Research Stars Journals – Retraction and Modification Policy
Research Stars Journals is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, accuracy, and reliability of the scholarly publication record. The journal follows ethical publication practices for correcting, modifying, retracting, or removing published articles when necessary.
This policy is developed in accordance with recognized international publication ethics principles followed by COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics.
- Purpose of Retraction and Modification
The purpose of retraction and modification procedures is to:
- Correct inaccurate or misleading scholarly information
- Maintain research integrity and publication ethics
- Alert readers about serious publication concerns
- Preserve transparency in academic publishing
- Article Modification Policy
Minor or moderate issues identified after publication may be corrected through article modification or correction notices without retracting the article.
Modification may include:
- Typographical corrections
- Author affiliation updates
- Metadata corrections
- Reference or DOI corrections
- Figure or table replacement
- Minor methodological clarifications
- Formatting or production errors
Conditions:
- Corrections must not alter the overall scientific conclusions of the article.
- All modifications will be documented transparently.
- Updated versions may include correction notices or revised publication dates.
- Correction Policy
If errors affecting interpretation or understanding are identified, the journal may publish:
- Erratum (publisher error)
- Corrigendum (author error)
- Addendum (additional clarification)
Corrections will remain permanently linked to the original article.
- Retraction Policy
An article may be retracted when serious ethical, scientific, or legal issues are identified.
Reasons for Retraction Include:
- Plagiarism or self-plagiarism
- Duplicate or redundant publication
- Fabricated or falsified data
- Manipulated images, tables, or results
- Ethical violations in research
- Fake peer review practices
- Authorship disputes
- Copyright infringement
- Serious methodological errors invalidating conclusions
- Unethical AI-generated or manipulated research content
- Retraction Procedure
The journal follows a fair and confidential investigation process before retracting an article.
The process may include:
- Preliminary editorial assessment
- Communication with authors
- Review of supporting evidence
- Consultation with reviewers or editorial board
- Institutional communication when necessary
- Final editorial decision
Authors may be given an opportunity to respond before a final retraction decision is made.
- Retraction Notice
When an article is retracted:
- A formal retraction notice will be published.
- The notice will clearly state the reason for retraction.
- The original article may remain accessible for scholarly transparency but will be clearly marked as “Retracted.”
- Retraction notices become part of the permanent scholarly record.
- Article Removal Policy
Complete removal of an article is considered only in exceptional situations such as:
- Legal violations or court orders
- Defamation or privacy violations
- Serious copyright infringement
- Public health or safety risks
In such cases, bibliographic information may remain available while the article content is removed or restricted.
- Author-Initiated Corrections
Authors are encouraged to immediately inform the journal if significant errors are discovered in their published work.
Authors requesting modifications must provide:
- Article title and DOI
- Clear explanation of the issue
- Corrected information
- Supporting evidence if required
The editorial board will review all modification requests before approval.
- Editorial Rights
Research Stars Journals reserves the right to:
- Investigate ethical concerns
- Issue corrections or retractions
- Reject modification requests lacking evidence
- Notify indexing agencies or institutions if necessary
- Take appropriate publication ethics actions
The journal’s editorial decision regarding corrections, modifications, or retractions shall be considered final.
- Publication Integrity Commitment
Research Stars Journals is dedicated to:
- Ethical scholarly publishing
- Academic transparency
- Responsible research communication
- Fair editorial practices
- Long-term integrity of the scientific record
The journal encourages authors, reviewers, editors, and readers to actively support ethical research and responsible publication practices.