Policy on Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

The Jinnah Business Review (JBR) is dedicated to maintaining the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record. We recognize a responsibility to correct the record in a timely, transparent, and standardized manner when errors occur or when serious concerns about a publication's integrity arise. This policy outlines our procedures for issuing Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions, guided by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Corrections (Errata)

A Correction (or Erratum) is issued to correct a significant error or omission that affects the scientific interpretation of the article, its metadata, or the authorship, but where the scholarly integrity of the article as a whole remains intact.

1.1 Grounds for a Correction:

a) Honest errors in analysis, calculations, or data presentation.

b) Errors in the methodology that do not invalidate the main conclusions.

c) Omission of a significant but not fatal conflict of interest.

d) Accidental errors in authorship listing (e.g., a misspelled name or omitted contributor who meets authorship criteria).

1.2 Procedure:

a) The error can be identified by the authors, readers, reviewers, or editors.

b) The Editor-in-Chief will investigate the issue and determine the impact on the article's conclusions.

c) A formal, permanent "Notice of Correction" is published and linked bidirectionally to the original article.

d) The original article remains available in its published form, but it is also permanently linked to the correction notice.

2. Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern is an editorial notice to alert the readership to serious doubts about the integrity of a published article. It is used when an investigation into alleged misconduct is inconclusive, ongoing, or cannot be undertaken, but the concerns are too serious to wait for a final resolution.

2.1 Grounds for an Expression of Concern:

a) Inconclusive evidence of data fabrication, plagiarism, or other research misconduct.

b) Belief that the findings are unreliable, but the authors' institution is unwilling or unable to conduct a full investigation.

c) An ongoing investigation that may take a considerable amount of time to complete.

2.2 Procedure:

a) The Editor-in-Chief, upon advice from the Editorial Ethics and Appeals Committee, will draft an "Expression of Concern."

b) This notice is published and linked bidirectionally to the original article.

c) It will clearly state the nature of the concerns and that an investigation is ongoing or inconclusive.

d) Once a final determination is made, the Expression of Concern will be replaced by either a Correction or a Retraction notice.

3. Retractions

A Retraction is an act of removing a published article from the scholarly record. It is reserved for cases where the core findings are deemed unreliable, either due to misconduct or honest error.

3.1 Grounds for Retraction:

a) Clear evidence that the findings are unreliable due to:

I. Data fabrication or falsification.

II. Plagiarism (of text, ideas, or data).

III. Redundant publication.

b) Serious ethical violations (e.g., unauthorized use of data, unethical research practices).

c) Honest errors that fundamentally invalidate the article's central conclusions (e.g., a miscalculation that negates the results).

d) Failure to disclose a major competing interest that would have influenced the interpretation of the work.

3.2 Procedure:

a) The retraction process is initiated by the authors, readers, editors, or the authors' institution.

b) The Editor-in-Chief will investigate, following COPE flowcharts, which typically involves contacting the authors and their institution.

c) A formal "Notice of Retraction" is published. This notice:

i. Is clearly labeled as a retraction.

ii. Is linked bidirectionally to the original article.

iii. States the reason for the retraction in clear, unambiguous language.

iv. Identifies who is retracting the article (the authors, the Editor-in-Chief, or both).

d) The PDF of the original article remains available to readers, but it is watermarked "RETRACTED" on every page to prevent its unintended use.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

a) Editor-in-Chief: Has the final authority to issue Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions, acting on the advice of the Editorial Ethics and Appeals Committee.

b) Authors: Are expected to promptly notify the journal of any significant error in their work and cooperate fully in any investigation. Corresponding authors are responsible for ensuring all co-authors agree to a correction or retraction.

c) Readers and Institutions: Are encouraged to contact the Editor-in-Chief at jbr@cust.edu.pk if they have credible concerns about the integrity of a published article.

5. Transparency and Communication

All notices (Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions) will be:

a) Published in a new, citable issue of the journal.

b) Freely accessible to all readers.

c) Listed in the journal's Table of Contents.

d) Linked electronically to and from the original article.

e) Designed to minimize the chances of oblivious citation of retracted work.

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This policy is based on the guidelines and flowcharts provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which JBR fully endorses. Our primary goal is to preserve the trust in our journal and the scholarly record we curate.