Pre-Publication  Corrections and Post-Publication Correction Policy

1. Pre-Publication Corrections

    If you are the author of an article that has been submitted but not yet published and you wish to request a correction, please use the following contacts to alert the journal Staff: cjes@guilan.ac.ir.

 

2. Post-Publication Correction Policy

    Sometimes after an article has been submitted or published it may be necessary to make a change to the Author’s Original Manuscript (AOM), Accepted Manuscript (AM), or final Version of Record (VOR).  This change will be made after careful consideration by the journal’s editorial team, with support from the journal Staff to make sure any necessary changes are done in accordance with both the journal publishing  policies and guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

        Each article published by the Journal constitutes the Version of Record (VoR): the final, definitive, and citable version in the scholarly record. The VoR includes:

1. The article revised and accepted following peer review, in its final form, including the abstract, text, references, bibliography, and all accompanying tables, illustrations, and data.
2. Any supplemental material.

    Recognizing a published article as the Version of Record (VoR) helps to provide further assurance that it is accurate, complete, and citable. According to the STM Association guidelines, “Articles that have been published as the version-of-record should remain extant, exact, and unaltered to the maximum extent possible.” (STM Guidelines on Preservation of the Objective Record of Science). Therefore, there are strict circumstances under which changes can be made post-publication. Wherever possible, it is our policy to maintain the integrity of the VoR in accordance with STM Association guidelines.

    Authors should notify us as soon as possible if they find errors in their published article, especially errors that could affect the interpretation of data or the reliability of information presented. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure a consensus was reached effectively between all listed co-authors prior to requesting any corrections to an article. If, after reading the guidance, you believe a correction is necessary for your article, please contact the journal Staff, the Editor-in-Chief, the Executive Manager, or use our online Contact Us form. In the event that an article has been published in the Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES), and an error or potential error is discovered, the error should be reported to the journal Staff for review and, if appropriate, correction.

    Errors that have an impact on the environment or affect the living organisms, are considered extremely urgent and are given priority handling. If you believe you have noticed an error in an article that could affect the living organisms, contact the Editor-in-Chief or the Executive Manager to notify Staff. All other post-publication correction requests should follow the guidance in the appropriate section below.

Post-publication correction requests that are approved for processing will be handled promptly by the journal Staff. Correction requests require varying approval processes and so Staff cannot provide an expect-ready date for publication of the corrected article.

    Potential errors in the journal articles may be reported to the journal Staff by anyone. However, once reported, the journal Staff will communicate with the corresponding author of the article and the first author. The journal Staff cannot communicate about post-publication correction requests with third-party requesters. The original requester, if not the corresponding or first author, will receive a notification when the correction request is approved for processing or declined. The journal reserves the right to determine whether a retraction is warranted based on the significance and seriousness of the reported error.

 

2-1. Post-publication notices to ensure the accuracy of the scholarly record

    Rarely, it may be necessary for the Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES)  to publish corrections to, or retractions of, articles published in this journal, so as to maintain the integrity of the academic record. In line with the journal’s policy, corrections to, or retractions of, published articles will be made by publishing a Correction or a Retraction note bidirectionally linked to the original article. Any alterations to the original article will be described in the note. The original article remains in the public domain and the subsequent Correction or Retraction will be widely indexed. In the exceptional event that material is considered to infringe certain rights or is defamatory, we may have to remove that material from our site and archive sites.

    Aside from cases where a minor error is concerned, any necessary changes will be accompanied by a post-publication notice, which will be permanently linked to the original article. These changes can be in the form of a Correction notice, an Expression of Concern, a Retraction, and in rare circumstances, a Removal. The purpose of linking post-publication notices to the original article is to provide transparency around any changes and to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record. Note that all post-publication notices are free to access from the point of publication.

    Correction requests to articles published in the Journal should be submitted using our online Contact Us form or by e-mail (cjes@guilan.ac.ir). The Journal Staff must receive the following information to process the correction request:

• Article title.
• Corresponding author name (if the submitter is not the corresponding author).
• Year of publication.
• Article DOI or URL to the article on the website.
• Detailed description of the correction.
• Attachment illustrating the correction (for example, a PDF of the final article with the correction marked).
• A brief explanation of how the error occurred and the significance of the error.

    In the event a missing author should be added to the byline, the journal Staff must also receive the following information:

• Missing author’s full name.
• Missing author’s contact email address.
• Explanation of missing author’s contributions to the manuscript (e.g., Conception and design; Collection and assembly of data; Data analysis and interpretation; Manuscript writing; Final approval of the manuscript; Accountable for all aspects of the work).
• Confirmation that the missing author has updated their Conflict of Interest (COI) disclosure information.

    Correction requests will be considered if they are significant. Requests to correct significant errors include:

• Those that correct an error of fact.
• Adding an omitted author to or removing an erroneously included author from the byline.
• An affiliation that was incorrect at the time of submission.
• Errors in data.
• Typographical errors that affect meaning or introduce confusion.

    Correction requests to fix typographical errors will not be considered if they:

• Contravene Journal style.
• Correct a misspelling.
• Correct a punctuation error.
• Correct a formatting error or adjust formatting.
• Do not affect the meaning of the text, or if the original wording does not introduce confusion.

    No corrections will be made to update information that was correct at the time of submission. For example, affiliations will not be updated to reflect changes that occurred after submission, and updates to data or findings will not be considered after publication.

 

2-2. Correction notice

    Corrections may be issued for errors in published articles that do not affect the overall conclusions of the work. These can include minor errors such as typographical mistakes or author name corrections. A Correction notice will be issued when it is necessary to correct an error or omission that may impact the interpretation of the article, while the scholarly integrity and original findings remain intact. Changes to published articles that affect the interpretation and conclusion of the article, but do not fully invalidate the article, will, at the Editor(s)’ discretion, be corrected via publication of a Correction that is indexed and bidirectionally linked to the original article. For authors who’ve changed their name and wish to correct it on their published works, please contact the journal office via cjes@guilan.ac.ir.

    A Correction notice, where possible, should always be written and approved by all authors of the original article. On very rare occasions where there is a need to correct an error made in the publication process, the journal may be required to issue a correction without the authors’ direct input. However, should this occur, the journal will make the best efforts to notify the authors.

       Authors, readers, or organizations who become aware of errors or ethics issues in a published article are encouraged to contact the journal office in the first instance via the contact details available on the journal website. All reports will be considered by the Editors; additional expert advice may be sought when deciding on the most appropriate course of action. The Journal Office provides support to the Editor and the Editorial Board in addressing publication ethics issues in a COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)-compliant manner.

    Authors or readers can report errors. After evaluation, a correction notice will be published online and linked to the original article. It should be noted that the correction requests may be subject to full review, and if queries are raised, you may be expected to supply further information before the correction is approved.

The Editor-in-Chief distinguishes between major and minor errors. For correction notices, major errors or omissions are considered changes that impact the interpretation of the article, but the overall scholarly integrity remains intact. Minor errors are considered errors or omissions that do not impact the reliability of, or the readers’ understanding of, the interpretation of the article.

- Major errors are always accompanied by a separate correction notice. The correction notice should provide clear details of the error and the changes that have been made to the Version of Record (VR). Under these circumstances, The journal will:

• Correct the online article.
• Issue a separate correction notice electronically linked back to the corrected version.
• Add a footnote to the article displaying the electronic link to the correction notice.
• Paginate and make available the correction notice in the online issue of the journal.
• Make the correction notice free to view.

- Minor errors may not be accompanied by a separate correction notice. Instead, a footnote will be added to the article detailing to the reader that the article has been corrected.

• Concerns regarding the integrity of a published article should be raised via email to the Editor or via the online Contact Us.

 

2-3. Retractions

   Articles may be retracted if there is evidence of unreliable data, ethical breaches, plagiarism, or duplicate publication. A Retraction will be issued where a major error (e.g., in the methods or analysis) invalidates the conclusions in the article, or where it appears research or publication misconduct has taken place (e.g., research without required ethical approvals, fabricated data, manipulated images, plagiarism, duplicate publication, etc.). The journal Staff takes allegations of misconduct seriously. This includes fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate authorship, and unethical research. All allegations will be thoroughly investigated following COPE guidelines. Authors may be asked to provide raw data and explanations. Depending on the findings, actions may include correction, retraction, or reporting the misconduct to the author's institution.

The decision to retract an article will be made in accordance with both the journal policies and the COPE guidelines. The decision will follow a full investigation by the journal Editorial Staff in collaboration with the journal’s editorial team. Authors and institutions may request a retraction of their articles if they believe their reasons meet the criteria for retraction.

Retractions are issued to correct the scholarly record and should not be interpreted as punishments for the authors. The retraction process follows COPE guidelines. The retracted article will remain online with a retraction notice and an explanation. The COPE guidance can be found here. On rare occasions, when the interpretation or conclusion of an article is substantially undermined, it may be necessary for published articles to be retracted. The Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES)  will follow the COPE guidelines in such cases. Retraction notices are indexed and bidirectionally linked to the original article. The original article is watermarked as retracted, and the title is amended with the prefix ‘Retraction: [article title]’.

   Retraction will be considered in cases where:

• There is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of misconduct (e.g., data fabrication or image manipulation) or honest error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error).
• The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper referencing, permission, or justification (e.g., cases of redundant or duplicate publication).
• The research constitutes plagiarism.
• The Editor no longer has confidence in the validity or integrity of the article.
• There is evidence or concerns of authorship for sale.
• Citation manipulation is evident within the published paper
• There is evidence of compromised peer review or systematic manipulation.
• There is evidence of unethical research, or there is evidence of a breach of editorial policies.
• The authors have deliberately submitted inaccurate or fraudulent information, or breached a warranty provided in the Author Publishing Agreement (APA).

Where the decision has been taken to retract an article, the journal will:

• Add a “retracted” watermark to the published Version of Record (VR) of the article.
• Issue a separate retraction statement, titled ‘Retraction: [article title]’, that will be linked to the retracted article on the journal’s website.
• Paginate and make available the retraction statement in the online issue of the journal.

 

2-4. Expressions of Concern

    When an Editor becomes aware of serious concerns regarding the interpretation or conclusion of a published article, they may choose to publish a statement alerting the readership. Scenarios in which Editorial Expressions of Concern may be published include prolonged investigations of very complex cases and when the concerns may have a significant and immediate impact on public health or public policy. An Editorial Expression of Concern may be superseded by a subsequent Correction or Retraction, but will remain part of the permanent published record.

    In some cases, an Expression of Concern may be considered where concerns of a serious nature have been raised (e.g., research or publication misconduct), but where the outcome of the investigation is inconclusive or where due to various complexities, the investigation will not be completed for a considerable time. This could be due to ongoing institutional investigations or other circumstances outside of the journal’s control.

When the investigation has been completed, a Retraction or Correction notice may follow the Expression of Concern alongside the original article. All will remain part of the permanent publication record. Expressions of Concern notices will be considered in cases where:

• There is inconclusive evidence of research or publication misconduct by the authors, but the nature of the concerns warrants notifying the readers.
• There are well-founded concerns that the findings are unreliable or that misconduct may have occurred, but there is limited cooperation from the authors’ institution(s) in investigating the concerns raised.
• There is an investigation into alleged misconduct related to the publication that has not been, or would not be, fair and impartial or conclusive.
• An investigation is underway, but a resolution will not be available for a considerable time, and the nature of the concerns warrant notifying the readers.

    The Expression of Concern will be linked back to the published article it relates to.

 

2-5. Removal of published article

    In exceptional circumstances, the Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES)  reserves the right to remove an article from the journal’s website. Such action may be taken when (i) the Editor-in-Chief has been advised that content is defamatory, infringes a third party’s intellectual property right, right to privacy, or other legal right, or is otherwise unlawful; (ii) a court or government order has been issued, or is likely to be issued, requiring removal of such content; (iii) content, if acted upon, would pose an immediate and serious risk to health. Removal may be temporary or permanent. Bibliographic metadata (e.g., title and authors) will be retained, and will be accompanied by a statement explaining why the content has been removed. An Article Removal will be issued in rare circumstances where the problems cannot be addressed through a Retraction or Correction notice. The journal will consider removal of a published article in very limited circumstances where:

• The article contains content that could pose a serious risk of harm if acted upon or followed.
• The article contains content which violates the rights to privacy of a study participant.
• The article is defamatory or infringes other legal rights.
• An article is subject to a court order.

   In the case of an article being removed from the journal’s website, a removal notice will be issued in its place.

 

2-6. Updates and scholarly discussion on published articles

Addenda

An addendum is a notification of an addition of information to an article. Addenda do not contradict the original publication and are not used to fix errors (for which a Correction notice will be published), but if the author needs to update or add some key information then, this can be published as an addendum. Addenda may be peer reviewed, according to journal policy, and are normally subject to oversight by the Editors of the journal. All addenda are electronically linked to the published article to which they relate.

 

Comment (including response and rejoinder correspondence)

Comments are short articles which outline an observation on a published article. In cases where a comment on a published article is submitted to the journal editor, it may be subject to peer review. The comment will be shared with the authors of the published article, who are invited to submit a response.

This author response again may be subject to peer review, and will be shared with the commentator, who may be invited to submit a rejoinder. The rejoinder may be subject to peer review and shared with the authors of the published article. No further correspondence will be considered for publication. The Editor-in-Chief may decide to reject correspondence at any point before the comment, response and rejoinder are finalized. All published comments, responses, and rejoinders are linked to the published article to which they relate.

 

Pop-up notifications

If deemed necessary by the Publishing Ethics and Integrity team of the editorial board, a pop-up notification may be temporarily added to the online version of an article to inform readers that an article is under investigation. This is not a permanent note (unlike an Expression of Concern, Correction, or Retraction notice), but is to indicate an investigation is in progress. It should be noted that these are not added to every article under investigation.