Correction and Retraction Policy

Core Principles

IJTIMAIYA is committed to preserving the integrity, accuracy, and permanence of the scientific record. Once an article is published online, it is considered the final Version of Record (VoR). The journal strictly follows the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding post-publication corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.

Direct editing or silent replacement of published articles is strictly prohibited. Any necessary amendments will be executed through formal, citable notices linked directly to the original article via DOI.

Categories of Post-Publication Amendments

  1. A correction for errors introduced by the publisher during editing or production (e.g., layout errors, missing text, or misprinted tables) that do not alter the paper's scientific findings.
  2. A correction for honest mistakes made by the authors (e.g., a mislabeled figure or minor calculation error) that need fixing but do not invalidate the overall conclusions.
  3. A formal interim warning issued by the Editor-in-Chief while an active investigation into suspected research misconduct or serious data discrepancies is still ongoing.
  4. The complete cancellation of a published paper due to fatal scientific errors, plagiarism, data fabrication, or severe ethical violations that render the findings completely unreliable.

Criteria for Article Retraction

In accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines, IJTIMAIYA will issue an Article Retraction if:

  1. There is clear evidence that the main findings are unreliable due to major honest errors (e.g., calculation errors, experimental miscalculations) or fraudulent practices (data fabrication, falsification, image manipulation).
  2. The manuscript constitutes plagiarism or severe self-plagiarism (text recycling).
  3. The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission, or justification (duplicate publication).
  4. The research involves severe ethical breaches (e.g., lack of IRB approval, violation of human/animal subject protocols).
  5. The research contains undisclosed conflicts of interest that fundamentally undermine the validity of the work.

Retraction Protocols and Transparency

  1. The retracted article remains on the journal website to preserve the scientific record; it is never silently deleted.
  2. A permanent "RETRACTED" watermark is stamped across every page of the published PDF.
  3. A separate, citable Retraction Notice is published and cross-linked directly to the original paper via DOI.
  4. The notice clearly states who requested the retraction, the exact reasons behind it, and whether the authors agreed with the decision.

Exceptional Circumstances: Article Removal

In extremely rare and legal circumstances, an article may be completely removed from the online platform (Article Removal). Removal is restricted exclusively to cases where:

  1. The content is explicitly defamatory, infringes upon third-party legal rights, or violates court orders;
  2. Compliance with the published paper poses an immediate, severe health or safety hazard to the public; or
  3. The paper breaches personal privacy rights or contains unlawfully obtained confidential clinical data.

In such cases, the article text will be replaced with a single landing page explaining that the article has been removed for legal or safety reasons.