We know our author(s) put a lot of hard work into creating and submitting their manuscripts. However, a correction and/or retraction of an article may be necessitated in case of unreliable data, plagiarism, nonadherence to established scientific formats, deprecated guidelines, etc. It should not be done lightly and can only occur under extraordinary circumstances. All the Corrections/WIthdrawals made to a published article will be with the authorization of the chief editor of the journal. 

Corrections

  1. Before Publication
    A PDF file will be uploaded for all authors to see during the copyediting stage for final corrections. You will receive an email notification stating the same. In case of any alterations required, authors can highlight the corrections and upload the file/add comments stating the alteration.
  2. After Publication
    Corrections will be entertained only if it severely affects the accuracy of the published article. Requests for such changes can be made in writing to the address: editor@esrfrjums.co.in. 
    An erratum/corrigendum/addendum will be published and linked with the original published article. 

    Publisher correction (erratum): to notify readers of an important error made by publishing/journal staff (usually a production error) that has a negative impact on the publication record or the scientific integrity of the article, or on the reputation of the Authors or the journal.
    Author correction (corrigendum): to notify readers of an important error made by the Authors which has a negative impact on the publication record or the scientific integrity of the article, or on the reputation of the Authors or the journal.
    Addendum: an addition to the article by its Authors to explain inconsistencies, to expand the existing work, or otherwise explain or update the information in the main work.

Withdrawals

A withdrawal is a serious request. We understand that authors might want to withdraw their manuscripts for various reasons. However, authors need to understand that significant resources are spent by editors and reviewers, in addition to their effort. Hence, before submission of manuscripts authors must oblige to the checklist provided. 
In case an author needs to withdraw their article, the corresponding author needs to contact the editor at the email address: editor@esrfrjums.co.in, with a duly signed and scanned copy of a letter stating the reasons for withdrawal. The guideline is stated as below:

  1. Before Peer Review
    All reasons including minor/formatting shall be considered for the same.
  2. Before Acceptance
    Only withdrawals citing major factual errors(including results, data tables, etc.) shall be considered. The corresponding author should mention the reasons in detail. Additionally, the author may request for corrigendum.
  3. After Acceptance
    Only withdrawals citing major inaccuracies that may lead to inconsistent or unreliable conclusions/results of the scientific research will be considered.
  4. After Publication
    There is no scope of withdrawal following publication. A correction may be requested following the guidelines above under "Corrections".

There is no punitive fee for withdrawal requests. However, withdrawal shall only be done at the discretion of the Editorial Board. We acknowledge that the work is owned by the author(s). Hence, if the corresponding author(s) demands withdrawal citing reasons that do not justify the phase of the review and editorial process, an embargo may be placed on the author(s), as deemed suitable by the Editorial Board.

Retractions

Retraction is a mechanism for correcting the literature and alerting readers to publications that contain such seriously flawed or erroneous data that their findings and conclusions cannot be relied upon. Retractions may be issued in:

  1. The error may invalidate the scientific accuracy of the article, such that the article may misguide or make the conclusions and results unreliable, either as a result of misconduct(eg, click here) or honest mistake(eg, miscalculations).
  2. The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission, or justification.
  3. In case of complaints (from any person) with proof of plagiarism or copyright issues, the publisher will retract/remove the published article with a note on retraction mentioning the reasons and refer the case to the corresponding author.

The ESRF Research Journal for Undergraduate Medical Students shall retract the article based on the guidelines and standards developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Click for Retraction Policy.