Retraction and Correction Policy

The International Journal of Legal Studies, Institutions, and Governance (IJLSIG) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, integrity, and transparency of the scholarly record. Editorial action under this policy is intended to protect readers and correct the scholarly record—not as a mere punishment against authors.

1. Purpose

The International Journal of Legal Studies, Institutions and Governance (IJLSIG) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, integrity, and transparency of the scholarly record.

This policy establishes the procedures for correcting, updating, expressing concern about, retracting, or, in exceptional circumstances, removing an article published by IJLSIG.

Editorial action under this policy is intended to protect readers and correct the scholarly record. A correction or retraction is not imposed merely as a punishment against an author.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all content published by IJLSIG, including:

1. research articles;
2. review articles;
3. conceptual or theoretical papers;
4. case notes and legislative reviews, where accepted;
5. editorials;
6. book reviews;
7. corrections;
8. addenda;
9. expressions of concern;
10. retraction notices; and
11. other scholarly content published by the journal.

The policy applies whether a concern is raised by an author, reviewer, editor, reader, institution, funding body, publisher, copyright holder, or another party.

3. General Principles

IJLSIG applies the following principles when considering post-publication action:

1. each concern will be assessed objectively, fairly, and confidentially;
2. the authors will normally be given an opportunity to respond;
3. the seriousness and effect of the error or misconduct will determine the appropriate action;
4. minor errors will not be treated in the same manner as errors that invalidate the article’s findings;
5. editorial actions will be proportionate to the nature of the problem;
6. the scholarly record will be preserved wherever reasonably possible;
7. notices will clearly identify the article and explain the reason for the editorial action;
8. corrections, expressions of concern, and retraction notices will be freely accessible;
9. the original publication will not be silently altered in a manner that could mislead readers; and
10. editorial decisions will be made independently from commercial, institutional, political, or personal influence.

4. Correction

A correction will be published where an error or omission affects the accuracy, interpretation, attribution, or completeness of an article but does not invalidate its principal findings or conclusions.

A correction may be appropriate where:

1. a limited factual error is identified;
2. a calculation, citation, or reference contains an error;
3. an author’s name, institutional affiliation, or ORCID iD is incorrect;
4. a contributor who satisfies the authorship requirements was omitted;
5. a person who does not satisfy the authorship requirements was included;
6. funding information or a conflict of interest declaration is incomplete;
7. a table, figure, image, or supplementary file contains a limited error;
8. a limited portion of text requires proper attribution;
9. a production or layout error affects the meaning of the published article; or
10. another limited error requires formal clarification.

A correction will not normally be issued for minor typographical, grammatical, formatting, or stylistic errors that do not affect the meaning, interpretation, attribution, or integrity of the article.

4.1. Author Correction

An Author Correction may be issued where an error originates from information provided by the author. The correction notice will identify the error and provide the corrected information. The notice will be linked electronically to the original article.

4.2. Publisher Correction

A Publisher Correction may be issued where an error occurs during copyediting, layout, metadata processing, online publication, or another production stage for which the journal or publisher is responsible. The correction notice will explain that the error occurred during the publication process.

5. Addendum

An addendum may be published where important information became available after publication and substantially assists readers in understanding the article but does not contradict or invalidate the original findings.

An addendum may include:

1. relevant methodological clarification;
2. supplementary data;
3. information concerning subsequent legal or institutional developments;
4. an additional disclosure;
5. clarification of the scope or limitations of the research; or
6. other information considered necessary by the Editor-in-Chief.

An addendum is subject to editorial assessment and, where appropriate, additional peer review. The addendum will be published as a separate document and linked to the original article. It must not be used to avoid issuing a correction or retraction where such action is required.

6. Retraction

An article may be retracted where there is clear evidence that its findings, analysis, or conclusions are unreliable or where a serious violation of publication ethics has occurred.

Retraction will not normally be appropriate where:

1. the principal findings remain reliable and a correction is sufficient;
2. only a change to the author list is required and there is no reason to question the findings;
3. the evidence of misconduct or unreliability remains inconclusive;
4. the author reports a minor error that does not affect the findings; or
5. the matter consists solely of a personal or academic disagreement without evidence affecting the integrity of the article.

7. Retraction Procedure

The retraction process may be initiated by the Editorial Team or following a report from another party. The process includes the following stages:

7.1. Preliminary Assessment

The Editorial Team will assess whether the concern is specific, supported by evidence, within policy scope, and affects publication ethics or reliability. Unfounded allegations may be dismissed.

7.2. Notification to Authors

Authors will be informed of the concern, supporting evidence, and procedure. Authors will normally be given 14 calendar days to respond.

7.3. Investigation

The Editorial Team may examine documentation, original data, legal materials, consult reviewers/experts, or contact institutions.

7.4. Editorial Decision

The final decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief. An author's refusal to agree will not prevent a justified retraction.

8. Retraction Notice

A retraction notice will be clearly identified, state reasons, cite the DOI, link to the original article, and be freely accessible. The original electronic article will ordinarily remain accessible to preserve the scholarly record, with every page clearly marked "Retracted".

9. Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be published where serious concerns exist about an article but available evidence is currently insufficient to justify an immediate correction or retraction (e.g., ongoing prolonged investigation or inconclusive evidence).

10. Article Withdrawal Before Final Publication

A manuscript accepted but not yet published as a final Version of Record may be withdrawn for serious errors, ethical violations, simultaneous submission, or upon a reasonable documented author request subject to Editor-in-Chief approval.

11. Article Removal

Removal of a published article is an exceptional measure considered only where continued public access creates a serious legal, safety, or privacy risk (e.g., court order, unlawful/defamatory material, severe privacy infringement). A notice replacing the text will explain the removal.

12. Replacement and Republication

In rare circumstances, an article with serious errors may be retracted and replaced with a corrected version where it fully addresses errors, remains academically valuable, and changes are transparently explained.

13. Requests for Correction or Retraction

Requests must include the article title, authors, DOI, clear explanation of the alleged error/concern, affected passages, and supporting evidence. Reporting identities will be treated confidentially.

14. Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors must promptly notify the Editorial Team of material errors and cooperate fully with investigations. Authors must not attempt to obstruct an investigation or provide false information.

15. Metadata and Indexing

IJLSIG will update landing pages, metadata, and PDF/HTML versions, preserve original DOIs, and notify indexing services to ensure publication history remains transparent and traceable.

16. Appeals

Appeals must be submitted in writing with supporting evidence within the period established under the IJLSIG Complaints and Appeals Policy. Appeals will be examined by an independent person not solely responsible for the original decision.

17. Relationship with Other IJLSIG Policies

This policy must be read together with: