Correction and Retraction

1. Purpose and Authority
Journal Of Nursing Practice (JNP) maintains the accuracy and integrity of its published record through transparent corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions. An editor without a relevant conflict will assess requests and recommend action. The Editor-in-Chief, or an independent designated editor where the Editor-in-Chief is conflicted, is responsible for the editorial decision. Authors will normally be informed and given an opportunity to respond. Author agreement is desirable but is not required for an action justified by the evidence.

2. Reporting an Error or Concern
Authors, readers, reviewers, and institutions may report a concern to jnpstrada@gmail.com. Reports should identify the article by title and DOI or URL, explain the issue, and provide supporting evidence. Authors must promptly notify the journal when they discover a significant error in their published work. Potential misconduct will be assessed under the Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy.

3. Corrections
A correction is appropriate when a published error requires amendment but the article’s main findings remain reliable. Examples include errors in data presentation, figures, tables, references, author information, funding, or conflict-of-interest declarations that can be corrected without invalidating the work. Authorship changes must follow the Authorship Criteria, including appropriate documentation and agreement from affected authors. Unresolved authorship disputes may require institutional involvement.
Substantive corrections will be issued as a dated notice explaining what changed and linked to the article. Updated files will identify the amendment. Minor typographical or formatting changes that do not affect meaning may be corrected without a formal notice.

4. Expressions of Concern
An expression of concern may be issued when a substantial concern about an article remains unresolved and readers need to be alerted, including when an investigation is inconclusive, delayed, or unavailable. The notice will explain the nature of the concern without presenting an unproven allegation as an established finding. When sufficient evidence becomes available, the journal will publish an appropriate follow-up and link it to the article and the expression of concern.

5. Retractions
Retraction may be appropriate where the evidence establishes serious unreliability or a substantial breach of publication ethics. Grounds may include major error, fabricated or falsified findings, substantial plagiarism, unjustified redundant publication, unethical research, unauthorized use of material, or a publication process compromised by manipulation. A major undisclosed conflict may warrant retraction where it materially undermines the assessment or interpretation of the work. Retraction can be necessary after honest error as well as misconduct. Its purpose is to protect the scholarly record, not to punish authors. An authorship dispute alone ordinarily does not justify retraction where the findings remain reliable.

6. Notices and Article Status
Correction, expression-of-concern, and retraction notices will:

  • Clearly identify the affected article and its DOI.
  • State the action, reason, date, and issuing party.
  • Use factual, proportionate language.
  • Remain freely accessible and linked to the article.

Retracted articles will normally remain accessible with prominent status markings on the webpage and PDF. The DOI will continue to resolve to a page showing the article’s status and linked notice. Relevant metadata and DOI relations will be updated, and indexing or preservation services will be notified where supported. Published articles will not be silently deleted.

7. Exceptional Removal
Full-text removal may be necessary in exceptional circumstances involving legal requirements, serious privacy violations, or substantial safety risks. Where permitted, the bibliographic record and an explanatory notice will remain available. The scope of removal will be limited to what is necessary.

8. Withdrawal Before Publication
Withdrawal concerns manuscripts that have not yet been formally published. Authors should submit a reasoned request through the corresponding author, confirming agreement from all co-authors. The editorial office will confirm the manuscript’s status and withdrawal outcome. Withdrawal does not automatically terminate an integrity assessment. Once an article has been formally published online, including an online-first version, concerns are addressed through correction, expression of concern, or retraction rather than ordinary manuscript withdrawal.

9. Appeals, Fees, and Records
Appeals must identify the disputed decision and provide relevant evidence or procedural grounds. They will be considered without the participation of a person whose conflict compromises impartiality. Payment must not be a condition for issuing a necessary correction, expression of concern, or retraction. The journal will retain evidence, correspondence, decisions, notices, and version information in its editorial records.

10. Related Policies
This policy should be read with the Publication Ethics Policy, Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy, and Post-Publication Discussion Policy. JNP applies relevant COPE guidance when determining amendments to its published record.