Correction and Retraction Policy

Religious · Publication Ethics

Correction and Retraction Policy

Religious: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama dan Lintas Budaya is committed to maintaining an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record. When errors or integrity concerns arise after publication, the journal will assess the evidence and take appropriate, proportionate action.

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions serve to inform readers and protect the integrity of the literature. These actions are not intended as punishment, and retraction does not necessarily imply deliberate misconduct.

1. Reporting an Error or Concern

Authors must notify the editorial office promptly when they discover a significant error or integrity concern in their published work. Readers, reviewers, and other parties may also report concerns.

Reports should be submitted through the journal’s Contact page and should include:

The article title, author names, and DOI or article URL.
A clear description of the error or concern.
The affected passages, figures, tables, references, or other content.
Supporting evidence and, where possible, the proposed correction.
Any relevant competing interests of the person reporting the concern.

Anonymous reports will be assessed when they contain sufficiently specific and credible information. There is no fixed expiry date for reporting a substantive problem with a published article.

2. Corrections

A correction is appropriate when an error affects the accuracy, clarity, attribution, or interpretation of part of an article, but the principal findings and overall conclusions remain reliable. Errors introduced by either the authors or the journal may require correction.

Examples include:

Incorrect numerical values, labels, quotations, or references that do not invalidate the main conclusions.
Errors in tables or figures that can be corrected without undermining the study.
Omitted or inaccurate funding or conflict-of-interest declarations.
Incorrect author details or justified changes to attribution following appropriate assessment.
Production errors that materially affect the published content.

The correction notice will identify the article, explain the error, provide the corrected information, and state any implications for the findings or conclusions.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect meaning, attribution, discoverability, or interpretation may be addressed without a separate formal notice. Substantive amendments must not be made silently.

3. Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when significant questions about an article’s reliability or ethical integrity remain unresolved and readers need to be informed.

This may be appropriate when:

Available evidence raises substantial concerns but is not yet sufficient for a definitive conclusion.
An institutional or editorial inquiry is ongoing and a timely resolution is unlikely.
A relevant investigation cannot be completed or its fairness or adequacy is uncertain.

An expression of concern is not a finding of misconduct. It will describe the nature of the unresolved issue without presenting unverified allegations as established facts.

Once sufficient information becomes available, the journal will publish an update explaining the outcome, which may include a correction, retraction, or resolution of the concern. The notices will remain linked to preserve the history of the assessment.

4. Retractions

Retraction is appropriate when sufficiently established problems make the article unreliable or fundamentally compromise its publication integrity, and a correction would not adequately address the problem.

Grounds may include:

Unreliable findings resulting from fabrication, falsification, or a substantial honest error.
Substantial plagiarism or misappropriation of research content.
Redundant publication without appropriate disclosure, permission, or justification.
Serious ethical breaches affecting the research or its publication.
A compromised or manipulated peer-review process that undermines the basis for publication.
A major undisclosed competing interest that materially affects the interpretation or evaluation of the work.
Unauthorised use of materials or other serious publication problems that cannot be adequately resolved through correction.

Honest error may justify retraction even when no misconduct is established. Conversely, an authorship dispute, an omitted declaration, or disagreement with an article’s conclusions does not automatically justify retraction.

Authors may request retraction and provide their reasons. The final decision rests with the journal’s independent editorial assessment. Retraction may proceed without unanimous author agreement when the evidence warrants it.

5. Assessment and Decision-Making

An editor without a relevant conflict of interest will examine the concern and supporting evidence. The journal will normally contact the authors, explain the substantive issues, and provide a reasonable opportunity to respond.

Assessment may involve checking source materials, requesting relevant research records, seeking independent specialist advice, or consulting the authors’ institutions or other responsible bodies.

Requests for evidence will respect legitimate confidentiality and participant-protection requirements. Formal investigations into individual misconduct may be referred to the relevant institutions, while the journal retains responsibility for decisions about its published record.

The journal will consider the evidence, the authors’ explanations, and any relevant investigation findings. It may act to protect the scholarly record without waiting indefinitely for an external investigation when the available evidence is sufficient.

Failure to respond is not itself proof of misconduct. Decisions may nevertheless be made on the available evidence when substantial concerns remain unresolved.

Cases involving an editor will be handled independently. If the Editor-in-Chief is implicated, the publisher will arrange an independent editor or adviser.

6. Notices and Preservation of the Record

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retraction notices will be publicly accessible, clearly labelled, dated, and linked to the affected article.

A retraction notice will identify:

The retracted article, including its title and DOI or other identifying details.
Who is issuing the retraction.
The reasons for the action and its basis in the available evidence.
The authors’ agreement or disagreement, where known and relevant.

Notices will use factual, neutral language and avoid unnecessary disclosure of personal or confidential information.

Retraction normally preserves the article as part of the scholarly record. The article page and available full-text versions will be clearly marked as retracted and linked to the retraction notice.

When corrected files are issued, the changes will be documented and linked to the correction notice. The journal will maintain an identifiable record of substantive amendments.

Relevant metadata will be updated, and indexing, dissemination, and preservation services will be notified or supplied with updated records where supported. Display of those changes on external services may depend on their own processing procedures.

7. Exceptional Content Removal

Removing published content is exceptional and is distinct from retraction. It may be considered where continued public availability creates a serious privacy or safety risk, or where removal is required by a binding legal obligation.

Any restriction will be limited to what is necessary. Where possible, the article’s bibliographic record will remain available with a notice explaining why some or all content has been removed.

Requests to remove content will not be granted merely to conceal errors, criticism, or an unfavourable editorial finding.

8. Appeals and Further Evidence

Authors or other affected parties may request reconsideration where there is material new evidence, a significant factual error, or a concern about the fairness of the assessment. Appeals should be submitted through the Contact page with a clear explanation and supporting documentation.

An editor or adviser who was not responsible for the disputed decision and has no relevant conflict of interest will assess the appeal. An appeal does not automatically suspend a notice needed to inform readers.

If new evidence changes the journal’s assessment, an explanatory update will be published and linked to the existing notices. Changes to an editorial notice will be made transparently.

Correction and Retraction Policy