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Post-Publication Corrections and Critiques
Corrections, Errata, Retractions, Comments, and Responses
POLICY
INFORMS considers work published once the copyedited, typeset version has been disseminated for public view; this includes Articles in Advance (AiA) and/or articles printed in an issue. Once articles have been released online ahead of print, they can only be removed from AiA by assigning them to an issue. If an error in a published article is discovered, a correction, erratum or retraction can be published.
Corrections, Errata, and Retractions
A correction is appropriate for small errors or oversights that can be easily incorporated into the online version of the article and would not affect the editorial integrity of the article. Examples include minor typographical errors, minor mathematical notation errors (such as mis-formatted exponents), misspelling of a co-author’s name, or adding inadvertently omitted funders. Any correction applied to a published article must, without exception, be accompanied by a correction box, generally inserted on the final page of the article, notifying the readers of the change(s) made to the article since it was originally published; if the correction is the result of notification by a third party, the correction should recognize the contribution of the researcher(s) who raised the issue. The first page of the corrected article will be revised to carry notice along the top margin that this is now a corrected version of record and to see the final page for details about what has changed.
An erratum (sometimes referred to as a corrigendum) is a list of significant errors identified in a previously published article, along with their corrections. Because an erratum may impact the editorial conclusions reported in the original article, all errata must be approved by the journal’s editor-in-chief. Once approved, an erratum will be published in the next available issue and will be linked to the original article as technology allows.
A retraction carries a stronger connotation than the terms correction and erratum. An alteration that changes the main point of the original statement is generally referred to as a retraction whereas an alteration that leaves the main point of a statement intact is usually referred to as a correction or erratum. In science, a retraction of a published scientific article indicates that the original article should not have been published and that its data and conclusions should not be used as part of the foundation for future research. The common reasons for the retraction of articles are scientific misconduct and serious error.
Corrections and errata are generally initiated by the authors of the published paper. Retractions may be initiated by the authors or by the publisher.
If a party other than the original author(s) identifies an error in a published article, that party should first notify the author(s) of the perceived error. (If all original authors are deceased, the party may directly notify the editor-in-chief, editorial office, or publisher.) At the original authors’ discretion, they may initiate a correction, erratum, or retraction (as appropriate) by contacting the journal editor-in-chief, editorial office, or publisher. If, after notification, the original authors are non-responsive or choose not to pursue a correction, erratum, or retraction, the party may pursue publication of a comment detailing the perceived error. A comment must be submitted to the journal via its submission system and will be peer-reviewed for acceptance or rejection, and the authors of the original publication will be offered the opportunity to publish a response alongside the comment. For more, see Comments and Responses below.
Comments and Responses
A comment is a short article whose sole contribution to the scientific literature is outlining a non-trivial error identified in another author(s)’ previously published work. A comment should have evidence or data to support the claims and may not contain any libelous or defamatory content. A comment must apply to an article previously published within the same journal; comments may not be pursued regarding articles published by another journal. A comment may only be pursued in instances where the original authors are unwilling or unable to respond to the proposed correction.1 Comments must be submitted to the journal via its submission system, along with a cover letter detailing the commenting author’s communication with the original author and disclosing any potential conflicts of interest. Comments will be peer-reviewed for acceptance or rejection. Whenever possible, a comment’s review team should include at least one of the original article’s authors. Once a comment has been accepted, the original article’s authors will be given the opportunity to publish a response alongside the comment.2
A response (sometimes referred to as a rejoinder) is a short article acknowledging or rebutting the perceived error. The response must be submitted to the journal via its submission system, and will be peer-reviewed for acceptance or rejection. At the editor’s discretion, the commenting author may be presented the opportunity to submit a reply, to be published alongside the comment and response. In all instances, the authors will be provided a reasonable deadline to respond and be notified that if they do not provide a response, the critique will be published regardless. In most instances, comments, responses, and replies will be published simultaneously under separate DOIs and will be linked to one another and the original article via the “Related” tab on each item’s article details page.
Submitted comments deemed to be ethically suspect (for example, frivolous, libelous, or resulting from a personal vendetta) may be subject to investigation and sanction as a violation of publishing ethics.
PROCEDURE
Ask: Will the correction require a minor or major change? Has the article published online ahead of print? Has the article published in an issue?
A change will be considered minor if it does not affect the editorial integrity of the article or significantly impact the current typesetting of the article (for example, adding or removing figures or multiple lines of text). In these instances, the changes will be made to the online version and will be detailed in a correction box at the end of the paper. A notice will be added within the top margin of the first page of the article to notify readers of the change, and an “updated” date will be added to the history of the paper (see Resupply Style below). A published erratum is generally not warranted for a minor change.
A change will be considered major if it may impact the conclusions of the article or cannot be easily incorporated into the current typesetting of the article. In these instances, the changes will not be made to the online version, but instead be detailed in an erratum to be published in the next available issue. (For example, see http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/moor.2015.0750.) If an erratum is published, both the article and erratum will be linked to one another via the “Related” tab on each item’s article details page.
If an editor-in-chief concludes that an error meets the qualifications for a retraction, the editor must supply a retraction statement to the production editor. (In instances in which the retraction originates from the authors, the editor may collaborate with the authors on the retraction statement.) The retraction statement will replace the article online and be published with the original article’s DOI. The original authors and title will remain part of the retraction’s metadata. Any links to the retracted article will lead readers to the retraction statement. Additionally, the retraction statement will be published in the next available issue.
Resupply Style
If an article is updated following online publication, the following text will be added to the top of the title page in bold type:
CORRECTED VERSION OF RECORD; SEE LAST PAGE OF ARTICLE
A box at the end of the reference section will read similar to the following (keeping with the journals’ existing errata style):
If an erratum WILL NOT be published:
If an erratum WILL be published:
Should any correction be made to the AiA version of the article, all online publication dates will be published with the printed version as follows:
Published online in Articles in Advance February 18, 2009, and updated May 1, 2009.
For articles with major changes which cannot be corrected in the online version and for which an erratum has been issued, the following text will be added to the top of the title page in bold type:
AN ERRATUM EXISTS FOR THIS ARTICLE, SEE http://dx.doi.org /10.1287/moor.2015.0750
Both the article and erratum will be linked to one another via the “Related” tab on each item’s article details page.
REFERENCE
COPE Council (2021) Handling of post-publication critiques, https://doi.org/10.24318/o1VgCAih.
Updated March 7, 2024
1 An author may be deemed non-responsive only after a reasonable attempt at communication has failed.
2 If the original authors choose not to prepare a response, the editor may, at his or her discretion, publish an editor’s note alongside the comment explaining the absence of a response.