Retraction, Correction, and Withdrawal Policy

The International Journal of Medical Case Reports (IJOMCR) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. This policy explains how IJOMCR handles post-publication changes, including corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, and withdrawals. Our procedures follow the guidelines and flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The Permanence of Published Work

Publication in IJOMCR is a permanent act. Once an article is published and assigned a volume, issue, and (where applicable) a DOI, it becomes part of the permanent scholarly record and is preserved indefinitely.

Readers, other researchers, and indexing databases rely on the stability of published content. For this reason, published articles are not removed from the journal except in rare and specific circumstances described below, and even then the article's citation and metadata remain discoverable.

Authors are strongly encouraged to consider their decision to publish carefully, and to confirm before submission that IJOMCR's scope, peer-review process, indexing, and standards meet their requirements and those of their institution.

Corrections (Errata)

Minor errors that do not affect the reliability, results, or conclusions of an article are addressed through a published Correction (Erratum).

Corrections are appropriate for:

• Typographical or spelling errors
• Errors in author names, affiliations, or the order of authors (with the written agreement of all authors)
• Minor factual or numerical errors that do not alter the article's conclusions
• Errors in figures, tables, or references
• Metadata or formatting errors

When a correction is issued, the original article remains available, and a linked Correction notice describes the change. The scholarly record is updated transparently, without removing or replacing the original work.

Authors who identify an error in their published work should notify the editorial office promptly with details of the required correction.

Retractions

Retraction is a serious action reserved for situations in which the published record must be corrected to protect scientific and ethical integrity. IJOMCR follows COPE guidelines in deciding whether retraction is warranted.

Grounds for retraction. IJOMCR will consider retracting an article where there is clear evidence of one or more of the following:

• Fabrication or falsification of data
• Plagiarism, including substantial overlap with previously published work
• Duplicate or redundant publication (the same work published elsewhere)
• Findings that are unreliable, whether due to major error, miscalculation, or experimental fault, in a way that materially affects the conclusions
• Research or publication ethics violations, including absence of required ethical approval, or absence of appropriate patient consent for publication of case details or identifying images
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest that materially affect the interpretation of the work
• Copyright infringement or other serious legal issues
• Manipulation of the peer-review process

Circumstances that do NOT justify retraction. Retraction is a mechanism for correcting the scientific record, not a means of un-publishing work for reasons unrelated to its validity. IJOMCR will not retract a published article on the following grounds:

• The author's institution requires publication in a different journal or in a specific index (for example, a requirement for a Scopus- or PubMed-indexed journal)
• The author has changed their mind about publishing, or is dissatisfied with the journal's indexing status, visibility, or metrics
• The author wishes to submit the same work to another journal
• Administrative, career, or personal preferences that arise after publication

Authors are responsible for verifying, before submission, that IJOMCR meets their institutional and personal requirements. A published article that is scientifically and ethically sound will remain published.

How Retractions Are Handled

When IJOMCR retracts an article, the process is transparent and follows COPE standards:

• A separate Retraction Notice is published, identifying the retracted article and stating the reason for retraction. The notice is freely available to all readers.
• The original article is retained and remains accessible at its original location and DOI. It is clearly marked as "RETRACTED," and links to the Retraction Notice.
• The article's metadata is updated to indicate its retracted status, so that indexing services and databases reflect the correction.
• Where appropriate, the authors' institution may be informed.

Retraction notices are issued by the journal. They do not require the agreement of all authors, though the authors' position is recorded where known.

Expressions of Concern

Where serious concerns are raised about a published article but an investigation is ongoing, inconclusive, or beyond the journal's ability to resolve definitively, IJOMCR may publish an Expression of Concern to alert readers while the matter is examined. If the investigation is later resolved, the Expression of Concern may be replaced by a Correction, a Retraction, or a statement of exoneration, as appropriate.

Withdrawal Before Publication

An author may request withdrawal of a manuscript before it has been formally published (that is, before it has been assigned to an issue and made publicly available). Withdrawal requests at the pre-publication stage are considered by the editorial office and are generally granted, provided the request is made promptly and in good faith.

Once an article has been formally published, it can no longer be withdrawn; the post-publication procedures described above apply instead.

Author Responsibilities

To support the integrity of the published record, authors are expected to:

• Verify, before submission, that IJOMCR's scope, standards, peer-review process, and indexing status meet their needs and their institution's requirements
• Ensure all authorship, funding, ethical approval, consent, and conflict-of-interest disclosures are complete and accurate before publication
• Notify the editorial office promptly of any error discovered in their own published work
• Understand that publication is a permanent act and that retraction is available only on the substantive grounds described in this policy

Requests, Complaints, and Appeals

Requests for correction or retraction, and any concerns regarding a published article, should be addressed in writing to the editorial office. Each request is assessed on its merits in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Editorial decisions on retraction are made following internal review and, where necessary, consultation with relevant experts or the authors' institutions. Where a party remains dissatisfied with the outcome of an internal review, the matter may be escalated to COPE for external guidance.

Contact

Correspondence regarding this policy should be directed to the editorial office at the email address listed on the journal's Contact page.