Post-publication notices protect the reliability of the scholarly record. Their purpose is to explain material errors or concerns clearly and link the notice to the affected work.

Reporting an error or concern

Contact the Editorial Office with the article title or link, a precise description of the concern and supporting evidence. Authors should report significant errors promptly. Do not circulate unnecessary confidential information as part of a notification.

The editor may seek explanations from authors, review records and obtain independent advice. An author’s agreement or disagreement informs consideration but does not determine whether the record needs a notice.

Choosing an appropriate notice

A correction addresses a material error when the article’s central findings remain sufficiently reliable. An expression of concern may alert readers to a serious unresolved question while assessment or an external investigation continues. A retraction addresses a publication whose findings cannot be relied upon or whose publication involves a sufficiently serious ethical or integrity problem.

Honest error and misconduct are different causes and should not be conflated. Notices should state the relevant grounds accurately. The journal’s approach is informed by the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

Notice and record integrity

A notice should identify the article, explain the reason and extent of the change or concern, give its publication date and be linked in both directions to the affected record. A retracted article should normally remain accessible with clear status information so readers can understand the record.

Substantive changes should not be made silently. Exceptional removal of material may be necessary to address a serious privacy, safety or legal issue; any remaining record should explain the action as far as appropriate without repeating the harmful disclosure.

Follow-up and disagreement

Corrections should address associated metadata or supplementary materials when affected. An expression of concern should be reconsidered when relevant findings become available. Authors and readers may provide further evidence, and disagreements about process may be raised under Complaints & Appeals. The editor remains responsible for protecting the scholarly record.

Updated 5 October 2026 · Questions: JPOII Editorial Office