Retraction and Correction Policy

1. Introduction

The African Journal for Empirical Research (AJERNET) is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, transparency, and credibility of the scholarly record. The journal recognises that the reliability of published empirical research is fundamental to academic advancement, evidence-based decision-making, and public confidence in scholarly knowledge.

AJERNET maintains established procedures for addressing errors, inaccuracies, research misconduct, and other concerns identified in published articles. These procedures ensure that appropriate corrective actions, including retractions, corrections, expressions of concern, and addenda, are undertaken fairly, transparently, and promptly.

The journal is committed to safeguarding the integrity of published research while respecting the rights and responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, and other stakeholders.

This policy is informed by internationally recognised publication ethics principles, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Retraction Policy

2.1 Grounds for Retraction

AJERNET may retract a published article when credible evidence demonstrates that its findings, conclusions, or underlying research are substantially unreliable or that serious violations of publication ethics have occurred.

Retraction may be considered under the following circumstances:

1. Data Fabrication or Falsification: Evidence that research data, survey responses, interview statements, statistical results, observations, or other information have been fabricated, manipulated, or deliberately misrepresented.

2. Plagiarism: Substantial reproduction of another person's work, ideas, data, or published material without appropriate acknowledgement or authorisation.

3. Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Publication of substantially similar research findings in multiple journals without appropriate disclosure, justification, or acknowledgement.

4. Serious Research or Publication Misconduct: Violations of ethical research standards, including inadequate informed consent, absence of required ethical approvals, unethical research practices, or serious undisclosed conflicts of interest that compromise research integrity.

5. Substantial Errors or Inaccuracies: Major methodological, sampling, analytical, statistical, or interpretative errors that invalidate the findings or conclusions of the published article.

6. Compromised Peer Review: Evidence of manipulated, fraudulent, or otherwise compromised peer-review processes that undermine confidence in the integrity of the publication.

7. Authorship Misconduct: Serious authorship irregularities, including unauthorised authorship, misrepresentation of contributions, or other misconduct that materially affects the integrity of the publication.

8. Copyright Infringement: Unauthorised use or reproduction of copyrighted materials that cannot be adequately resolved through a correction or other appropriate measures.

9. Unethical Use of Artificial Intelligence: Undisclosed or inappropriate use of artificial intelligence resulting in fabricated research findings, fictitious references, misleading information, or other serious violations of the journal's publication standards.

Retraction decisions are based on the reliability of the published work and the seriousness of identified concerns. Retraction does not necessarily imply deliberate misconduct by the authors.

2.2 Retraction Investigation and Decision-Making Process

AJERNET follows a fair, confidential, and evidence-based process when investigating concerns that may warrant retraction.

The procedure involves the following stages:

1. Receipt of Allegations: Concerns regarding published articles may be submitted by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other interested parties.

2. Preliminary Assessment: The editorial team evaluates the nature, credibility, and seriousness of the allegations to determine whether further investigation is warranted.

3. Author Notification: The corresponding author and, where appropriate, other co-authors are informed of the concerns and provided with a reasonable opportunity to respond and submit supporting evidence.

4. Independent Assessment: Where necessary, the journal consults independent subject specialists, research integrity experts, or relevant institutions to establish the validity of the concerns.

5. Editorial Decision: The Chief Editor, in consultation with the Editorial Board and relevant experts, determines whether retraction, correction, an expression of concern, or another appropriate action is justified.

6. Notification of Decision: The authors are informed of the editorial decision and the reasons supporting the action taken.

7. Publication of Retraction Notice: Where retraction is warranted, the journal publishes a formal notice clearly explaining the reasons for the retraction.

AJERNET reserves the right to retract an article where sufficient evidence establishes that the published work is unreliable, even when the authors disagree with the decision or fail to respond to requests for clarification.

2.3 Publication and Visibility of Retraction Notices

To ensure transparency and preserve the scholarly record, AJERNET applies the following principles:

• Retraction notices are published openly and made accessible through the journal's official website.

• Each notice clearly identifies the retracted article, including its title, authors, publication details, and Digital Object Identifier (DOI), where applicable.

• The notice explains the reasons for retraction and identifies the party initiating the retraction where appropriate.

• Retraction notices are clearly linked to the original articles.

• Retracted articles remain accessible as part of the scholarly record but are prominently identified as RETRACTED on the article landing page and, where technically feasible, within the article PDF.

• Relevant publication metadata and indexing records are updated, or notifications are submitted to indexing services, where applicable.

• Retraction notices are freely accessible and are not subject to Article Processing Charges (APCs).

Retraction does not necessarily imply deliberate misconduct by the authors. Articles may also be retracted because of unintentional errors that substantially compromise the reliability of the findings.

3. Correction Policy

3.1 General Principles

AJERNET recognises that errors may occasionally occur in published articles despite rigorous peer review, editorial assessment, copyediting, and proofreading.

The journal is committed to correcting the scholarly record whenever errors are identified that do not fundamentally invalidate the overall findings or conclusions of the research.

Corrections are handled transparently and promptly, ensuring that readers have access to accurate, complete, and reliable scholarly information.

3.2 Types of Corrections

a) Erratum

An erratum is a formal notice issued to correct errors introduced during the editorial or production process.

Such errors may include:

• Typographical or formatting mistakes that affect the interpretation of information.

• Incorrect author affiliations or publication metadata.

• Errors in tables, figures, captions, or references.

• Production-related omissions or inaccuracies.

b) Corrigendum

A corrigendum is a formal notice issued to correct errors originating from the authors that do not invalidate the central findings or conclusions of the published research.

These may include:

• Incorrect numerical values or statistical calculations.

• Errors in descriptions of research methods or procedures.

• Inaccuracies in data presentation or interpretation.

• Omissions or inaccuracies in acknowledgements, funding disclosures, or other relevant information.

c) Addendum

An addendum provides additional information or clarification necessary to improve the completeness or understanding of a previously published article without fundamentally changing its original conclusions.

Addenda may address:

• Additional methodological explanations.

• Important clarifications relating to the interpretation of findings.

• Relevant supplementary information omitted from the original publication.

• Additional disclosures necessary to improve transparency.

3.3 Correction Procedure

The correction process involves the following steps:

1. Identification of Errors: Errors may be reported by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, or other stakeholders.

2. Editorial Assessment: The editorial team assesses the nature and significance of the reported error and determines whether a formal correction is necessary.

3. Author Consultation: The corresponding author is contacted and requested to provide clarification, supporting evidence, or proposed corrections where appropriate.

4. Verification: The editorial team verifies the proposed correction and may consult independent experts when necessary.

5. Editorial Approval: The Chief Editor or an authorised editor approves the correction after establishing that it adequately addresses the identified error.

6. Publication of Correction Notice: An appropriate correction notice is published and linked to the original article.

7. Metadata Updates: Where necessary, relevant article metadata and indexing information are updated to reflect the correction.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect the meaning, interpretation, or scholarly integrity of an article may be addressed without a separate formal correction notice, provided that any changes to the published version are appropriately documented.

3.4 Publication of Corrections

AJERNET ensures that formal corrections are:

• Published promptly after verification and editorial approval.

• Clearly identified as corrections to previously published articles.

• Linked to the original publications.

• Accompanied by sufficient explanations of the errors and corrective measures undertaken.

• Freely accessible to readers.

• Reflected in relevant article metadata and indexing records where applicable.

The original scholarly record is preserved, and material changes to published articles are not made without appropriate documentation.

4. Expressions of Concern

AJERNET may publish an Expression of Concern when credible questions arise regarding the integrity or reliability of a published article but the available evidence is insufficient to justify an immediate retraction.

An Expression of Concern may be issued when:

• An investigation into alleged research misconduct is ongoing.

• Serious concerns have been raised but cannot yet be conclusively established.

• An institutional investigation is pending or has produced inconclusive findings.

• Evidence suggests possible irregularities in research methods, data integrity, or publication procedures.

The notice identifies the article concerned and explains the nature of the unresolved issues without making unsupported allegations.

Once the investigation is concluded, AJERNET determines whether the Expression of Concern should be withdrawn, updated, replaced by a correction, or followed by a retraction.

5. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, authenticity, originality, and ethical integrity of their published work.

Authors are expected to:

1. Notify the editorial office promptly upon discovering significant errors or inaccuracies in their published articles.

2. Cooperate fully with editorial investigations and requests for clarification.

3. Provide original research data, supporting documentation, ethical approvals, or other relevant evidence when reasonably required.

4. Respond to editorial communications within the specified timelines.

5. Submit accurate and complete information necessary to facilitate corrections or retractions.

6. Disclose relevant conflicts of interest, funding information, and other matters that may affect the integrity of the publication.

Failure by authors to cooperate does not prevent the journal from taking appropriate editorial action where sufficient evidence exists.

6. Editorial Independence and Confidentiality

All decisions concerning corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern are made independently of commercial, financial, institutional, or personal interests.

AJERNET ensures that:

• Editorial decisions are based on credible evidence and the seriousness of the identified concerns.

• Authors are treated fairly and given appropriate opportunities to respond.

• Confidential information obtained during investigations is protected to the extent permitted by applicable law and the requirements of a fair investigation.

• Conflicts of interest involving editors or other participants are appropriately managed.

• Corrective actions are proportionate to the nature and significance of the identified problems.

The journal does not permit Article Processing Charges, institutional affiliations, professional status, or other external considerations to influence decisions regarding the integrity of published research.

7. Appeals and Reconsideration

Authors who disagree with a retraction or correction decision may submit a written appeal to the AJERNET editorial office.

Appeals must clearly identify the grounds for reconsideration and include relevant supporting evidence.

The journal evaluates appeals fairly and may seek independent expert advice where necessary. Where an appeal involves an editor who participated in the original decision, the journal seeks an appropriate independent assessment.

The outcome of the appeal is communicated to the authors in writing.

An appeal does not automatically suspend or reverse a corrective action already taken to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

8. Preservation of the Scholarly Record

AJERNET maintains the principle that published scholarly work constitutes a permanent academic record.

Accordingly, retracted articles are ordinarily retained with clear retraction notices rather than deleted from the journal's website or archives.

Complete removal may be considered only in exceptional circumstances, including:

• Court orders or binding legal requirements.

• Serious privacy or confidentiality violations.

• Material that poses a substantial risk of harm if retained publicly.

• Other compelling legal or ethical circumstances requiring removal.

Where removal is necessary, the journal ordinarily retains a bibliographic record and a notice explaining the reason for removal, to the extent legally and ethically permissible.

9. Policy Implementation and Review

The Chief Editor and Editorial Board are responsible for implementing and periodically reviewing this policy to ensure its effectiveness and consistency with internationally recognised standards of scholarly publishing and research integrity.

AJERNET is committed to addressing concerns about published research objectively, transparently, fairly, and without unnecessary delay.

All requests for corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern should be submitted to the AJERNET editorial office through its official communication channels.

African Journal for Empirical Research (AJERNET)
Publisher: AJER Publishing