Scientific journal

Fundamental research

ISSN 1812-7339

"Перечень" ВАК

ИФ РИНЦ = 1,798

Correction and retraction of articles by authors after publication

The policy explains what an author should do if errors or circumstances affecting the reliability of the results are discovered after publication. There are three situations: a routine correction of text and data (corrigendum), the addition of an important clarification (addendum), and the withdrawal of a publication (retraction). A separate case is considered when a manuscript has already been accepted but has not yet been published (withdrawal). Internal editorial procedures are not included here.

The author is obliged to notify the journal as soon as the problem becomes known. This applies to critical errors in calculations and analysis, errors in figures and captions, inaccurate licenses and permissions, duplicate borrowings, undisclosed significant conflicts of interest, and any facts that make the results or their interpretation unreliable. It is best to write immediately and briefly summarize the essence of the issue; if the type of action is not obvious, it is sufficient to describe the facts and the desired outcome—the editorial board will advise on the format.

As a rule, the corresponding author addresses the journal on behalf of all co-authors. Before sending the letter, he or she obtains their consent and mentions this in the letter. If there is no unanimity, this is recorded: the co-authors and their positions (agree, disagree, did not respond) are listed, and it is noted that attempts at agreement were made. Disagreements between authors do not remove the obligation to notify the journal of the problem.

The letter should include the title of the article, the team of authors, the issue (year, number), and the DOI. Next, there should be a clear description of the problem: where exactly it is located in the text, data, or images, how it was identified, and what it affects. Then, a request is formulated: correction, addition, or withdrawal. Contact details for feedback should be provided at the end. Relevant materials should be attached to the letter. For corrections, it is convenient to attach a file with a table of corrections in a simple format: "where exactly — how it was — how it should be — brief explanation — does it affect the conclusions." If numbers, signatures, or graphs are changed, updated files and, if possible, the source data and code sufficient to verify the affected results are attached. If the problem is related to rights, documents on permissions and correct licenses are added.

Author corrections are used when an error does not change the main conclusions but requires an accurate and public correction of the record: numbers, formulas, signatures, references, affiliations, and method sections are clarified. Additions are used when it is necessary to clarify an important detail without changing the result (for example, to describe the conditions of the experiment more accurately, to provide a link to the full data set, or to specify the version of the code). In the appeal, the author briefly explains why the conclusions remain the same and provides the corrected "before/after" fragments.

If the conclusions of the article cannot be considered reliable—due to a serious methodological error, problems with data or images, plagiarism or duplication, lack of necessary permissions, or undisclosed significant conflicts of interest—the author initiates a retraction. The letter briefly states the reasons, indicates the scope of the affected material (which sections, tables, figure panels), and attaches supporting materials: the results of the reanalysis, correspondence regarding permissions, ethical documents, and other relevant files. The author separately confirms their understanding that the retraction notice will be public and that the article will remain available in the archive with a prominent retraction notice.

In a situation where the manuscript has been accepted but not yet published, the author requests that the manuscript be withdrawn from publication. In the letter, it is sufficient to indicate the title of the manuscript, briefly describe the reason, attach supporting documents, and indicate whether the actions have been agreed upon with all co-authors.

By submitting a request, the author agrees that the relevant notification will be published openly and reflected on the publication page; the text of the article may be marked with a status (corrected, notification added, withdrawn). When making corrections, the author shall provide access to updated data and materials to the extent possible and lawful.

After submitting the request, the author promptly responds to clarifying questions, quickly sends any missing files if necessary, and reports any new circumstances discovered during the review.

Corrections are not used to "rewrite" an article retroactively. A significantly new interpretation or reassessment of the results is presented as a separate scientific material or as a letter to the editor. Changes in the composition of authors after publication are governed by a separate policy on post-publication changes in authorship.