Corrections, Retractions and Editorial Actions Policy

The International Journal of Human and Social Dynamics (IJHSD) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record. The journal may issue corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or other editorial notices when necessary to address errors, ethical concerns, or issues affecting the reliability or integrity of published content.

Editorial actions are taken independently of authors' affiliations, status, or ability to pay publication charges.

1. Corrections

A correction may be published when an error is identified in a published article that affects the accuracy, clarity, completeness, or presentation of the article but does not invalidate its principal findings or overall scholarly contribution.

Corrections may include, but are not limited to:

• author name or affiliation errors;
• errors in figures, tables, or captions;
• typographical or factual errors;
• incorrect or incomplete bibliographic information;
• errors in data presentation that do not alter the main conclusions; and
• other substantive errors that require formal amendment of the published record.

When a correction is necessary, IJHSD will publish a clearly identified correction notice and link it to the original article. Where appropriate, the original article will also contain a notice indicating that a correction has been issued.

The correction notice will describe the nature of the correction while maintaining transparency regarding the original publication.

2. Retractions

A published article may be retracted when there is reliable evidence that the article contains serious problems that substantially undermine the validity, reliability, or integrity of the published work.

Reasons for retraction may include:

• substantial errors that invalidate the findings or conclusions;
• fabrication or falsification of data;
• plagiarism or substantial unattributed copying;
• duplicate or redundant publication;
• substantial manipulation of the peer-review process;
• unethical research or serious violations of research ethics;
• serious undisclosed conflicts of interest that materially affected the research or publication;
• fraudulent authorship or substantial authorship misconduct;
• inappropriate manipulation of images, data, citations, or research results; or
• other circumstances that seriously compromise the integrity of the scholarly record.

A retraction does not automatically imply misconduct by the authors. The reason for the retraction will be stated clearly in the retraction notice.

3. Retraction Procedure

When a potential reason for retraction is identified, the journal will assess the concern and, where appropriate, communicate with the authors and relevant institutions or organizations.

The journal may request supporting information, explanations, research data, ethical approval documentation, or other relevant evidence.

Where an investigation is required, IJHSD may consult the authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other appropriate parties.

If retraction is determined to be necessary, the journal will publish a clearly identified retraction notice explaining the reason for the action.

The original article will normally remain accessible as part of the scholarly record but will be clearly marked as RETRACTED. The retraction notice will be permanently linked to the original article.

4. Expression of Concern

IJHSD may publish an Expression of Concern when there are substantial concerns about a published article but the available evidence is insufficient to make an immediate correction or retraction decision.

An Expression of Concern may be issued while an investigation by the journal, authors' institution, research organization, or another appropriate body is ongoing.

The notice will explain the nature of the concern and will remain linked to the affected article.

Once sufficient evidence becomes available, the journal may replace or supplement the Expression of Concern with a correction, retraction, or other appropriate editorial action.

5. Editorial Removal or Withdrawal

In exceptional circumstances, an article may be removed from the journal website where continued online availability creates a serious legal, ethical, privacy, or security risk that cannot reasonably be addressed through correction or retraction.

Such action will be taken only when necessary to protect individuals, comply with applicable legal requirements, or preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Where an article is removed, the journal will retain a bibliographic record and, where appropriate, publish an explanatory editorial notice.

6. Withdrawal of Manuscripts Before Publication

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before publication by contacting the editorial office.

A manuscript may be withdrawn by the journal before publication when serious ethical, legal, methodological, authorship, plagiarism, duplicate-submission, or research-integrity concerns are identified.

Once an article has been formally published, it will not normally be treated as a simple "withdrawal." Any necessary post-publication action will be handled through a correction, retraction, Expression of Concern, or other appropriate editorial notice.

7. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial action when they believe that the decision resulted from a significant factual error, procedural problem, or misunderstanding of the evidence.

Appeals should provide a clear explanation and supporting evidence where applicable.

Appeals will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriate independent editor who was not responsible for the original decision.

The journal may seek additional expert assessment where necessary.

8. Post-Publication Concerns

Readers, authors, reviewers, institutions, and other interested parties may notify IJHSD of potential errors or concerns relating to a published article.

Concerns should provide sufficient information and evidence to allow the journal to assess the matter.

The journal will evaluate credible concerns and determine whether further investigation or editorial action is warranted.

9. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions concerning corrections, retractions, Expressions of Concern, and other editorial actions are based on the integrity and reliability of the scholarly record.

Editorial actions are not influenced by:

• authors' nationality or institutional affiliation;
• academic position or reputation;
• financial considerations;
• publication charges;
• citation impact; or
• commercial or personal interests.

10. Transparency of Editorial Actions

All correction, retraction, and Expression of Concern notices will be clearly identified and linked to the relevant published article.

Where applicable, notices will include:

• the article title;
• author information;
• article DOI or persistent identifier;
• publication details;
• date of the editorial action; and
• a clear explanation of the reason for the action.

IJHSD will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the history of editorial actions remains permanently associated with the affected scholarly record.

11. Research Integrity Standards

IJHSD follows recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing and may refer to relevant guidance from organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when assessing publication-integrity concerns.