Corrections and retractions

We strictly adhere to the principles of COPE and actively combat any violations of academic ethics, particularly focusing on the originality of materials and preventing plagiarism.

Multiple Submission

Authors must submit only unique manuscripts that have not been previously submitted to other journals (unless this has been agreed upon with the reviewers). Resubmitting the same manuscript to multiple journals or submitting multiple documents based on one study without prior approval is a violation. Actions such as literal copying, partial or paraphrased copying, will be considered violations and result in the rejection of the article, as well as possible sanctions against the authors.

Citation Manipulation

If the manuscript contains citation manipulation, such as citations made solely to increase the number of references to the author’s work or publications in a particular journal, the article will be rejected, and sanctions will be applied to the authors.

Data Falsification

Any detection of data falsification or manipulation, including images, will lead to immediate rejection of the article and possible sanctions against the authors.

If there are suspicions of fraud or misconduct, the journal will conduct an investigation following the COPE guidelines. If serious violations are found during the investigation, the authors will be contacted via their email addresses and given the opportunity to resolve the issue. If violations are confirmed, the following measures may be taken:

- If the manuscript is still under review, it will be rejected and returned to the author.

- If the article has already been published online, depending on the severity of the violation, other measures may be taken.

Corrections and Amendments

Corrections will be published if a fundamental error is discovered, such as an experimental or computational mistake. This can be identified either during the editing process or after publication. If the error is due to the editorial team’s mistake, an Erratum will be published to explain and correct the mistakes made during article preparation. If the error is the fault of the authors, a Corrigendum will be published containing corrections that the authors have agreed upon with the editorial team.

Authors, editors, or readers may initiate corrections, and after evaluation by the editorial board, they will be published separately with the label “Correction” related to the original article.

Retraction of an Article

In cases where serious violations are discovered, such as unreliable results (e.g., falsified data or image manipulation), plagiarism, duplicate publications without proper citations or licenses, or authorship fraud, the article may be retracted. Articles may also be retracted if the review process has been compromised, or unethical research practices are discovered.

Requests for retraction may be made by the authors, editorial board, or third parties. The investigation will be conducted by the editorial board with the involvement of the authors and, if necessary, external experts. After the retraction decision is made, the article will receive a “Retraction” label in the title, along with a corresponding statement of withdrawal.

Additional Provisions

If the article is part of publications compromised through the use of paper mills or other fraudulent practices, the editorial board may decide to retract the article along with other related works involved in violations.

The undisclosed or undeclared use of artificial intelligence for generating texts, images, or other data may also be grounds for retraction. Authors must openly disclose the use of such tools.

Falsification of authorship or identity theft can also be grounds for retracting the article.

Statement of Concern

In cases where there are serious suspicions regarding the authenticity of the article or violations of academic integrity, but insufficient evidence for immediate retraction, the editorial board may publish a statement of concern. This statement will have a DOI and explain the reasons for publishing the statement. The statement will remain available until the investigation is concluded.

Timeliness of Procedures

Corrections, statements of concern, and retractions will be implemented as quickly as possible once violations are identified. If agreement with the authors is not possible, the editorial board reserves the right to publish the statement without delay.

Availability of Retraction Articles

Retraction articles will remain available in open access with a clear “Retraction” label, except in cases where required by legal regulations, such as data protection laws or court orders.