Post-Publication Discussions, Corrections, and Retractions

Kirkuk Journal of Science (Kirkuk J. Sci.) permits post-publication debate via email to the editor on the journal's website. The Kirkuk J. Sci. also provides procedures for correcting, modifying, and retracting articles once they have been published.

 

Policy on Corrections

An inaccuracy that compromises the published paper's accuracy and the authors' reputation is called an erratum. Errata are published by Kirkuk J. Sci. when there is a significant error or factual omission in the methodologies, findings, or conclusions. To warrant an erratum, the scientific error must be significant enough to impact the article's scientific content and result interpretation. Erratum can be raised in the following cases,

• There was a missed-out table or figure.
• The explanation and mention of a figure or table were incorrect.
• A table containing incorrect results was included.
• An author is unintentionally left out.

 

Kirkuk J. Sci. will publish a notice of correction that will be linked to the original article when the errors considerably affect the content or understanding of the work reported (e.g., error in data presentation) or when the error affects the publication’s metadata (e.g., misspelling of an author’s name). Furthermore, Kirkuk J. Sci assumes authors inform the editorial office of any errors they have observed (or have been informed of) in their article once published.

 

Removal of Published Content

Kirkuk J. Sci. reserves the authority to remove a paper from its website in extreme circumstances. This occurs when:

• It causes an immediate and serious risk to safety and integrity if acted upon.
• Kirkuk J. Sci. is advised that content is libelous that contains false information about a method or a researcher.
• Infringes a third party’s intellectual property right, right to privacy, or another legal right;

 

Addenda

A notification to add information to a published paper is called an addendum. It should be noted that the supplements do not contradict the original publication and are not used to fix the error. For the errors, Kirkuk J. Sci.  will publish a correction notice. Actually, the author can publish an addendum if they need to update or add some important information. According to the Kirkuk J. Sci. policies, the addenda may be peer-reviewed and are normally subject to oversight by the editor of the research article.

 

Retractions

As is discussed in COPE’s Retraction Guidelines, retraction is a mechanism for correcting the literature and notifying readers of major concerns about the integrity, validity, or reliability of an article. Kirkuk J. Sci. will retract an article if the editors determine that issues that are not resolved in our discussions with the authors warrant retraction per COPE guidance. Kirkuk J. Sci. may also retract an article if we determine post-publication that an article does not adhere to key aspects of the journal’s requirements or editorial policies; or if there are image or data concerns for which the original raw data are not provided, not available, or not sufficient (per our editorial assessment) to address the issues. We may retract an article whether the issues have arisen due to honest error(s) or misconduct. In accordance with COPE guidance, Kirkuk J. Sci. does not adjudicate on intent or individual-level responsibility for issues raised, and we do not issue partial retractions. We will consider retracting an article where:

• The findings have previously been published elsewhere and the authors have failed to provide proper attribution to previous sources or disclosure to the editor, permission to republish, or justification (i.e. redundant publication).
• we have clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of major error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error), or as a result of fabrication (e.g., of data) or falsification (e.g., image manipulation).
• It contains material or data that the authors were not authorized to publish.
• There is evidence of compromised peer-review or systematic manipulation of the editorial process.
• The author(s) failed to disclose a major competing interest (a conflict of interest) that, in the view of the editor, would have materially affected interpretations of the work or recommendations by editors and/or peer reviewers.
• There is evidence or material concerns of authorship being sold.
• There is evidence of citation manipulation.

When retracting an article, the following practice will be used,

• A retraction notice titled “Retraction: [article title]” signed by the editor and, if appropriate, by the authors is published in a subsequent issue of the journal, is paginated and is listed in the table of contents.
• In the electronic version, a link is made between the retraction notice and the original article.
• The original article is retained unchanged except for a watermark on the .pdf indicating on each page that it is “retracted”.