RETRACTION POLICY

The Journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. Articles containing serious errors or involving misconduct that compromises the reliability or validity of the published work will be retracted in full accordance with COPE guidelines.

Retraction is warranted when findings are deemed unreliable due to data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or significant methodological errors. Grounds for retraction also include duplicate publication, inappropriate citation practices, and failure to disclose the use of AI technologies in generating content. Additional reasons for retraction are non-disclosure of conflicts of interest or financial relationships that may influence results, as well as legal, ethical, or regulatory violations that compromise research credibility. Inadequate institutional or ethical approvals, authorship disputes, and a compromised peer-review process also justify retraction. Any other unethical practice threatening the integrity of the article will be treated in the same manner.

When a potential issue is identified, the Editorial Board will conduct an assessment or request an institutional investigation if necessary. Authors will be notified and given an opportunity to respond. The Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the Editorial Board, will make the final decision on retraction based on the evidence and any institutional findings.

If an article is retracted, a notice will be published in the next available issue and linked to the online article. The notice will clearly identify the article by title, author(s), and citation details, and explain the reasons for retraction. The original article will remain accessible online but will be marked with a “Retracted” watermark to preserve the scholarly record, and retractions will be flagged in indexing databases.