General Policy

Journal of Sport and Exercise Studies is committed to maintaining the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record. When errors, ethical concerns, or reliability issues are identified after publication, the journal will assess the matter carefully and take appropriate editorial action.

Post-publication actions may include corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, editorial notes, article updates, or other measures necessary to protect readers, authors, participants, and the scholarly record.

Types of Post-Publication Notices

Corrections

A correction may be issued when an article contains an error that affects the accuracy, clarity, metadata, interpretation, or presentation of the article but does not invalidate the main findings or conclusions.

Corrections may be issued for:

• Errors in author names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, funding information, or acknowledgements;
• Errors in tables, figures, captions, supplementary materials, or article metadata;
• Minor errors in methods, results, or interpretation that do not change the main conclusions;
• Production or typesetting errors introduced during publication;
• Incorrect or incomplete conflict of interest, ethics, data availability, or funding statements;
• Reference errors that require clarification or correction.

Corrections will normally be linked to the original article and made clearly visible to readers. The original article may be updated where appropriate, with a notice indicating that a correction has been made.

Retractions

A retraction may be issued when the article’s findings, conclusions, or publication record are no longer reliable. Retraction is used to correct the scholarly record, not to punish authors.

Retraction may be considered when there is evidence of:

• Data fabrication, data falsification, or serious manipulation of research records;
• Plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, or serious text recycling;
• Unethical research involving human participants, athletes, students, minors, patients, or vulnerable groups;
• Serious error that invalidates the article’s findings or conclusions;
• Image, figure, video, sensor, or visual data manipulation that misrepresents the evidence;
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest that seriously compromise the integrity of the work;
• Invalid authorship, unauthorized submission, or fraudulent peer review;
• Copyright infringement or unlawful use of third-party material that cannot be resolved through correction;
• Other serious breaches of publication ethics or research integrity.

Retraction Notice

When an article is retracted, the journal will publish a retraction notice that explains the reason for retraction as clearly as possible. The notice will normally identify who initiated the retraction, such as the authors, the editor, the Editorial Office, or another responsible party.

A retraction notice should normally:

• Be linked to the retracted article;
• Clearly state that the article has been retracted;
• Explain the reason for retraction;
• Identify whether the retraction is due to honest error, misconduct, ethical concerns, duplicate publication, or another reason;
• Preserve the bibliographic record of the original article;
• Remain openly accessible to readers.

Retracted articles will not normally be removed from the journal website. Instead, the article record will be clearly marked as retracted to preserve the transparency of the scholarly record.

Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when serious questions have been raised about the reliability, ethics, or integrity of a published article, but the available information is incomplete, inconclusive, or under investigation.

An expression of concern may be appropriate when:

• An investigation is ongoing and readers should be alerted to potential concerns;
• There is evidence suggesting possible misconduct, but the evidence is not yet conclusive;
• Authors, institutions, or third parties have not yet provided sufficient clarification;
• The concern may affect interpretation or trust in the article;
• Resolution of the concern is likely to take substantial time.

An expression of concern may later be followed by a correction, retraction, removal of the concern, or other editorial action depending on the outcome of the assessment.

Article Removal

Article removal is rare and will be considered only in exceptional circumstances. The journal normally preserves the published record through correction, expression of concern, or retraction rather than removal.

Removal may be considered when:

• The article contains information that poses a serious legal risk;
• The article includes unlawful, defamatory, or privacy-violating content;
• The article contains identifiable personal information without valid consent;
• The article poses a serious risk to participant safety or confidentiality;
• A legal or institutional requirement makes continued public access inappropriate.

If removal is necessary, the journal may retain a public notice explaining that the article has been removed and stating the reason where legally and ethically possible.

Post-Publication Concerns

Concerns about published articles may be raised by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, research participants, or other parties. Concerns should be submitted to the Editorial Office with sufficient detail and supporting information.

Concerns may relate to:

• Errors in data, analysis, interpretation, figures, tables, or metadata;
• Authorship, affiliation, funding, or conflict of interest issues;
• Ethical approval, informed consent, privacy, or participant protection concerns;
• Plagiarism, duplicate publication, or copyright infringement;
• Data fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, or unreliable findings;
• Problems with supplementary materials, datasets, code, or visual evidence.

Assessment Procedure

When a concern is received, the Editorial Office will assess the issue in a fair, confidential, and evidence-based manner. The journal may consult editors, reviewers, authors, institutions, ethics committees, research integrity offices, or external experts where appropriate.

The assessment may include:

• Reviewing the published article, submission files, reviewer comments, and editorial history;
• Requesting clarification from the authors;
• Requesting original data, analysis files, code, ethics approval, consent documentation, or permission records;
• Consulting the handling editor, Editor-in-Chief, or relevant editorial board members;
• Seeking independent expert advice where necessary;
• Determining whether a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or other action is appropriate.

Author-Initiated Corrections and Retractions

Authors should notify the Editorial Office promptly if they discover a significant error, omission, ethical issue, or reliability concern in their published article. Authors are expected to cooperate with the journal in assessing and correcting the scholarly record.

If authors request a correction or retraction, they should explain the reason clearly and provide supporting documentation where applicable. The Editorial Office will review the request and determine the appropriate editorial action.

Corrections to Author Information

Corrections to author names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, funding information, acknowledgements, or author order may be considered when supported by clear documentation and agreement of the affected authors.

Requests for authorship changes after publication require careful editorial review. The journal may require written confirmation from all authors and may issue a correction notice where the change affects the published record.

Version of Record

The published article is the version of record. Changes to the version of record after publication must be transparent and traceable. Substantive changes will normally be accompanied by a correction notice, editorial note, expression of concern, or retraction notice as appropriate.

Minor metadata or formatting corrections may be made where they do not affect the scholarly content, interpretation, citation, or integrity of the article.

Impact on Indexing and Metadata

When a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other formal notice is published, the journal may update article metadata and notify relevant indexing, abstracting, preservation, or scholarly infrastructure services where appropriate.

The journal aims to ensure that post-publication notices are discoverable, linked to the relevant article, and clearly reflected in the article record.

Appeals

Authors may appeal a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or related editorial action if they believe that the decision was based on a factual error, procedural problem, or incomplete assessment. Appeals must provide clear reasons and supporting evidence.

Appeals will be reviewed by the Editorial Office or appropriate editorial leadership. Submission of an appeal does not guarantee reversal of the editorial action.

Policy Summary

Corrections are issued for errors that do not invalidate the main findings.

Retractions are issued when findings or the publication record are seriously unreliable.

Expressions of concern may be issued while serious concerns are under investigation.

Article removal is rare and used only in exceptional legal, ethical, privacy, or safety circumstances.

The journal is committed to preserving a transparent and reliable scholarly record.