevant COPE guidance, and reserves the right to seek clarification from the authors, reviewers, editors, publishers, or the relevant institutions before making a final editorial decision.

Decisions regarding corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, removals, or manuscript withdrawals are made by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Editorial Board and, where appropriate, the Publisher, following a fair, objective, and evidence-based assessment.

Vii. Editorial independence

The journal upholds full editorial independence in all aspects of its operations. Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of scholarly merit, originality, and ethical standards, and are entirely independent of the publisher. Such decisions are not influenced by commercial, financial, or personal considerations. The editorial team ensures that all manuscripts are evaluated fairly and objectively, maintaining the integrity and credibility of the publication process in accordance with COPE principles.