Correction and Retraction

The Journal of Law & Social Politics (JLSP) takes seriously its responsibility to maintain the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record. The published version of an article is intended to be permanent; changes are made after publication only in the limited circumstances described below, and always through a transparent, documented process based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The editor is responsible for these decisions, constrained only by legal requirements concerning defamation, copyright, and plagiarism.

Corrections

Where a published article contains an error that should be recorded, JLSP issues a correction notice that is linked to the original article, while the original article itself remains available and unchanged. The type of notice depends on the source of the error:

• Corrigendum: for an error introduced by the author(s) that affects the record but not the overall findings (for example, an incorrect figure, table value, or author affiliation).
• Erratum: for an error introduced by the editor or publisher during production.

Each correction notice briefly describes the correction, notes any effect on the conclusions of the article, is made freely available to all readers, and is linked to the corrected article. Minor errors that do not affect the metadata, the scholarly meaning, or a reader's ability to understand the article (such as minor typographical errors) may be corrected at the editor's discretion without a formal notice. The original article is not removed.

Expressions of Concern

If a credible concern is raised about a published article, for example, regarding the reliability of its data or the conduct of the research, and the matter is unresolved or under investigation, the editors may publish an Expression of Concern linked to the article to alert readers while inquiries continue. It is replaced by a correction, a retraction, or a notice of resolution once the investigation concludes.

Retraction

A retraction is a notice that an article should no longer be regarded as part of the reliable scholarly record. JLSP will retract a published article where, for example, there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, whether from misconduct (such as data fabrication or falsification) or from honest error; where the work has been published previously without proper referencing, permission, or justification; where it constitutes plagiarism or redundant publication; or where it reports unethical research.

Retractions follow the COPE Retraction Guidelines and these mechanics:

• the authors are informed and given an opportunity to respond before a retraction decision is finalized;
• a retraction note titled "Retraction: [article title]" is published, linked to the retracted article, and made freely available to all readers;
• the note states the reason for the retraction and identifies who is responsible for the decision; if the authors do not all agree with the retraction, that is recorded in the note;
• to preserve the integrity of the record, the retracted article is not removed, but is clearly marked as retracted;
• a retraction may be issued by the authors themselves when they discover substantial errors, or by the editors or publisher where they conclude it is warranted.

Removal for legal reasons

In rare and extreme cases, for example, where an article is defamatory, infringes legal rights, is subject to a court order, or would otherwise create a serious legal risk, the publisher may remove the full text. In such cases the article's bibliographic information (title and authors) is retained to preserve the integrity of the record, and the full text is replaced with a notice explaining that the article has been removed for legal reasons.

Contact

Concerns about a published article, and requests for correction or retraction, should be directed to the editorial office through the journal's contact page. All correspondence is acknowledged, and the outcome is communicated to the parties involved. Matters relating to manuscripts not yet published are addressed in the journal's Withdrawal of Manuscript policy.