Post-Publication Corrections, Retractions, and Version Control Policy

1. Purpose and Scope

The American Scientific Publishing Group (ASPG) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, transparency, and permanence of the scholarly record.

This policy applies to all content published in ASPG journals, including research articles, review articles, editorials, corrections, addenda, expressions of concern, retraction notices, and other published materials.

ASPG recognizes that errors or concerns may be identified after publication. Post-publication changes will be handled transparently, proportionately, and in a manner that preserves the history and integrity of the published record.

2. Version of Record

The final published article is regarded as the Version of Record.

Once the Version of Record has been published, it will not be altered, replaced, or removed without an appropriate and documented editorial process. ASPG does not make undisclosed changes to published scholarly content.

Where a change is necessary, the nature and date of the change will be clearly indicated. Editorially significant changes will normally be documented through a separate post-publication notice linked to the original article.

The DOI assigned to the original article will remain active and will continue to resolve to the article landing page, including where the article has subsequently been corrected, updated, or retracted.

3. Reporting Post-Publication Errors or Concerns

Authors, readers, reviewers, editors, and institutions are encouraged to report suspected errors or concerns relating to published content.

Reports should include:

• The title and DOI of the article;

• A clear description of the error or concern;

• The location of the affected text, figure, table, data, or reference;

• Relevant evidence or supporting documentation; and

• The name and contact information of the person raising the concern.

Reports should be submitted to the ASPG editorial office at editorial@americaspg.com.

All credible concerns will receive an initial editorial assessment. Where necessary, the journal may contact the authors, reviewers, relevant institutions, research-integrity officers, data providers, or other appropriate parties.

The journal will distinguish between honest errors, differences in scholarly interpretation, and potential research or publication misconduct.

4. Minor Corrections

Minor errors that do not affect the interpretation, reliability, attribution, indexing, or conclusions of an article may be corrected directly in the online version.

Examples may include:

• Minor typographical or grammatical errors;

• Formatting or typesetting problems;

• Broken hyperlinks;

• Minor reference-formatting errors;

• Non-substantive display problems in tables or figures; and

• Minor metadata inaccuracies that do not affect authorship or scholarly attribution.

Such changes do not normally require a separate correction notice or DOI.

Where appropriate, the article history or landing page will identify the date and general nature of the change. Minor corrections must not be used to alter results, conclusions, authorship, data interpretation, or the substantive meaning of the article.

5. Formal Corrections

A formal correction will be issued when an error affects the presentation, interpretation, attribution, or accuracy of part of an article but does not invalidate the article’s principal findings or conclusions.

Depending on the source and nature of the error, the notice may be described as a:

• Correction;

• Erratum;

• Corrigendum; or

• Publisher Correction.

A formal correction notice will:

• Be published as a separate, citable document;

• Receive its own DOI;

• Clearly identify the original article and its DOI;

• Describe the error and the correction accurately;

• Identify the affected sections, figures, tables, data, or statements;

• State whether the conclusions of the article are affected;

• Be linked electronically to the original article; and

• Be registered in the relevant Crossref metadata.

The landing page of the original article will contain a prominent link to the correction notice. Where technically appropriate, the PDF and HTML versions may also be annotated to alert readers that a correction has been published.

The original scholarly record will not be silently overwritten.

6. Addenda and Clarifications

An addendum may be published when important information relevant to an article becomes available after publication but does not correct an error in the original work.

A clarification may be issued when wording or presentation in the original article could reasonably be misunderstood and additional explanation is needed.

Addenda and clarifications:

• Must not be used to introduce substantial new research that should undergo independent peer review;

• Will normally be published as separate documents;

• Will receive their own DOI where editorially significant;

• Will be linked to the original article; and

• Will clearly explain the reason for the additional information.

7. Metadata Corrections

Errors in bibliographic or indexing metadata may be corrected in the article record and resubmitted to relevant registration and indexing services.

Metadata corrections may include:

• Author-name spelling;

• Author affiliation;

• ORCID identifiers;

• Article title;

• Abstract;

• Keywords;

• Funding information;

• Volume, issue, page, or article number;

• Publication dates; and

• Reference metadata.

Corrections affecting authorship, contributor credit, or the identity of an author require appropriate documentary evidence and editorial approval.

A change to the author list after publication will not be made solely at the request of one author. ASPG may require written agreement from all listed authors and any author being added or removed. Where a dispute cannot be resolved, the journal may refer the matter to the authors’ institution or another appropriate authority.

8. Author Name Changes

ASPG will consider reasonable requests for author-name changes after publication, including changes relating to marriage, divorce, gender identity, religion, or other personal circumstances.

Such requests will be handled respectfully and, where appropriate, confidentially. A public correction notice may not be required where publication of the reason could unnecessarily disclose private or sensitive personal information.

Associated metadata will be updated where technically possible and submitted to relevant registration and indexing services.

9. Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be published when substantial and credible concerns have been raised about a published article but:

• The investigation has not been completed;

• The available evidence is inconclusive;

• An institutional investigation is pending or significantly delayed;

• The authors or institutions have not responded adequately; or

• An immediate warning to readers is necessary while further information is obtained.

An Expression of Concern will:

• Be published as a separate notice;

• Receive its own DOI;

• Be linked to the original article;

• Explain the nature of the concern without making unsupported allegations; and

• Be replaced or followed by an appropriate outcome when the investigation is completed.

Possible outcomes include correction, retraction, removal of the Expression of Concern, or publication of a statement confirming that the concerns were not substantiated.

10. Retractions

An article may be retracted when there is clear evidence that its findings or conclusions are unreliable or when the integrity of the publication has been seriously compromised.

Reasons for retraction may include:

• Major error that invalidates the findings;

• Data fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation;

• Plagiarism;

• Redundant or duplicate publication;

• Unethical research;

• Serious authorship or contributorship misconduct;

• Manipulation of peer review;

• Undisclosed conflicts of interest that materially affected the work;

• Copyright infringement;

• Publication without required authorization or consent; or

• Other serious breaches of research or publication integrity.

A retraction notice will:

• Be published promptly after an appropriate investigation;

• Be clearly identified as a retraction;

• Receive its own DOI;

• Identify and link to the retracted article;

• State the reason for the retraction;

• Indicate who is retracting the article;

• Distinguish honest error from misconduct where this can be established;

• Avoid defamatory, speculative, or unsupported statements; and

• Be freely accessible.

The retracted article will normally remain available to preserve the scholarly record. Its landing page and PDF will be clearly marked as retracted and linked to the retraction notice.

Retraction does not mean that the article DOI will be deleted or deactivated.

An article may be retracted even when one or more authors do not agree with the decision.

11. Partial Retractions

A partial retraction will be considered only when a clearly identifiable part of an article is unreliable while the remaining findings continue to be valid and useful.

Because partial retractions may create ambiguity, ASPG may instead determine that a full retraction followed by peer-reviewed republication is more appropriate.

Any partial retraction will clearly identify the affected content and explain which findings remain reliable.

12. Retraction and Republication

In exceptional cases, an article containing a major but unintentional error may be retracted and republished when:

• The central research question remains legitimate;

• The corrected work can be independently reviewed;

• The corrected findings remain scientifically valid;

• The changes are too extensive for an ordinary correction; and

• The republication is considered necessary to prevent confusion.

The retracted and republished versions will have separate DOI records and will be clearly linked. The republication will identify the changes made and explain the relationship between the two versions.

13. Withdrawal

Withdrawal normally applies to content that has been accepted or posted online but has not yet become the final Version of Record.

Withdrawal may be considered in cases such as:

• Accidental duplicate publication;

• Serious legal or ethical concerns identified before final publication;

• Publication without author authorization;

• Copyright infringement; or

• A major production error that makes the preliminary version unusable.

A published Version of Record will not ordinarily be withdrawn. Correction, retraction, or removal procedures will normally apply instead.

Where a withdrawal occurs, a record explaining the withdrawal will remain available wherever reasonably possible.

14. Removal of Published Content

Complete removal of published content is an exceptional action and will be considered only where continued public availability creates a serious legal, privacy, safety, or ethical risk.

Possible grounds may include:

• A binding court or regulatory order;

• Unlawful or defamatory content;

• Serious infringement of privacy or confidentiality;

• Content that creates an immediate and substantial risk of harm;

• Material published without legally required consent; or

• Copyright infringement that cannot be addressed through correction or retraction.

Where content is removed, the article DOI and landing page will normally be retained. The landing page will state that the content has been removed and provide a general explanation, except where legal or safety considerations prevent disclosure.

15. Version Control and DOI Management

ASPG maintains a clear distinction between:

• The original Version of Record;

• Minor corrected versions;

• Formal correction or update notices;

• Retracted content; and

• Materially revised or republished versions.

The DOI of the original article will not be deleted or transferred to a different work.

Minor non-substantive corrections may retain the original DOI.

Formal corrections, addenda, expressions of concern, retractions, and other editorially significant notices will normally receive separate DOIs and will be linked to the original article through Crossref metadata.

A substantially revised or republished work may receive a new DOI where it constitutes a distinct scholarly version.

The date and status of each significant update will be displayed on the relevant article landing page.

16. Crossmark and Article Status

ASPG supports transparent communication of post-publication changes through Crossref metadata.

Where the Crossmark button is displayed on an ASPG article, readers may use it to verify whether the article is current or whether a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other update has been registered.

Crossmark information will be maintained for all content to which the service is applied, not only for articles that have already been corrected or retracted.

The absence of a Crossmark update does not prevent ASPG from publishing a correction or other notice through the journal website and Crossref metadata.

17. Digital Preservation of Updated Content

ASPG seeks to ensure that the Version of Record and all associated post-publication notices remain permanently identifiable and accessible.

Where content is deposited with an independent digital-preservation service, ASPG will provide or make available relevant corrections, retraction notices, expressions of concern, updated metadata, and other post-publication status information in accordance with the technical arrangements of the preservation service.

Preservation copies will not be treated as a means of concealing or deleting the historical scholarly record.

18. Editorial Decisions and Appeals

Decisions concerning corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, withdrawals, or removals are made by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately appointed editor in consultation with the publisher and, where necessary, independent experts or institutional authorities.

Editors and staff members with a conflict of interest will not participate in the decision.

Authors will normally be given an opportunity to respond to material concerns before a final decision is made, except where immediate action is necessary for legal, ethical, or public-safety reasons.

An author or complainant may appeal a post-publication decision by providing a clear explanation and relevant new evidence. Appeals will be handled in accordance with the ASPG Appeals and Complaints Policy.

19. Transparency and Record Retention

ASPG will maintain appropriate records of post-publication reports, correspondence, evidence, editorial assessments, decisions, and published notices.

Information will be handled confidentially during an investigation and disclosed only where necessary for a fair and effective review.

Published correction, concern, and retraction notices will remain permanently accessible and will not be removed merely because a dispute has been resolved or because an author disagrees with the decision.

20. Contact

Questions, error reports, and post-publication concerns should be submitted to:

Editorial Office
American Scientific Publishing Group
Email: researchintegrity@americaspg.com

When contacting the editorial office, please include the article title, journal title, DOI, and a detailed description of the requested correction or reported concern.