Corrections, Retractions & Post-publication Updates
Maintaining an accurate and transparent scholarly record after publication
QES Academic Press publisher-level policy and guidance.
Published content is corrected transparently when material errors or integrity concerns affect the scholarly record.
Corrections
Corrections are used for material errors that do not invalidate the main conclusions. Notices are clearly labelled, describe the change, and are linked bidirectionally with the affected article.
Retractions
Retraction may be appropriate when findings are unreliable because of major error or misconduct, research is unethical, publication is substantially redundant without disclosure, peer review has been compromised, or another serious problem makes the article unreliable. Retraction notices remain publicly accessible and explain the reason to the extent appropriate.
Expressions of concern
An expression of concern may be issued when credible serious concerns remain unresolved while an investigation is incomplete, inconclusive or delayed.
Withdrawal and removal
Before publication, withdrawal requests are handled according to journal workflow. Published articles are not ordinarily deleted; correction, retraction or an expression of concern is preferred. Removal is reserved for exceptional legal, privacy or safety circumstances and the bibliographic record should be preserved where possible.
Versioning
Material post-publication changes must be documented through a visible notice and version history where the publishing platform supports versioning. Silent replacement of substantive published content is not permitted.