Policy on Errata, Corrections, and Retractions

IP

As part of its commitment to Open Science and editorial transparency, IPSUMTEC Journal maintains a permanent, unalterable, and accurate record of the articles published on its Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform. Nevertheless, in exceptional circumstances or in cases of ethical breaches affecting scientific validity, the Editorial Committee will implement the corresponding rectification procedures, strictly aligned with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The OJS system provides four principal mechanisms for managing post-publication modifications, ensuring that such changes are transparent both in public display and in interoperable metadata indexing (Crossref, DOI, OAI-PMH).

1. Errata (Editorial Errors)

An Erratum Notice will be published when it is necessary to correct a technical or formal error or omission attributable to the journal's editorial team, provided that the scientific integrity of the article remains intact.

Technical protocol in OJS:

  • File update: the original galley file (PDF/HTML/XML) will be replaced with a corrected version within the OJS production workflow.
  • Internal note: a note will be added at the end of the article text, explicitly referencing the erratum notice.
  • Linked new submission: the erratum notice will be processed as an independent item within the current or upcoming issue of the journal.
  • DOI assignment: this independent notice will be assigned formal page numbering and its own Digital Object Identifier (DOI), linked via metadata (Crossref relations) to the corrected version of the article.

2. Corrections (Authorship Errors)

A Correction Notice will be issued when an unintentional omission or error originates directly from the authorial team and formally affects the publication record or the reputation of the signing parties, without invalidating the manuscript's fundamental conclusions.

Technical protocol in OJS:

  • Galley replacement: the amended version of the manuscript will be uploaded to the corresponding OJS galley section.
  • Textual clarification: the modified document will include an appendix note detailing the changes made.
  • Notice publication: an independent document titled "Correction to: [Original Article Title]" will be typeset and published.
  • Interoperability: this notice will have its own pagination and an exclusive DOI record, configured in OJS metadata to maintain a bidirectional hyperlink with the amended article.

3. Retractions

A Retraction Notice constitutes the most severe corrective measure within the scientific communication system. It will be applied when a substantial error invalidates the article's findings or when misconduct in research or publication is demonstrated.

The Editorial Committee will consider retraction under the following circumstances:

  • Conclusive evidence that the results are unreliable due to negligence (calculation or experimental errors) or scientific misconduct (data fabrication or image manipulation).
  • Confirmed cases of plagiarism or editorial redundancy (duplicate publication without proper reference or authorization).
  • Evidence of fraudulent authorship or deliberate manipulation of the peer review process in OJS.
  • Ethical infractions and violations of the professional deontological codes of science.

Technical and institutional protocol in OJS:

  • Watermark: the legend "ARTÍCULO RETRACTADO / RETRACTED ARTICLE" will be indelibly inserted into all galleys (PDF/HTML) associated with the submission. The original galleys are not removed from the system, in order to preserve the historical transparency of the record.
  • Metadata modification: the article's metadata in OJS will be edited to formally prepend the phrase "Retracted Article:" to the original title, ensuring that any indexer harvesting via OAI-PMH registers the retraction.
  • Committee statement: an independent institutional document, signed by the Editorial Directorate of IPSUMTEC and titled "Retraction: [Article Title]," will be published and indexed in the table of contents of the corresponding issue.
  • DOI and pagination: this institutional statement will have formal pagination and its own independent DOI record.

4. Article Removal

The physical removal of a document from OJS servers is an ultra-exceptional measure, implemented only when extremely serious legal issues arise that cannot be resolved through a correction or retraction notice. This extreme measure will be strictly limited to the following cases:

  • When the article's content manifestly infringes legal or privacy rights, or is flagrantly defamatory.
  • When the manuscript is expressly subject to a court order or requirement issued by a competent authority.
  • When the continued availability of the content poses a severe, demonstrated risk to public health or collective safety.

Technical protocol in OJS:

  • Metadata preservation: under no circumstances will the submission record be deleted from the OJS system. Indexing metadata (author names, original title, abstract, and DOI) will remain fully intact on the platform, so as not to disrupt the citation chain and historical record.
  • File withdrawal: all public galleys of the article (PDF, XML, HTML) will be permanently deleted.
  • Document replacement: in place of the original downloadable files, a single standardized institutional PDF document will be uploaded, textually stating that the article has been formally withdrawn from the system for strict legal reasons.

Last updated: July 30, 2026. This policy may be updated in accordance with new technological practices or institutional requirements.