Retraction of a scientific article is an official mechanism for correcting published information, aimed at ensuring the reliability, scientific integrity, and ethical standards of publishing activities.
The purpose of retraction is to inform readers and the scientific community about the presence of significant violations, errors, or unreliable data in a publication that affect its scientific value.
An article may be retracted in cases where one or more of the following violations are detected:
• plagiarism or incorrect borrowing of text or graphic material;
• duplication (republication) of the same article in different publications;
• falsification or fabrication of data, including manipulation of research results;
• significant scientific or methodological errors that distort the results or conclusions of the research;
• incorrect determination of authorship (exclusion of persons who have made a significant contribution to the work, or inclusion of persons who do not meet the criteria for authorship);
• concealment of conflicts of interest or other violations of academic ethics;
• republication of material without the author's official consent.
Article retraction procedure
Retraction requests may be submitted by authors, editors, or third parties. The editorial board conducts an investigation with the participation of the authors and, if necessary, external experts.
If the authors deem it necessary to retract the article, a written request with a detailed justification for the retraction is submitted to the editorial board.
After reviewing the request, the editor-in-chief of the journal or his/her deputy decides on the appropriateness of retracting the article. If the decision is positive, the editorial board takes all necessary organizational and technical measures to formally process the retraction.
If the decision to retract is initiated by the editorial board (based on internal expertise or information received from third parties or organizations), the lead author (corresponding author) must be notified of the reason for the retraction and receive an official notification stating the reason for the retraction.
After the decision to retract the publication has been made, the text of the article is not removed from the electronic resource of the collection, but remains in the corresponding issue.
The electronic version of the text shall be marked “WITHDRAWN / RETRACTED” with the date of retraction.
A similar note shall be made in the table of contents of the relevant issue to ensure the publicity and transparency of the process.
In databases, catalogs, and registers where the collection is indexed, the editorial board is obliged to convey information about the fact of retraction in accordance with the current requirements of scientific communication.
Retraction does not exempt authors from responsibility for the accuracy of the data provided and compliance with the norms of academic integrity.
The editorial board guarantees adherence to the principles of objectivity, impartiality, and confidentiality when considering issues related to the withdrawal of articles.
Additional terms
In some cases, the authors of a scientific article that is subject to review by the journal may request the withdrawal of their manuscript. The request can be made only before the article is published. In order to withdraw a manuscript, the authors should send a letter to the journal's editorial board containing a clear and understandable explanation of the reasons for the withdrawal. The letter should be concise and signed by all authors of the article. The withdrawn manuscript will be completely removed from the publisher's database, but the copyright remains with the authors of the article.
Mass manipulation and paper mills
If it is determined that an article is part of a group of publications compromised by paper mills or other systematic fraudulent practices, the editorial board may decide to retract the article as part of a package. The retraction statement must indicate that the article belongs to a group of works affected by similar violations.
Use of artificial intelligence
The hidden or undeclared use of artificial intelligence systems to create text, images, or other data in a manuscript is considered a serious violation and may be grounds for retraction. Authors are required to transparently disclose the use of such tools. Concealing such facts may be considered grounds for retraction. The editorial board reserves the right to check manuscripts for the use of generative artificial intelligence systems. For this purpose, automated detection tools, expert evaluation by reviewers, and additional requests to authors may be used.
Falsification of authorship and identity theft
Manuscripts may be retracted in cases of confirmed false authorship, use of someone else's personal data (name, ORCID, etc.), as well as hidden or forced authorship.
Expression of concern
In cases where there are serious concerns about the authenticity of an article or a breach of academic integrity, but there is insufficient evidence for immediate retraction, the editorial board may publish an expression of concern. Such a statement has its own DOI, is linked to the original article, and contains a brief explanation of the reasons for publication. The expression of concern remains available until the editorial investigation is complete.
Promptness of procedures
The decision to publish corrections, expressions of concern or retractions is made by the editorial board and implemented as soon as possible after significant violations are identified. In cases where final agreement on the text with the authors is not possible, the editorial board reserves the right to publish the statement without delay in order to preserve scientific integrity.
Availability of retracted articles
Retracted articles remain openly accessible in the journal's archives and databases with a clear indication of “Retraction”. Complete removal is only possible in exceptional cases when required by applicable legal regulations (in particular, personal data protection, copyright infringement, enforcement of court decisions or security considerations).