Editorial responsibility continues after publication. JSOMER considers corrections and integrity concerns for all published content regardless of the time elapsed since publication.

• Concerns are assessed fairly, impartially, confidentially, and on the available evidence.
• Authors are normally informed of material concerns and given a reasonable opportunity to respond.
• An author’s disagreement or failure to respond does not prevent necessary action.
• Notices are issued promptly after sufficient evidence becomes available.
• Formal notices identify and link to the affected article, remain permanently and freely accessible, and are reflected in metadata where technically possible.
• The original scholarly record is preserved wherever possible.
• Conflicts of interest are disclosed and managed, and conflicted persons do not decide the outcome.
• Honest error is distinguished from misconduct when the evidence permits.

The purpose of post-publication action is to correct and protect the scholarly record, not to punish authors.

Authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, integrity officers, funders, and other parties may report concerns to editor@jsomer.org.

• full citation, DOI, or URL of the affected article;
• a clear description of the concern;
• the relevant section, figure, table, data point, reference, or supplementary file;
• supporting documentation, evidence, or links;
• an explanation of how the issue may affect accuracy, reliability, ethics, transparency, or interpretation; and
• the reporter’s contact information where available.

Anonymous or informal concerns may be considered when they contain specific, credible, and verifiable information. Lack of institutional affiliation is not a reason for dismissal. Unsupported accusations, harassment, personal disputes, or matters unrelated to the published record may be declined.

The Editor-in-Chief or an independent editor determines whether the concern falls within the journal’s responsibility, what aspect of the article or publication process is affected, whether a minor update or formal notice may be required, whether further information is needed, whether readers require an immediate alert, and whether conflicts or external authorities are involved.

A preliminary assessment does not establish misconduct. JSOMER may request information from authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, ethics committees, funders, repositories, other journals or publishers, and independent subject, statistical, methodological, clinical, legal, or integrity specialists.

Confidential information is shared only when necessary for legitimate assessment and subject to applicable ethical, legal, privacy, and data-protection requirements.

A correction is appropriate when an error or omission affects accuracy, clarity, completeness, attribution, or interpretation but does not invalidate the article’s principal findings or conclusions.

• author-name, affiliation, ORCID, funding, or disclosure errors;
• mislabeled figures, tables, or supplementary files;
• limited numerical, transcription, reference, analytical, production, or formatting errors;
• wording that could mislead readers; and
• missing methodological information that can be added without changing the underlying study.

JSOMER may use Corrigendum for an author-attributable error, Erratum for a production-attributable error, or the general title Correction. Minor typographical or layout changes that do not affect meaning may be updated directly, but silent changes must not alter data, findings, interpretations, authorship, disclosures, ethics statements, visuals, tables, conclusions, or other substantive content.

A formal correction should identify the article and DOI, describe the error and corrected information, explain any effect on findings, be dated and freely accessible, and link bidirectionally with the article. Where possible, it receives a DOI and updated Crossref metadata.

Misspelled names, incorrect affiliations, missing name components, incorrect ORCID iDs, and comparable metadata errors may be corrected. A later change of affiliation does not ordinarily replace the historical affiliation; a current-address note may be added where appropriate.

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after publication require a detailed explanation, contribution information, written agreement from all listed and affected authors, and relevant institutional documentation. When agreement is unavailable or a dispute exists, JSOMER may refer the matter to the appropriate institution.

An authorship correction does not prevent further action when accountability, misrepresentation, or research misconduct is also at issue.

An Expression of Concern alerts readers to significant and credible unresolved concerns when the available evidence is not yet sufficient for a final correction or retraction decision. It is not itself a finding of misconduct.

It may be used during a continuing institutional or regulatory inquiry, when evidence or records are unavailable, when authors or institutions do not respond adequately, when resolution will be substantially delayed, or when the reliability of a material part of the article remains uncertain.

The notice should identify the article, describe the concern, explain why it remains unresolved, distinguish verified facts from allegations, avoid speculation, state relevant author or institutional involvement, be dated and freely accessible, and link bidirectionally with the article.

When further evidence becomes available, the notice may be resolved by a dated update, correction, retraction, replacement notice, or continued retention when conclusive resolution is not reasonably possible. The original notice remains part of the publication history.

Retraction identifies published content whose findings, conclusions, integrity, or publication process are so seriously compromised that the article should no longer be relied upon. Retraction may result from honest error, misconduct, or another problem that makes the work materially unreliable.

• major errors that invalidate findings or conclusions;
• fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or materially misrepresented data or images;
• substantial plagiarism, unauthorized reuse, or unreliable duplicate publication;
• unethical research, invalid or misrepresented ethics approval, or absent required consent;
• fabricated, unverifiable, or materially misrepresented authorship;
• compromised or manipulated peer review, fake reviewers, paper mills, or coordinated publication manipulation;
• material citation manipulation or undisclosed conflicts that undermine evaluation or interpretation;
• inappropriate or undisclosed AI use that materially compromises reliability, originality, authorship, or accountability;
• seriously unreliable information that may cause harm; and
• another serious problem that makes the findings or publication integrity untrustworthy.

Retraction is not normally appropriate for a correctable limited error, an authorship dispute that does not affect reliability, a minor correctable disclosure omission, scholarly disagreement, a disclosed limitation, an author’s later change of opinion, or an unsupported allegation.

A retraction assessment may be initiated by authors, editors, the publisher, reviewers, readers, institutions, ethics bodies, funders, regulators, other journals, or any party providing credible evidence.

1. Document the concern and preserve supporting evidence.
2. Identify and manage conflicts of interest.
3. Conduct a preliminary assessment.
4. Notify authors and invite a response and supporting records.
5. Examine submission, peer-review, editorial, and production files.
6. Seek independent expertise and external findings where necessary.
7. Consider whether an interim Expression of Concern is needed.
8. Evaluate article reliability and publication-process integrity.
9. Make and document a reasoned decision.

Author consent is not required when the evidence shows that retraction is necessary. Concerns involving an editor, Board member, reviewer, Guest Editor, publisher, or Editor-in-Chief must be handled independently.

A retraction notice should identify the article and DOI, state the reason, explain affected findings where possible, distinguish honest error from misconduct when supported, identify who is retracting the article, state author agreement or disagreement, avoid unnecessary or defamatory language, and remain dated, free, permanent, and bidirectionally linked.

The article normally remains available to preserve the historical record and is marked Retracted on the landing page, PDF, HTML, table of contents, metadata, and relevant discovery records where technically possible. Each PDF page should carry a clear notice without unnecessarily obscuring the original content. The original DOI continues to resolve to the marked article record.

The article must not be silently deleted or replaced merely because it has been retracted.

JSOMER generally prefers correction when a limited problem can be corrected without invalidating the remaining work. Partial retraction is exceptional and requires a clearly identifiable unreliable component, unambiguous separation from reliable portions, a valid remaining contribution, and a need for stronger communication than correction alone.

Full retraction is required when unreliability affects central findings or overall conclusions.

Article removal is distinct from retraction and is reserved for compelling legal or safety circumstances, including final court orders, unlawful or seriously defamatory content, immediate privacy or confidentiality risks, substantial immediate harm, irremediable copyright violations, or protected personal, health, security, or legally restricted information.

Where removal is necessary, the bibliographic record and DOI should remain visible where lawful, with a freely accessible removal notice. Removal must not conceal error, misconduct, criticism, controversy, or reputational harm.

A manuscript that has not been formally published may be withdrawn through a written request identifying the submission, explaining the reason, and confirming agreement of all authors.

Withdrawal does not prevent JSOMER from examining unresolved duplicate submission, authorship disputes, misconduct, invalid ethics approval, legal restrictions, peer-review manipulation, or another material integrity issue.

Once an article has been published online as the version of record, including ahead of issue assignment, ordinary withdrawal is no longer available. Correction, Expression of Concern, retraction, or removal procedures must be used. JSOMER charges no withdrawal fee.

JSOMER welcomes evidence-based Letters to the Editor, commentaries, correction requests, methodological concerns, replication observations, and other responsible scholarly criticism. Submissions should identify the article, state the issue clearly, distinguish factual correction from scholarly interpretation, provide evidence, avoid personal or defamatory language, disclose conflicts, and respect confidentiality and ethics.

Scholarly disagreement alone does not justify formal action. Action is considered when accuracy, reliability, ethical acceptability, transparency, or integrity is affected.

JSOMER may refer matters to institutions, integrity offices, ethics committees, funders, regulators, repositories, journals, publishers, or another competent body. External findings may inform but do not replace JSOMER’s responsibility for editorial action, and the absence of an institutional finding does not prevent justified correction, concern, or retraction.

Authors are normally notified of proposed material action and may respond, provide records, correct factual inaccuracies, comment on notice wording, and state agreement or disagreement. Authors cannot prevent action necessary to protect the record. Nonresponse may be documented.

An editor must recuse when involved in the article or research, unable to review an earlier decision independently, closely connected to an involved party, or otherwise conflicted. Articles involving the Editor-in-Chief, Board members, reviewers, Guest Editors, or publisher require fully independent assessment and notice preparation.

Directly affected parties may appeal when a material factual error, overlooked evidence, procedural unfairness, conflict of interest, or disproportionate action affected the outcome. Appeals follow the Complaints and Appeals Policy and do not automatically suspend a notice when delay could mislead readers or endanger the integrity of the literature.

Where technically possible, JSOMER communicates post-publication status through article pages, PDFs or HTML, tables of contents, DOI and Crossref metadata, OAI-PMH records, indexing services, library discovery systems, preservation services, and other scholarly infrastructures.

Formal notices must be clearly labeled and linked bidirectionally with the affected article. JSOMER preserves the version of record and its publication history; substantive content is not silently replaced.

When a material change is necessary, it is documented through an appropriate notice, relevant dates are recorded, and metadata are updated. Minor technical changes may be made without a formal notice only when scholarly meaning is unaffected.

JSOMER seeks prompt resolution while preserving careful assessment and procedural fairness. Time depends on complexity, evidence availability, author response, expert advice, external inquiries, legal or privacy considerations, and ongoing investigations. When delay could mislead readers, an Expression of Concern may be issued.

The journal retains concerns, evidence, author responses, correspondence, expert advice, institutional communications, conflict disclosures, findings, decisions, notices, and appeal records. Access is limited to persons with a legitimate role, while public notices provide sufficient information to explain editorial action.

• clear and unambiguous title;
• complete identification of the affected article and DOI;
• objective explanation of the reason and affected content;
• distinction between confirmed findings and unresolved concerns;
• author agreement or disagreement where relevant;
• responsible editorial authority and publication date;
• permanent and free accessibility; and
• links to and from the original article.

Notices must use factual, proportionate, and nondefamatory language.

This policy is reviewed periodically for consistency with JSOMER’s actual practices, peer review, ethical principles, authorship, artificial intelligence, complaints and appeals, preservation, special issues, recognized publication-ethics standards, and relevant indexing and directory requirements.

Material revisions are dated and disclosed transparently.