Correction, Retraction, and Withdrawal Policy

The Journal of Education and Pedagogy (JEP) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the scholarly record. The journal may publish corrections, retract published articles, or allow the withdrawal of manuscripts when necessary to address errors, ethical concerns, or other circumstances that affect the integrity of the publication process.

1. Correction of Published Articles

A Correction may be issued when an error is identified in a published article that affects the accuracy or clarity of the article but does not invalidate its main findings, conclusions, or overall scholarly contribution.

Corrections may include, but are not limited to:

  • errors in author names, affiliations, or other bibliographic information;
  • typographical or formatting errors that affect the meaning of the article;
  • errors in tables, figures, data, or references that can be corrected without invalidating the main findings;
  • omissions or inaccuracies that require clarification; and
  • other substantive errors that do not warrant retraction.

When a correction is necessary, JEP will publish a Correction notice that clearly describes the error and the corresponding correction. The correction notice will be linked to the original article, and the article itself may be updated where appropriate while maintaining a transparent record of the change.

2. Retraction of Published Articles

A Retraction may be issued when an article is found to contain serious problems that substantially undermine the validity, reliability, or integrity of the published work.

Reasons for retraction may include, but are not limited to:

  • fabrication or falsification of research data or results;
  • substantial plagiarism;
  • serious ethical violations involving research participants;
  • substantial errors that invalidate the main findings or conclusions;
  • duplicate or redundant publication;
  • fraudulent or manipulated peer review;
  • serious authorship or publication-ethics violations;
  • unauthorized use of data, materials, or intellectual property; or
  • other circumstances that seriously compromise the integrity of the scholarly record.

Retraction does not necessarily imply misconduct by the authors. An article may be retracted because of an honest error, ethical concern, or other circumstances that substantially affect the reliability of the published work.

3. Retraction Procedure

A retraction may be initiated by the Editor-in-Chief, the Editorial Team, the authors, readers, reviewers, or the author's affiliated institution.

The following procedure may be applied:

  1. The Editorial Team conducts a preliminary assessment of the concern.
  2. The authors are contacted and given an opportunity to provide an explanation or supporting evidence.
  3. Where necessary, JEP may consult independent experts, reviewers, editors, or the relevant author's institution.
  4. The Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the Editorial Team, determines whether correction, retraction, or another action is appropriate.
  5. If retraction is warranted, JEP publishes a Retraction Notice explaining the reason for the retraction.
  6. The retracted article remains part of the scholarly record but is clearly marked as RETRACTED and linked to the retraction notice.
  7. The retraction notice and article remain accessible to preserve the transparency and integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal will not remove a published article from the journal website or the scholarly record except in exceptional circumstances, such as where the article contains illegal content or poses a serious risk to individuals.

4. Withdrawal of Manuscripts

Withdrawal refers to the removal of a manuscript before its formal publication.

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript during the editorial or peer-review process by submitting a written request to the Editorial Office. The request should include the manuscript title, manuscript ID, and the reason for withdrawal.

JEP may refuse a withdrawal request when the manuscript has already entered an advanced stage of production or when withdrawal is requested for inappropriate reasons, such as avoiding legitimate editorial or peer-review decisions.

If an author withdraws a manuscript after acceptance without a valid reason, or submits or publishes the same manuscript elsewhere while it is under consideration by JEP, the journal may take appropriate action in accordance with its publication-ethics policy.

5. Editorial Authority

The Editor-in-Chief has the final editorial authority to determine whether a published article should be corrected or retracted, taking into consideration the available evidence, the authors' responses, relevant ethical standards, and, where appropriate, recommendations from independent experts or the authors' institutions.

JEP aims to handle all correction, retraction, and withdrawal matters fairly, objectively, transparently, and confidentially.

6. Retraction and Correction Notices

All correction and retraction notices will:

  • clearly identify the affected article;
  • provide the article title, author(s), and publication information;
  • state the reason for the correction or retraction;
  • be linked to the original article; and
  • be publicly accessible to maintain the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record.

JEP follows recognized publication-ethics principles and may refer to the guidelines and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when handling corrections, retractions, and withdrawals.