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:
Note: The errata section was updated in June 2024. Previously, this guide recommended updating the original article when publishing an erratum. It now proposes measures for the journal to take whether correcting the original or not.
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. When an erratum is published, the original article may or may not be updated to reflect the change. If your journal is indexed elsewhere, your decision to update the original article may depend on their policy. Whatever your approach it should be consistent across all platforms.
The erratum should have a title that indicates it is a correction and includes the full citation of the original article. Be sure to include the DOI of the original article in the citation.
For example:
OR
The main text of the erratum will describe the correction (what has been changed and, if you feel it is applicable, how the error occurred) and state whether the original has been updated to reflect the change.
For example:
Generally, when an erratum is issued due to an error by the journal’s editorial team, the author of the erratum is the journal’s editor. When the error was caused by the authors, those authors are also the authors for the erratum.
Publish the erratum in the next issue of the journal. If you choose to update the original, publish the erratum and then correct the original article.
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.