1. The version of record
The version of record is the article as published in a numbered issue, with its DOI. Once an issue is published, its articles are not edited, replaced or withdrawn quietly. Any change to the scholarly content after publication is made through one of the notices below, each of which is itself a citable item, published open access, linked to the article in both directions, and deposited to Crossref so that indexing services learn of it.
2. Which notice applies
| Notice | When it is used | Effect on the article |
|---|---|---|
| Correction erratum or corrigendum | A discrete error that affects the record but not the reliability of the findings: a wrong number in a table, a mislabelled figure, an error in an author name or affiliation, a wrong citation, an omitted funding or competing-interest statement, or an error introduced in production. | The article stands. The notice states the error and the correction. Where production introduced the error, the journal says so. |
| Expression of concern | A credible concern exists about the reliability or conduct of the work, but the evidence is inconclusive, or an institutional investigation is under way and unresolved, or the journal cannot obtain the information it needs. | The article remains available and is linked to the notice. The notice is replaced by a correction, a retraction, or a statement that the concern was not substantiated, once the matter is resolved. |
| Retraction | The findings are unreliable, whether through honest error or misconduct; the work is plagiarised, duplicated or based on fabricated or falsified material; it reports unethical research; or it is otherwise so flawed that the conclusions cannot be relied upon. | The article remains available, clearly marked as retracted on every page and in its metadata. It is not deleted: readers who hold or cite it must be able to see what was published and why it was withdrawn. |
| Retract and republish | An honest error is so extensive that a correction cannot convey it, but a sound article can be produced from the same work. | The original is retracted and remains available; a corrected version is published with a new DOI, and the two are linked. |
| Removal | Used only where the law requires it, or where leaving the content available would create a serious risk — for example defamatory material, a court order, or content that identifies a research participant and endangers them. | Exceptional. The metadata and a statement of removal remain in place so that the citation still resolves; the reason is stated as far as the law allows. |
3. What every notice contains
- the title of the article concerned, its authors, and its DOI;
- a plain statement of what is wrong and, where known, how it arose;
- who raised the matter, in general terms, and who requested the notice — the authors, the editors, or the institution;
- which parts of the article are affected and which remain sound;
- the date of the notice, and a link to and from the article;
- its own DOI, and free access for every reader.
Notices are written so that a reader who finds only the notice, or only the article, can understand what happened. Blame is not assigned beyond what the evidence supports, and a retraction for honest error says so, so that the authors are not left under an implication of misconduct.
4. Who may request a change, and who decides
A correction or retraction may be requested by the authors, by a reader, by a reviewer, by an institution, or raised by the editors. Requests go to indonesiajournalsocialsciences@gmail.com with the article title, the DOI and the specific passage concerned.
The decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief, on scholarly and ethical grounds, after the authors have been given the opportunity to respond. The journal may retract an article without the authors’ agreement where the evidence requires it; in that case the notice states that the authors did not agree, or did not respond. Conversely, the journal will not retract an article merely because an author, an institution or a third party asks for it: a request to withdraw an article because its findings have become inconvenient is not a ground for retraction.
Where the concern arises from an allegation of misconduct, the procedure in Research Misconduct is followed first, and the notice reflects its outcome.
5. Timing
The journal acts without unnecessary delay once a matter is established, and does not leave a known error standing while a wider investigation continues — in that situation an expression of concern is published so that readers are not misled in the meantime. Where an institutional investigation is awaited, the journal says so in the notice rather than remaining silent.
6. Scholarly disagreement is not a correction
Disagreement with an article’s interpretation, method or conclusions is part of scholarship, not an error in the record. It belongs in Post-publication Discussion, where a comment may be submitted and the authors invited to reply. A correction or retraction addresses what is wrong, not what is contested.
7. Records and notification
Each notice, the evidence behind it and the correspondence are retained in the article file. The updated metadata is deposited to Crossref, and the services that harvest the journal are thereby informed. Where an article has been widely cited, the journal may also notify the services that indexed it. The preservation of the original alongside the notice is described in Electronic Archiving.
8. Standards followed
This policy follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines and the COPE Core Practices, and the requirements of Indonesian national journal accreditation. It is reviewed at least once a year.
Read together with Publication Ethics, Research Misconduct, Post-publication Discussion, Electronic Archiving and Plagiarism Policy.