While errors in the publication record should be avoided if possible prior to publishing, journals should be proactive about implementing a policy to address potential corrections or retractions.
Necessity for corrections and retractions can arise from a number of sources, including:
Terminology and classification varies, but to help start the policy development conversation, it may be helpful to sort corrections and retractions into 3 major categories:
Errata are the most common form of correction to a published work. An erratum is published when the change to the original publication affects the article’s metadata or the article text’s meaning. Typically when an erratum is published, the original article is updated to reflect the change when possible.
The process of publishing an erratum and then correcting the original is:
For example:
Correction to: Edgar, B. D., & Willinsky, J. (2010). A Survey of the Scholarly Journals Using Open Journal Systems. OJS På Dansk, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.7146/ojssb.v1i1.2707
OR
Erratum to Edgar, B. D., & Willinsky, J. (2010). A Survey of the Scholarly Journals Using Open Journal Systems. OJS På Dansk, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.7146/ojssb.v1i1.2707
In Edgar, B. D., & Willinsky, J. (2010). A Survey of the Scholarly Journals Using Open Journal Systems. OJS På Dansk, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.7146/ojssb.v1i1.2707, the authors were listed in the incorrect order and the affiliation for an author was missing. The correct order of authors is John Willinsky, Brian D. Edgar. The affiliation for Brian D. Edgar is XYZ Institute. The original article has been updated to reflect this change.
Correction or retraction should be acted upon as soon as possible, to minimize the proliferation of the mistake. Develop procedures on how to handle corrections, identify individuals who will be responsible, and be prepared to prioritize this work.
Depending on how long an item has been published, it may have been included in indexing databases or crawled by search engines. Some indexing and abstracting services will require the journal to submit a request to make any changes to metadata. If your journal has been indexed, familiarize yourself with their procedures for how to submit updates for corrections. For example, see National Library of Medicine’s Errata Policy.
Your policy should also consider which types of corrections should remain “invisible,” and which types should be made transparent.
Author name changes should always be made as “invisible” as possible. For more details, see A vision for a more trans-inclusive publishing world, from COPE.
It is best practice to be transparent with substantive changes that impact the meaning of the work. Journals can include a statement highlighting the correction. If your journal is using OJS 3.2.x or later, the versioning feature is a helpful tool in managing corrections.
Retractions should always have a retraction notice, so that anyone who has cited or linked to the article can be informed. Once a retraction has occurred, all URLs and DOIs should point to the retraction notice.