Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern Policy
Vestnik KazNMU is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. The journal follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and relevant international editorial standards when handling corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern.
1. Definitions
1.1 Correction (Erratum/Corrigendum): A notice that corrects errors that do not invalidate the overall results, interpretation, or conclusions of the article.
1.2 Retraction: A public notice that an article’s findings are unreliable or that the publication is seriously flawed. Retracted articles should not be relied upon as part of the scientific record.
1.3 Expression of Concern: A notice alerting readers to potentially serious problems affecting an article when an investigation is ongoing, evidence is inconclusive, or a final decision cannot yet be made.
1.4 Retraction with Republication: In exceptional cases involving major honest error, the journal may consider retraction with republication if the underlying science remains valid, the revised article undergoes further editorial and peer review assessment where appropriate, and full transparency about the changes is provided.
1.5 The journal does not normally issue partial retractions. If only part of an article is affected and the main conclusions remain reliable, the journal will normally issue a correction.
2. When a Correction Should Be Considered
2.1 The editors will consider a correction when: the article contains errors of fact, description, labeling, citation, data presentation, or authorship information that do not invalidate the main findings or conclusions; parts of the article require clarification, replacement, or amendment, but the work remains scientifically reliable overall; metadata, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding statements, conflict of interest disclosures, or similar publication details require amendment.
3. When Retraction Should Be Considered
3.1 The editors will consider retraction when there is clear evidence that: the findings are unreliable due to major error (for example, miscalculation, methodological failure, or experimental error) or misconduct (for example, fabrication, falsification, or deceptive image manipulation); the work involves plagiarism; the article constitutes redundant or duplicate publication, including undisclosed republication or undisclosed translated duplication; copyright has been infringed, or the article contains material or data used without permission, or there is another serious legal issue such as defamation or breach of confidentiality; the research is unethical or was conducted without appropriate ethical oversight where required; the article was published on the basis of a compromised or manipulated peer review or editorial process; a major undisclosed conflict of interest is identified that may have materially affected the interpretation, recommendations, or editorial decision.
4. When Retraction Is Generally Not Appropriate
4.1 Retraction is generally not appropriate if: authorship is disputed but there is no reason to doubt the reliability of the findings; the main conclusions remain reliable and a correction adequately resolves the issue; evidence is currently insufficient to justify retraction, or further information such as the outcome of an institutional investigation is still pending; a conflict of interest is disclosed after publication, but the editors determine that it did not materially affect interpretation, editorial evaluation, or conclusions.
5. When an Expression of Concern Should Be Issued
5.1 The editors may issue an Expression of Concern when: there are allegations of misconduct or serious error, but no clear proof is yet available; there are reasonable concerns about the reliability of the article, and the authors’ institution or other responsible body will not investigate or has not responded appropriately; the journal believes that an investigation is unlikely to be fair, impartial, or conclusive; an investigation is underway, but the outcome is not expected within a reasonable time.
5.2 An Expression of Concern is a temporary notice. Once sufficient evidence becomes available, the journal may replace it with a correction or retraction, or remove it if the concerns are not confirmed.
6. Redundant and Duplicate Publication
6.1 If redundant or duplicate publication is identified, the journal may publish a notice of redundant publication and, where appropriate, retract the duplicate version.
6.2 Later-published redundant versions will generally be retracted, with a clear explanation and citation of the original publication.
6.3 This policy does not preclude acceptable secondary publication or other prior dissemination that is transparently declared and permitted under the journal’s policies and applicable international editorial standards.
7. Correction and Retraction Notices, Article Marking, and Version Control
7.1 A correction, retraction, or expression of concern notice will be issued for each affected article and must: clearly identify the article by title, author(s), citation, and DOI; state the reason(s) and basis for the action in clear, reader-friendly language; state who is issuing the notice, such as the Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board, publisher, and/or author(s), as applicable.
7.2 Retracted articles must not be removed from the journal record except in exceptional legal, ethical, or public safety circumstances.
7.3 The original article will remain accessible but will be clearly labeled as Retracted and linked to the retraction notice.
7.4 The article PDF, HTML, and other available versions will be clearly marked or watermarked as Retracted, where applicable.
7.5 For corrections, the journal may publish an updated version of the article together with a clear description of the changes made.
7.6 Where technically feasible, prior versions of corrected articles will be retained in the journal archive, clearly marked where appropriate, and the most recent corrected version will be regarded as the current version of record for citation purposes.
7.7 The journal will take reasonable steps to ensure that indexing systems, metadata, and article records indicate the corrected, retracted, or flagged status of the publication and link the notice to the original article.
8. Decision-Making and Timing
8.1 The final decision to issue a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or retraction with republication is made by the Editor-in-Chief, with consultation of the Editorial Board where necessary.
8.2 Such actions should be taken as promptly as reasonably possible once the editors are satisfied that the relevant criteria are met.
8.3 If an institutional or external investigation is required and the outcome is pending, the journal may issue an Expression of Concern while awaiting the results.
9. Requests, Communication, and Cooperation
9.1 Requests for correction, retraction, or post-publication review may be initiated by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other relevant parties.
9.2 The journal will communicate with the author(s) and, where appropriate, with institutions, funders, or other responsible bodies in accordance with its editorial procedures and applicable ethical guidance.
9.3 Author agreement is not required for the journal to issue a correction, retraction, or expression of concern where the editors determine that such action is necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.