Good Governance is committed to preserving the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record. In accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, particularly Core Practice 10: Post-publication discussions and corrections, the journal maintains procedures for correcting, revising, withdrawing, or retracting manuscripts and published articles when necessary. These procedures are intended to ensure that editorial decisions are based on appropriate evidence and that readers are informed of material changes affecting the scholarly record.

 

This policy establishes the procedures for handling corrections, retractions, and withdrawals involving manuscripts submitted to or published in Good Governance. It applies to authors, editors, reviewers, the publisher, and other parties who identify errors, research integrity concerns, or circumstances that may require an editorial action.

Consistent with COPE's Journal Audit guidance on post-publication discussions and corrections, the journal provides mechanisms for receiving requests, investigating concerns, and determining whether a correction, revision, withdrawal, expression of concern, or retraction is appropriate.

 

A correction may be issued when an error or omission is identified in a published article and the error can be remedied without invalidating the main findings or conclusions. Examples include incorrect author affiliations, inaccurate references, typographical errors that affect meaning, errors in tables or figures, omitted acknowledgements, and other factual inaccuracies that require a transparent amendment.

In accordance with COPE Core Practice 10, Good Governance will assess reported errors and determine whether a formal correction is necessary to maintain an accurate and transparent scholarly record.

Correction requests may be submitted by authors, editors, readers, or other parties. Requests should identify the article, provide its DOI or publication URL where available, describe the error, propose the correction, and include supporting evidence when appropriate. The editor may contact the authors, consult independent experts, or request additional information before reaching a decision.

An approved correction will be published as a clearly identifiable notice linked to the original article wherever technically possible. The notice will describe the error and the corrected information and will explain whether the correction affects the interpretation, results, or conclusions of the article. This procedure follows the transparency and record-keeping principles described in COPE's Journal Audit guidance.

 

Retraction is an editorial action used when a published article is sufficiently unreliable or seriously compromised that a correction alone cannot adequately protect the integrity of the scholarly record. Good Governance will consider retraction when the available evidence supports this action under the journal's publication ethics procedures.

In accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines, reasons that may justify retraction include clear evidence that findings are unreliable because of major error, fabrication, or falsification; plagiarism; redundant publication without appropriate justification or disclosure; unauthorised use of material or data; serious copyright or legal issues; unethical research; a compromised or manipulated peer review process; or an undisclosed major competing interest that has materially affected the work.

The editor will evaluate the available evidence and may request explanations from the authors, consult independent experts, or contact the relevant institution or other appropriate authority when necessary. A retraction decision will be made on the basis of the evidence and the need to protect readers and the scholarly record. As explained in the COPE Retraction Guidelines, the editor retains responsibility for the journal's editorial decision, even when some or all authors disagree.

 

A retraction notice must be clearly identified as a retraction, identify the affected article, state the reason for retraction, identify who is retracting the article, and use objective, factual language. The notice will be linked to the retracted article wherever possible and made freely accessible to readers. These requirements follow the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

Good Governance will issue a retraction notice promptly after the editor determines that retraction is justified, while allowing appropriate investigation where necessary. The purpose is to minimise the risk that readers continue to rely on seriously flawed or misleading findings, consistent with the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

As a general practice, the original article will remain accessible but will be clearly marked as retracted, with a prominent link to the retraction notice. Removal of the full article will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as a serious legal or privacy concern or a substantial risk to public safety, and the journal will preserve appropriate bibliographic information and explain the removal where possible. This approach follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

 

Withdrawal refers to the removal of a manuscript from the editorial process before it has been formally published. Authors who wish to withdraw a submission must send a written request to the editorial office, identify the manuscript, state the reason for withdrawal, and confirm that all co-authors agree to the request.

The journal will review the request and confirm the manuscript's status before processing the withdrawal. Where the manuscript is under review or has been accepted but not yet published, the editor may request clarification of the reasons for withdrawal and ensure that the request does not conceal duplicate submission, a dispute over authorship, research misconduct, or another unresolved publication ethics concern. COPE's Core Practices require journals to take allegations of misconduct seriously and to maintain appropriate procedures for addressing publication ethics concerns.

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to another journal while it remains under active consideration by Good Governance. Withdrawal should be confirmed by the editorial office before authors submit the manuscript elsewhere. Requests made after acceptance will be reviewed carefully because withdrawal at that stage may affect editorial and peer-review resources and may require resolution of outstanding ethical or contractual matters.

 

Once an article has been formally published, it will not ordinarily be treated as a withdrawn manuscript. If a serious concern arises after publication, Good Governance will assess whether a correction, expression of concern, or retraction is appropriate. This distinction is consistent with COPE's guidance on mechanisms for correcting, revising, or retracting published articles.

Removal of a published article will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as a court order, a serious privacy or legal issue, or a significant risk to public safety. Where removal is necessary, the journal will preserve appropriate metadata and provide a clear explanation of the action to the extent legally and ethically permissible, following the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

 

When credible concerns arise about a published article but the available evidence is not yet sufficient to determine whether a correction or retraction is required, Good Governance may publish an expression of concern. This notice is intended to inform readers that an issue affecting the article is under assessment and does not, by itself, constitute a final finding of misconduct.

The journal may issue an expression of concern while awaiting additional evidence, an institutional investigation, or clarification from the authors. The notice will explain the nature of the concern to the extent possible and will be linked to the affected article. This approach is consistent with the COPE guidance on cooperation between research institutions and journals in research integrity and publication misconduct cases.

After further assessment, the journal may retain the expression of concern, publish a correction, retract the article, or take another appropriate action depending on the evidence and the outcome of the inquiry.

 

When a correction or retraction request raises substantial concerns about research integrity, Good Governance may investigate the matter by reviewing relevant documents, seeking explanations from the authors, consulting independent experts, and contacting the authors' institution or another responsible body when appropriate.

In accordance with the COPE guidance on cooperation between research institutions and journals on research integrity and publication misconduct cases, journals and institutions have complementary roles in addressing concerns about research integrity. The journal is responsible for editorial decisions affecting the published record, while institutions may be responsible for investigating conduct within their remit.

The journal will handle allegations objectively and confidentially to the extent appropriate. The absence of a response from an author will not automatically prevent the journal from taking necessary editorial action where the available evidence sufficiently supports that action.

 

Authors are responsible for notifying the journal promptly when they discover a material error in their published work and for cooperating with reasonable editorial inquiries. Requests for correction, withdrawal, or reconsideration must be supported by a clear explanation and relevant evidence where appropriate.

Authors who disagree with an editorial decision may submit a reasoned appeal to the editorial office, providing additional information or evidence for reconsideration. The editor or an appropriately independent editorial representative will review the appeal. An appeal will not automatically suspend an editorial action that is necessary to protect readers or the scholarly record.

 

Good Governance will maintain records of correction requests, withdrawal requests, investigations, relevant correspondence, editorial decisions, and published notices in accordance with its editorial procedures. Corrections and retractions will be clearly identified and linked to the original article wherever technically possible, consistent with the COPE Journal Audit guidance.

The journal will make reasonable efforts to ensure that correction and retraction notices are accessible to readers and appropriately reflected in relevant indexing and bibliographic records where supported. The purpose is to minimise confusion and ensure that readers can identify the current status of an article.