The International Journal of Social World (IJSW) is committed to maintaining an accurate, reliable, and transparent scholarly record. If an error, concern, or other issue is identified after publication, the journal will assess the matter and take appropriate editorial action based on the available evidence, with reference to relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), where applicable.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of an issue, IJSW may issue a correction, an Expression of Concern, a retraction, or take other appropriate editorial action.

Corrections

A correction may be issued when an error, omission, or inaccuracy affects a published article but the article remains substantially reliable. This may involve factual or statistical errors, survey results, interview findings, tables, figures, references, author or affiliation details, funding or disclosure statements, research methodology, or other publication information.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect meaning may be corrected through routine editorial maintenance. Substantive errors are addressed through a formal Correction Notice, identifying the affected article and describing the change. The notice is linked to the original article, which may be updated accordingly.

Authors, readers, reviewers, or editors may report a suspected error. The editorial team assesses the request, may seek clarification or supporting documentation from the authors, and may consult relevant experts or institutions where necessary. For research involving human participants, surveys, interviews, focus groups, or sensitive social data, the journal may also consider whether the error affects the interpretation of findings, participant confidentiality, informed consent, or compliance with applicable research ethics requirements.

Requests concerning authorship, conflicts of interest, research ethics, participant privacy, or the responsible use of social research data are evaluated with reference to the journal's relevant policies, including the Authorship Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, and Publication Ethics Policy.

Retractions

Retraction may be considered when reliable evidence shows that a published article, or a substantial part of it, is no longer sufficiently reliable or ethically acceptable. Circumstances may include:

• Fabrication or falsification of data, survey responses, interview findings, or research results
• Plagiarism or substantial unattributed use of another's work
• Duplicate or redundant publication
• Major errors that invalidate the principal findings or conclusions
• Serious violations of research ethics, including lack of required ethical approval or informed consent
• Unethical collection, use, disclosure, or handling of information obtained from human participants
• Disclosure of identifiable or confidential participant information without appropriate authorization
• Manipulated or unreliable figures, tables, statistical analyses, or research data
• Serious undisclosed conflicts of interest materially affecting the publication
• Serious authorship or publication misconduct

Where practicable, authors are given an opportunity to respond before a decision is made. The journal may also consult reviewers, subject experts, research ethics committees, or relevant institutions. A retraction decision is made independently of any Article Processing Charge or other financial consideration.

Expression of Concern

Where significant concerns have been raised but the available evidence is not yet sufficient to determine whether a correction or retraction is warranted, IJSW may publish an Expression of Concern while further information or investigation is obtained.

Such concerns may involve the reliability of social research findings, questionable survey or interview data, possible research misconduct, ethical treatment of human participants, informed consent, confidentiality, or the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive personal information.

Following further assessment, IJSW may issue a correction, retraction, or other appropriate editorial notice.

Retraction Notice and Published Record

A retracted article is not normally removed from the journal's published record. It remains accessible but is clearly marked RETRACTED, alongside a linked Retraction Notice explaining the reason for the action.

The original DOI is normally retained, and relevant metadata may be updated where technically possible. Where appropriate, IJSW may provide updated information to relevant indexing, abstracting, repository, or discovery services. The timing of updates by third-party services is outside the journal's control.

Where a published article contains confidential or identifiable information about human participants, the journal may consider additional measures to protect privacy and comply with applicable legal, ethical, and editorial requirements. Any such action will be handled in a manner that seeks to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

A retraction differs from an article withdrawal, which generally applies to manuscripts that have not yet been formally published and is handled separately under the journal's applicable withdrawal procedures.

Appeals

Authors may request reconsideration of a correction or retraction decision where substantial new evidence emerges, relevant information was overlooked, or a significant procedural error occurred.

Confidentiality

Correction and retraction matters are handled with appropriate confidentiality. Information may be shared where reasonably necessary to investigate the matter, obtain clarification, consult relevant parties, comply with applicable requirements, or maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

For research involving surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, or other forms of human-participant research, IJSW recognizes the importance of protecting participants' identities and confidential information. The journal will take reasonable steps to avoid unnecessary disclosure of sensitive personal data during editorial investigations.

The identity of individuals raising concerns will not be disclosed unnecessarily. Authors and other relevant parties are expected to handle confidential information responsibly throughout the investigation process.

Fees and Editorial Independence

IJSW does not charge authors for correcting genuine publication errors. Decisions relating to corrections, Expressions of Concern, and retractions are made independently of APC payment, refund requests, or other financial considerations.

Editorial decisions are based on the reliability of the published research, the available evidence, applicable ethical requirements, and the need to maintain an accurate scholarly record.

Editorial Responsibility

Decisions on corrections and retractions are made by the IJSW editorial team based on the available evidence and circumstances of each case.

COPE Retraction Guidelines →