Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern Policy

Purpose

The JSOMER is committed to maintaining the accuracy, transparency, accessibility, and integrity of the scholarly record.

Editorial responsibility continues after publication. When a published article contains an error, omission, misleading statement, unresolved integrity concern, or serious problem affecting the reliability of its findings, JSOMER may publish a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or another appropriate post-publication notice.

The purpose of post-publication action is to correct the scholarly record and provide readers with accurate and transparent information. It is not intended to punish authors. Retraction is appropriate when an article is so seriously flawed or unreliable that its findings or conclusions should not be relied upon.

This policy applies to all content published by JSOMER.

JSOMER considers corrections and post-publication integrity concerns regardless of how much time has passed since publication.

General Principles

JSOMER handles post-publication concerns according to the following principles:

concerns are assessed fairly, impartially, and confidentially;
decisions are based on available evidence rather than the status or reputation of the individuals involved;
authors are normally informed of material concerns and given a reasonable opportunity to respond;
an author’s disagreement does not prevent the journal from taking necessary action;
post-publication notices are published promptly after sufficient evidence becomes available;
notices clearly identify and link to the affected article;
notices are permanently and freely accessible;
the original scholarly record is preserved wherever possible;
corrections and notices are included in article metadata where technically possible;
conflicts of interest are disclosed and managed;
individuals with a conflict of interest do not decide the outcome; and
the journal distinguishes honest error from research or publication misconduct when the evidence permits.

All corrections, expressions of concern, retraction notices, and related post-publication notices will be freely accessible. COPE recommends that post-publication notices should not be placed behind a paywall because their purpose is to correct and protect the scholarly record.

Reporting a Post-Publication Concern

Authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, research integrity officers, funders, and other individuals may report a concern about published content.

Concerns should be sent to:

Journal of Social Media Research Editorial Office
Email: editor@jsomer.org

A report should include, where available:

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

Anonymous concerns may be considered when they contain specific, credible, and verifiable evidence. However, anonymity may limit the journal’s ability to request clarification or supporting information.

The journal will not dismiss a concern solely because it is submitted anonymously, informally, or by an individual without an institutional affiliation.

Concerns must be raised responsibly. Unsupported accusations, harassment, personal disputes, or complaints unrelated to the integrity of the published record may be declined without a formal investigation.

Preliminary Assessment

The Editor-in-Chief or an independent editor conducts a preliminary assessment to determine:

whether the concern falls within the journal’s responsibility;
whether the concern relates to accuracy, reliability, authorship, ethics, copyright, peer review, disclosure, or publication integrity;
whether the matter can be resolved through a minor update or requires a formal notice;
whether additional information is needed;
whether an immediate reader alert is necessary;
whether there is a relevant conflict of interest; and
whether another institution, publisher, journal, funder, or authority should be contacted.

A preliminary assessment does not determine that misconduct occurred.

The journal may request information from:

the authors;
reviewers;
handling editors;
Editorial Board members;
the publisher;
research institutions;
research integrity offices;
ethics committees;
funders;
data repositories;
other journals or publishers; or
independent subject, statistical, methodological, clinical, legal, or research-integrity specialists.

The journal will disclose confidential information only when necessary for a legitimate evaluation or investigation and subject to applicable ethical, legal, privacy, and data-protection requirements.

Corrections

4.1 When a Correction Is Appropriate

A correction may be published when an error or omission affects the accuracy, clarity, completeness, attribution, or interpretation of an article but does not invalidate its principal findings or conclusions.

Examples may include:

an error in an author’s name;
an incorrect or incomplete institutional affiliation;
an incorrect ORCID iD;
an omitted or incorrect funding acknowledgment;
an incomplete conflict-of-interest disclosure;
a mislabeled table, figure, or supplementary file;
a minor numerical or transcription error;
an error in a reference;
an omission that affects clarity but not the validity of the article;
a production or formatting error;
incorrect wording that could mislead readers;
a limited analytical error that does not invalidate the central findings; or
missing methodological information that can be added without changing the underlying study.

A correction is not appropriate when the identified problem makes the article’s findings or conclusions unreliable. In such cases, retraction or another action may be required.

4.2 Author and Publisher Errors

JSOMER may distinguish between:

Corrigendum: a correction addressing an error attributable primarily to the authors; and
Erratum: a correction addressing an error introduced primarily during editing, typesetting, production, or publication.

The journal may use the general title Correction for either type when a more detailed distinction is not necessary.

4.3 Minor Typographical or Formatting Errors

Minor typographical, grammatical, formatting, or layout errors that do not affect meaning, interpretation, attribution, discoverability, or the scholarly record may be corrected directly in the online article.

Such minor changes do not always require a separate correction notice. Where a direct update is made after publication, the journal may record the date and nature of the change when transparency requires it.

Silent changes must not be used to alter:

data;
findings;
interpretations;
authorship;
disclosures;
ethical statements;
figures;
tables;
conclusions; or
other substantively important content.

4.4 Correction Requests

Authors should report errors as soon as they become aware of them.

A correction request should:

identify the affected article;
specify the exact error;
provide the correct information;
explain whether the error affects other sections of the article;
explain whether the findings or conclusions are affected; and
include confirmation from all authors where the requested change concerns authorship or another material issue.

There is no seven-day limitation for reporting a substantive error. Concerns that may affect the accuracy or integrity of the scholarly record will be considered whenever they are identified.

4.5 Correction Procedure

After reviewing the request or concern, JSOMER may:

approve a correction;
request additional documentation;
seek independent expert advice;
determine that no correction is required;
determine that an expression of concern is appropriate;
initiate a retraction assessment; or
take another proportionate action.

A correction may be issued without the agreement of every author when the evidence establishes that correction is necessary to maintain an accurate scholarly record. Authors will normally be informed before publication of the notice and may be invited to comment on its wording.

4.6 Publication of a Correction

A formal correction notice should:

have a clear title;
identify the original article by title, authors, citation, and DOI;
describe the original error;
provide the corrected information;
explain whether the findings or conclusions are affected;
state who identified or was responsible for the error when relevant and appropriate;
be dated;
be freely accessible;
link to the original article; and
be linked from the original article.

Where technically possible, the correction should receive its own DOI and its metadata should be deposited with Crossref.

The original article should remain available. A clear notice should be added to the article record and, where technically possible, to the article PDF indicating that a correction has been published.

Author Name, Affiliation, and Authorship Corrections

Requests involving author names, affiliations, author order, addition or removal of authors, or changes to corresponding authorship require additional scrutiny.

5.1 Name or Affiliation Updates

A correction may be issued for:

misspelled author names;
incorrect institutional affiliations;
missing name components;
incorrect ORCID iDs; or
other metadata errors.

A change in an author’s institutional affiliation after the research was completed does not ordinarily justify replacing the historical affiliation in the article. A current address or explanatory note may be added where appropriate.

5.2 Authorship Changes

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after publication must include:

a detailed explanation;
the contribution of each affected individual;
written agreement from all listed and affected authors; and
any relevant institutional documentation.

Where agreement cannot be obtained or an authorship dispute exists, JSOMER may refer the matter to the relevant institution because journals are not normally positioned to adjudicate disputes concerning who performed the work.

A correction does not prevent further action if the authorship concern also raises questions about accountability, misrepresentation, or research misconduct.

Expressions of Concern

6.1 Purpose

An Expression of Concern is a public notice informing readers that significant and credible concerns have been raised about a published article, but the available evidence is not yet sufficient for a final correction or retraction decision.

An Expression of Concern is not a correction, retraction, or finding of misconduct.

It may be used as:

an interim notice while an investigation is ongoing;
a notice when relevant evidence is unavailable or delayed;
a notice when institutional or regulatory findings are pending;
a notice when authors have not supplied information necessary to resolve a serious concern; or
in limited circumstances, a final notice when the concern cannot be resolved conclusively.

COPE advises that an Expression of Concern may be appropriate when major and credible concerns exist but evidence remains unclear, a formal investigation is continuing, relevant information is unavailable, or resolution is unlikely for an extended period.

6.2 When JSOMER May Publish an Expression of Concern

JSOMER may publish an Expression of Concern when:

credible evidence suggests that the findings may be unreliable, but the matter remains unresolved;
an institutional, funder, regulatory, or ethics investigation is ongoing;
the journal cannot obtain data, documentation, ethics records, or other information necessary to complete its assessment;
there is a serious unresolved concern about authorship or accountability;
there is credible concern about data, images, analysis, research ethics, consent, peer review, or conflicts of interest;
the evidence is insufficient to justify retraction but substantial enough that readers should be alerted;
an investigation is likely to take a considerable amount of time;
authors or responsible institutions fail to respond adequately to a serious concern;
the integrity of a material part of the publication is uncertain; or
a breach of journal policy may affect the article’s reliability or interpretation but cannot yet be resolved.

An Expression of Concern will not be published merely because a person disagrees with an article’s conclusions, theoretical position, methodology, or interpretation.

6.3 Content of an Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern should:

clearly identify the affected article;
state the nature of the concern;
explain why the concern has not yet been resolved;
distinguish verified facts from allegations or unresolved questions;
avoid defamatory or speculative language;
identify the organization conducting an investigation where appropriate;
state whether the authors have been contacted;
state whether the authors agree or disagree where relevant;
be dated;
be freely accessible;
link to the affected article; and
be linked prominently from the affected article.

The notice should not state or imply that misconduct has been established unless a competent investigation has reached that conclusion.

6.4 Resolution of an Expression of Concern

When additional evidence becomes available, JSOMER will review the Expression of Concern.

The outcome may be:

removal of the concern through a dated resolution notice;
publication of a correction;
publication of a retraction;
replacement by another post-publication notice; or
retention of the Expression of Concern as the final outcome when resolution is not reasonably possible.

The original Expression of Concern should remain part of the publication history even when the matter is later resolved. Its status should be updated so that readers can understand the final outcome.

Retractions

7.1 Purpose

Retraction is a mechanism for identifying published content whose findings, conclusions, integrity, or publication process are so seriously compromised that the article should no longer be relied upon.

The purpose of a retraction is to correct the literature and protect the integrity of the scholarly record, not to punish authors.

A retraction may result from honest error, research misconduct, publication misconduct, or another problem that makes the article materially unreliable.

7.2 Grounds for Retraction

JSOMER may retract an article when there is clear or sufficiently persuasive evidence that:

the findings or conclusions are unreliable because of a major error;
data were fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or materially misrepresented;
images, figures, or other research materials were manipulated in a way that affects reliability;
the article contains substantial plagiarism;
the findings were previously published without appropriate attribution, permission, cross-referencing, or justification;
copyrighted material, confidential information, data, or other content was used without authorization;
the research was conducted unethically;
required ethics approval or informed consent was absent, invalid, or materially misrepresented;
authorship cannot be verified;
one or more authors were fabricated, impersonated, or included through material misrepresentation;
accountability for the research cannot be established;
peer review was compromised or manipulated;
fake reviewer identities or accounts were used;
the article resulted from a paper mill or another coordinated manipulation of the publication process;
citation manipulation materially affected the publication process;
a major undisclosed conflict of interest undermines the interpretation or evaluation of the work;
undisclosed or inappropriate use of artificial intelligence materially compromises the article’s reliability, originality, authorship, or accountability;
the article reports seriously unreliable clinical, medical, public-health, scientific, technological, or other information that could cause harm;
a systematic review or meta-analysis relies materially on research that has been retracted or corrected in a way that invalidates its conclusions; or
another serious problem means that the article’s findings or integrity cannot be trusted.

Current COPE guidance identifies major errors, unreliable findings, data or image irregularities, misrepresentation, unauthorized use of material or data, unethical research, compromised peer review, and material undisclosed conflicts as potential grounds for retraction. [publicatio...ethics.org], [calismatoplum.org]

7.3 When Retraction Is Not Normally Appropriate

Retraction is not normally appropriate when:

a limited error can be corrected without invalidating the principal findings;
an authorship dispute does not affect the reliability or integrity of the article;
the article contains a minor disclosure omission that can be corrected adequately;
there is only a difference of scholarly opinion;
a methodological limitation was already disclosed and does not invalidate the findings;
an author changes views after publication;
a complainant presents no credible supporting evidence; or
an unresolved concern can be addressed more proportionately through an Expression of Concern while further information is obtained.

7.4 Who May Initiate a Retraction

A retraction assessment may be initiated by:

one or more authors;
the Editor-in-Chief;
an assigned independent editor;
the publisher;
a reviewer;
a reader;
an institution;
a research integrity office;
an ethics committee;
a funder;
a regulatory authority;
another journal or publisher; or
another individual or organization presenting credible evidence.

Authors may request retraction, but the final decision rests with the journal’s authorized editorial decision-maker.

JSOMER may retract an article even when one or more authors disagree, fail to respond, or refuse to sign the retraction notice. Author consent is not required when the evidence demonstrates that retraction is necessary to protect the scholarly record.

Retraction Investigation and Decision Process

When a potential ground for retraction is identified, JSOMER will normally:

document the concern and supporting evidence;
identify and manage relevant conflicts of interest;
conduct a preliminary assessment;
notify the corresponding author and, where appropriate, all authors;
invite a response and supporting documentation;
examine the submission, peer-review, editorial, and production records;
seek independent expert advice where necessary;
contact relevant institutions, ethics committees, funders, repositories, journals, or other bodies where justified;
consider whether an interim Expression of Concern is needed;
evaluate the reliability of the article and the integrity of the publication process; and
make and document a reasoned decision.

Authors will normally be given a reasonable opportunity to respond. Failure to respond does not prevent the journal from reaching a decision based on the available evidence.

Where a concern involves an editor, Editorial Board member, reviewer, Guest Editor, or the publisher, the matter must be handled by an independent editor or independent panel without a relevant conflict of interest.

Where the Editor-in-Chief is an author of the affected article or otherwise has a conflict of interest, the Editor-in-Chief must not participate in the investigation or decision.

Retraction Notice

A retraction notice should:

be titled clearly as a retraction;
identify the retracted article by title, authors, citation, and DOI;
state the reason for the retraction;
explain which findings, data, or aspects are unreliable where possible;
distinguish honest error from misconduct when supported by evidence;
identify who is retracting the article;
state whether all, some, or none of the authors agree;
identify the investigating institution or authority where appropriate;
avoid defamatory, speculative, or unnecessary personal statements;
be published promptly;
be dated;
be freely accessible;
link to the retracted article; and
be linked prominently from the retracted article.

COPE advises that retraction notices should clearly identify and link to the affected article, explain why the retraction occurred, be issued promptly, and remain freely accessible. [publicatio...ethics.org], [calismatoplum.org]

Where technically possible, the retraction notice should receive its own DOI and be registered in Crossref metadata.

Treatment of a Retracted Article

A retracted article will normally remain available to preserve the historical scholarly record.

The article will be clearly marked as Retracted:

on the article landing page;
in the PDF;
in the HTML full text, where applicable;
in the issue table of contents;
in bibliographic metadata; and
in relevant indexing or discovery records where technically possible.

Every page of the PDF should carry a clear retraction watermark or notice without obscuring the original content unnecessarily.

The original DOI will continue to resolve to the article record, where the retraction status and retraction notice will be displayed prominently.

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

Partial Retraction

JSOMER will generally prefer a correction when a limited part of an article can be corrected without invalidating the remaining work.

A partial retraction may be considered only in exceptional circumstances where:

a clearly identifiable part of a multi-part article is unreliable;
the reliable and unreliable portions can be distinguished unambiguously;
the remaining article retains a valid and interpretable contribution; and
a correction alone would not communicate the seriousness of the problem adequately.

A partial retraction notice must identify precisely:

the affected data, analysis, figure, section, study, or conclusion;
the reason for the partial retraction;
the portions that remain reliable; and
the effect on the overall article.

A partial retraction must not be used when the unreliability affects the article’s central findings or overall conclusions. In such cases, full retraction is required.

Article Removal

Removal of a published article is distinct from retraction and will occur only in exceptional circumstances.

Removal may be considered when:

continued publication violates a final court order;
the content is unlawful;
the article contains seriously defamatory material;
publication creates a serious and immediate privacy or confidentiality risk;
the article contains information that could create a substantial and immediate risk of harm;
copyrighted content was published without authorization and cannot be addressed through correction;
the article reveals protected personal, health, security, or legally restricted information; or
removal is required by another compelling legal or safety reason.

Where an article is removed:

the bibliographic record should remain available where legally permissible;
the title, authors, citation, and DOI should remain visible where possible;
a removal notice should explain why the full text is unavailable;
the removal notice should be freely accessible; and
the decision and supporting documentation should be retained in the journal’s records.

Removal will not be used to conceal error, misconduct, criticism, controversy, or reputational harm.

Withdrawal Before Formal Publication

A manuscript that has not yet been formally published may be withdrawn from the editorial process.

Authors requesting withdrawal must:

submit the request in writing;
identify the manuscript;
explain the reason for withdrawal; and
confirm that all authors agree with the request.

The journal may continue to examine unresolved concerns involving:

duplicate submission;
authorship disputes;
research misconduct;
invalid ethics approval;
legal restrictions;
manipulation of peer review; or
another material integrity issue.

Once an article has been published online as the version of record, including publication ahead of issue assignment, it is regarded as published and is no longer eligible for ordinary manuscript withdrawal. A post-publication correction, retraction, Expression of Concern, or removal procedure must be used instead. COPE’s retraction guidance treats an online-first article as published once it has been posted publicly.

JSOMER does not charge authors a withdrawal fee.

Post-Publication Discussion and Scholarly Criticism

JSOMER welcomes responsible scholarly discussion concerning published articles.

Readers may submit:

a Letter to the Editor;
a formal commentary;
a correction request;
a methodological concern;
a replication-related observation; or
another evidence-based post-publication communication.

Submissions concerning published articles should:

identify the affected article;
state the concern clearly;
distinguish factual corrections from differences of scholarly interpretation;
provide relevant evidence;
avoid defamatory or personal language;
disclose conflicts of interest; and
comply with applicable confidentiality and ethical requirements.

Where appropriate, the authors of the original article may be invited to respond.

Scholarly disagreement does not, by itself, justify a correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction. Post-publication action is considered when the issue affects the article’s accuracy, reliability, ethical acceptability, transparency, or integrity.

Institutional and Third-Party Investigations

JSOMER is responsible for editorial decisions concerning its published articles, but the journal may not have the authority or resources to investigate every allegation of research misconduct fully.

Where appropriate, JSOMER may refer a matter to:

the authors’ institution;
a research integrity office;
an ethics committee;
a funder;
a regulatory authority;
a data repository;
another journal;
another publisher; or
another competent body.

The journal may request the findings or summary outcome of an external investigation.

JSOMER is not necessarily bound by an institution’s conclusion if the journal has credible evidence requiring a different action to protect the scholarly record. Likewise, the absence of an institutional finding does not prevent the journal from publishing a correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction when the available evidence justifies it.

Author Participation and Disagreement

Authors will normally be notified of a proposed material post-publication action and given an opportunity to:

respond to the concern;
provide data or documentation;
correct factual inaccuracies;
comment on the proposed notice; and
indicate agreement or disagreement.

Authors do not have the right to prevent an editorial action necessary to protect the scholarly record.

If authors disagree with a notice, the notice may state the disagreement accurately and neutrally.

Failure to respond will be documented and will not prevent the journal from proceeding.

Conflicts of Interest in Post-Publication Decisions

An editor must not handle a post-publication concern when the editor:

is an author of the affected article;
participated in the underlying research;
made the original editorial decision and has a conflict preventing independent review;
has a close personal, professional, institutional, supervisory, competitive, or financial relationship with an involved party; or
otherwise cannot provide an impartial assessment.

In such cases, responsibility will be transferred to an independent editor or appropriately qualified independent panel.

When the affected article is authored by the Editor-in-Chief, an Editorial Board member, reviewer, Guest Editor, or publisher, the relevant individual must have no involvement in:

assessment of the concern;
selection of advisers;
correspondence with institutions;
determination of the outcome;
drafting of the notice; or
publication of the final decision.

Appeals

An author or other directly affected party may appeal a post-publication decision when there is evidence that:

a material factual error affected the decision;
relevant evidence was not considered;
the procedure was not followed fairly;
a conflict of interest affected the outcome; or
the action taken was materially disproportionate to the evidence.

An appeal must:

identify the decision concerned;
state the specific grounds;
provide relevant supporting evidence;
avoid merely repeating previously considered arguments; and
be submitted within the period specified in the journal’s Complaints and Appeals Policy.

Where possible, the appeal will be assessed by an independent editor or panel not responsible for the original decision.

An appeal does not automatically suspend a correction, Expression of Concern, retraction, or other notice when delay could mislead readers or place the integrity of the literature at risk.

Metadata, Indexing, and Discoverability

Where technically possible, JSOMER will communicate post-publication changes through:

the article landing page;
the article PDF or HTML version;
the issue table of contents;
DOI and Crossref metadata;
OAI-PMH records;
indexing and abstracting services;
library discovery systems;
digital preservation services; and
other relevant scholarly communication infrastructures.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, retractions, and removal notices should be clearly labeled so that readers and automated systems can identify the status of the article.

A post-publication notice should be linked bidirectionally with the affected article wherever technically possible.

Version of Record

The formally published article constitutes the version of record.

JSOMER seeks to preserve the version of record and its publication history. Substantive changes will not normally be made by silently replacing the published version.

When a material change is necessary:

the change will be documented;
an appropriate notice will be published;
the original article will be linked to the notice;
the publication date or correction date will be recorded; and
relevant metadata will be updated where possible.

Minor technical changes that do not affect the scholarly meaning may be made without a formal notice, but they must not be used to conceal material alterations.

Timeliness

JSOMER seeks to handle post-publication concerns promptly while ensuring procedural fairness and careful assessment.

The time required will depend on:

the seriousness and complexity of the concern;
availability of evidence;
responsiveness of the authors;
need for independent expert advice;
involvement of institutions or external bodies;
legal or privacy considerations; and
whether a formal investigation is ongoing.

When a significant concern cannot be resolved promptly and readers may be misled in the interim, JSOMER may publish an Expression of Concern.

Retraction notices should be issued as soon as the editor is satisfied that the article is seriously unreliable or otherwise meets the criteria for retraction.

Recordkeeping and Confidentiality

JSOMER retains appropriate records concerning post-publication matters, including:

the original concern;
supporting evidence;
author responses;
editorial correspondence;
expert opinions;
institutional communications;
conflict-of-interest disclosures;
investigation outcomes;
decision records;
published notices; and
appeal documentation.

Access to confidential records is restricted to individuals with a legitimate role in the assessment or investigation.

The journal will balance confidentiality with the need to provide sufficient public information to explain and justify post-publication action.

The identities of complainants will not normally be disclosed without consent unless disclosure is legally required or necessary for a fair investigation.

Standard Notice Requirements

Every formal post-publication notice should, as applicable:

carry a clear and unambiguous title;
identify the affected article;
include the article title, author names, citation, and DOI;
explain the reason for the notice;
identify the sections or findings affected;
state whether the authors agree;
distinguish confirmed findings from unresolved concerns;
name the responsible editorial authority;
include the date of publication;
remain permanently and freely accessible;
link to the original article; and
be linked from the original article.

Notices must use objective, factual, proportionate, and nondefamatory language.

Policy Review

This policy is reviewed periodically to maintain consistency with:

the journal’s actual editorial and publishing practices;
the Peer Review Policy;
the Ethical Principles and Publication Policy;
the Authorship and Contributorship Policy;
the Artificial Intelligence Policy;
the Complaints and Appeals Policy;
the Digital Preservation and Archiving Policy;
the Special Issue Policy;
recognized standards of publication ethics; and
the requirements of relevant indexing, abstracting, and directory services.

Material changes will be dated and published transparently.

Contact

Concerns, correction requests, and questions concerning published content should be directed to:

JSOMER Editorial Office
Email: editor@jsomer.org
Website: https://jsomer.org

Please include the article title, DOI, a clear description of the concern, and any relevant supporting evidence.

Last updated: July 20, 2026

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern Policy

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