Corrections and Retraction

MUKADIMAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sejarah, dan Ilmu-ilmu Sosial is committed to maintaining an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record. This policy governs corrections, retractions, Expressions of Concern, addenda, and exceptional changes to published content. Editorial action is guided by relevant recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Scope and General Principles

Published articles may require amendment because of errors, omissions, unreliable evidence, or breaches of research and publication ethics.

The journal will assess concerns fairly and act according to their significance for the accuracy, interpretation, and integrity of the work. Honest error and misconduct will be distinguished where the evidence permits.

Legitimate scholarly disagreement or later research that challenges an earlier interpretation does not automatically justify correction or retraction. Such matters may instead be addressed under the journal’s Post-Publication Discussions policy.

Substantive amendments will be clearly identified and documented. Published content will not be silently replaced to conceal changes.

2. Reporting Errors and Concerns

Authors, readers, reviewers, or other parties should report significant errors through the journal’s published editorial contact channels.

Reports should identify the article, specify the location and nature of the issue, and provide supporting evidence where available. Authors who discover a significant error in their own work must promptly notify the journal.

Anonymous reports may be considered when they contain sufficiently specific and verifiable information.

3. Assessment and Decision-Making

The Editor-in-Chief, or an independent editor where a conflict of interest exists, will oversee the assessment.

The journal may request explanations from authors, examine relevant data or source materials, consult independent specialists, or refer concerns to the appropriate institution. Requests for supporting materials will respect confidentiality, participant consent, and applicable access restrictions.

Authors will ordinarily have an opportunity to respond before a substantive notice is published. However, their agreement is not required for justified editorial action.

The journal may act to protect the scholarly record before an institutional investigation concludes when sufficient evidence is available. Unresolved concerns may warrant an interim notice.

4. Corrections: Errata and Corrigenda

A correction is appropriate when a significant error or omission affects an article but does not invalidate the work as a whole.

Examples include inaccurate quotations, mistranslations, incorrect references, errors in tables or figures, and omissions in authorship, funding, or competing-interest disclosures.

The journal may use the following labels:

  • Corrigendum: A correction addressing an error originating from the authors.

  • Erratum: A correction addressing an error introduced during editorial production or publication.

A substantive correction will be published as a separate, citable notice explaining the error and presenting the corrected information. The notice and original article will be linked in both directions.

The original article will remain available with a visible notification. If its files are updated, the changes and date will be documented, and the earlier version will be retained in the journal’s records.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect meaning may be addressed without a separate notice, with changes recorded internally.

Correction notices are published without charge to authors.

5. Retractions

Retraction informs readers that an article is substantially unreliable or involves serious publication ethics violations warranting this action. Its purpose is to protect the scholarly record rather than punish authors.

Grounds may include:

  • Substantial errors, fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of evidence that undermine the findings or central arguments.

  • Plagiarism or substantial unauthorized use of another person’s work.

  • Redundant publication without appropriate disclosure, justification, or acknowledgment.

  • Serious ethical breaches in the conduct or reporting of research.

  • Manipulation or compromise of peer review that undermines confidence in the publication.

  • A major undisclosed competing interest that materially affected interpretation or editorial evaluation.

Retraction may be necessary because of misconduct or honest error. Minor errors and authorship disputes alone will not normally justify retraction when the work remains reliable.

Cases involving suspected misconduct will also be handled under the journal’s Allegations of Misconduct policy.

6. Retraction Notices

A retraction notice will:

  • Be clearly titled “Retraction: [Original Article Title].”

  • Identify the article and who is retracting it.

  • Explain the reasons in factual and proportionate language.

  • Distinguish established findings from unresolved allegations.

  • Record the authors’ agreement or disagreement where relevant and available.

  • Be freely accessible and linked to the affected article.

The article will ordinarily remain publicly accessible, with its landing page and available full-text files clearly marked as retracted. Retraction does not normally involve deletion.

7. Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued when substantial, credible doubts exist about an article’s reliability or integrity but the available evidence does not support a definitive outcome.

This may occur when an investigation is ongoing or prolonged, relevant information is unavailable, evidence is conflicting, or an institution cannot adequately resolve the concerns.

The notice will explain the concerns and limitations of the available evidence without implying that misconduct has been established when it has not.

Expressions of Concern will be citable and linked to the article. When further evidence becomes available, the journal will publish an appropriate follow-up, such as a resolution notice, correction, or retraction.

Where concerns remain unresolved, the notice may remain in place with an explanation.

8. Addenda and Article Updates

An addendum may be published when additional information is essential to understanding an article but does not correct an error.

Requests must explain the proposed addition and its relevance. Accepted addenda will undergo editorial assessment or peer review and be published as separate, citable items linked to the original article.

Substantial new data, expanded analysis, or materially different interpretations will normally require a new submission. They will not be incorporated retrospectively into the original article without a clearly documented publication process.

9. Exceptional Removal or Replacement

Removal will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as a legal requirement, serious infringement of privacy or other rights, or a substantial risk of harm that cannot be adequately addressed through correction or retraction.

Where possible, the bibliographic record will remain available with a notice explaining the removal, subject to legal and confidentiality requirements.

When honest error renders an article unreliable, the journal may exceptionally consider a corrected replacement following independent assessment and, where appropriate, renewed peer review. Any replacement must explain its relationship to the original article and retraction notice and preserve a transparent publication history.

10. Discoverability, Records, and Appeals

All substantive notices will be clearly labeled, dated, and linked to the affected articles. The journal will update relevant metadata and take reasonable steps to notify indexing, abstracting, and preservation services. Changes on external platforms remain subject to those services’ procedures.

Records of concerns, evidence, correspondence, and decisions will be retained with appropriate confidentiality.

Authors may appeal in writing by identifying factual errors, procedural concerns, or substantial new evidence. Where practicable, an independent editor or adviser will assess the appeal. An appeal does not automatically suspend action necessary to protect readers or the scholarly record.

This policy will be reviewed periodically to reflect developments in publication ethics and the editorial practices of MUKADIMAH.

Download: Correction and Retraction Request Form

COPE resources: