Correction, Retraction, and Withdrawal Policy

Authors work carefully in preparing their manuscripts, and every submission to Journal Geram (Gerakan Aktif Menulis) passes through double-blind peer review. In rare cases, however, a published article may need to be corrected, retracted, or withdrawn for scientific or ethical reasons. This is never done lightly, and only under the circumstances set out below. The journal’s commitment is to maintain the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record for researchers, librarians, and readers, in line with the best practice of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Retraction

An article published in Journal Geram (Gerakan Aktif Menulis) will be considered for retraction if:

  • There is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of misconduct (for example, data fabrication) or honest error (for example, miscalculation or a flaw in the analysis).
  • The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission, or justification, that is, a case of redundant publication.
  • It constitutes plagiarism.
  • It reports unethical research.

To ensure that retractions follow publication best practice and the COPE retraction guidelines, the journal applies the following process:

  1. Report. An article requiring possible retraction is brought to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief. Reports may come from internal sources (editors and reviewers) or external sources (readers).
  2. Evaluation. Following the COPE flowcharts, the Editor-in-Chief works through the guidelines step by step, including evaluating a response from the article’s author(s).
  3. Decision. The final decision on whether to retract is communicated to the author(s) and, where necessary, to other relevant bodies such as the author’s institution.
  4. Notice. The retraction statement is posted online and published in the next available issue of the journal. The retracted article remains online, clearly marked as retracted, so that citations can still be traced.

Even though authors retain copyright in their article, they do not automatically have the right to revoke it after publication. The integrity of the published record is paramount, and the COPE retraction guidelines apply in such cases.

Withdrawal

Authors may withdraw an accepted article provided it has not yet been published in an issue and its DOI has not been activated. A withdrawal request is sent in writing to the Editor-in-Chief at [email protected], signed by all authors, and states the reason for the request.

Once the article has been published and its DOI is active, withdrawal is no longer possible. Authors who still wish to have the article removed must request a retraction, which is handled under the process above.

When an article is withdrawn, its PDF is removed and replaced with a notice stating only that the article has been withdrawn in accordance with this policy, together with a link to this page.

Correction

Journal Geram (Gerakan Aktif Menulis) will consider issuing a correction if:

  • A small part of an otherwise reliable publication reports flawed data or proves misleading, especially where this results from honest error.
  • The author list is incorrect, for example a contributor has been omitted, or someone who does not meet the authorship criteria has been included.

Corrections to peer-reviewed content fall into one of three categories:

  • Publisher correction (erratum)Notifies readers of a critical error made by the journal, usually during production, that affects the publication record, the scientific integrity of the article, or the reputation of the journal.
  • Author correction (corrigendum)Notifies readers of a critical error made by the authors that affects the publication record, the scientific integrity of the article, or the reputation of the authors or the journal.
  • AddendumAn addition to the article by its authors to explain inconsistencies, expand the existing work, or otherwise explain or update the information in the main work.

The Editor-in-Chief decides whether a correction should be issued, sometimes with advice from reviewers or members of the editorial board. The handling editor contacts the authors to request clarification, but the final decision on whether a correction is required, and of which type, rests with the Editor-in-Chief. After approval by all parties, the correction statement is posted online, linked to the version of record, and published in the next available issue.

Editorial note

Readers may need to be informed through an editorial note when there is a potential issue with an article that has not yet been resolved. For instance, if the journal learns that research or publishing misconduct may have occurred, or that there is a significant disagreement between the authors, or between the authors and third parties, an editorial note may be published. It normally remains in place while further inquiries are made, until a more permanent resolution is reached, such as a corrected version or a retraction.

Expression of concern

Where there are significant concerns about an article, but no concrete evidence yet supports an unambiguous retraction, the journal may, in exceptional circumstances, publish an expression of concern linked to the article. This may apply where:

  • There is ambiguous evidence of research misconduct or publication misbehaviour.
  • There is evidence that the article has problems, but the authors’ institution will not investigate the matter.
  • A misconduct investigation was not conducted fairly, or did not reach a conclusive outcome.

Further guidance: COPE Retraction Guidelines. Related policies: Allegations of Misconduct and Crossmark Policy.