Post-Publication Correction and Retraction Policy

Commitment to the Scholarly Record

The International Review of FinTech Business and Management (IRFBM), published by the Academy of Decision and Data Sciences (ADDS), is committed to preserving the accuracy, reliability, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal follows recognised publication ethics principles when addressing errors, disputes, or concerns identified after publication. Post-publication actions are handled fairly, consistently, and with appropriate documentation.

The purpose of this policy is to explain how IRFBM manages corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, withdrawals, and other changes to published content.

General Principles

Post-publication changes are made only when necessary to protect the accuracy and integrity of the academic record.

IRFBM follows these principles:

  • Published records should remain permanent and traceable.

  • Errors should be corrected transparently.

  • Serious concerns should be investigated carefully.

  • Authors should normally be given an opportunity to respond.

  • Editorial notices should clearly explain the reason for the action.

  • Corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern should remain linked to the original article.

  • Editorial decisions should be based on evidence rather than personal, institutional, or commercial influence.

Correction Notices

A correction is issued when an error affects the accuracy, clarity, or interpretation of an article but does not invalidate its main findings or conclusions.

Corrections may relate to:

  • Author names or affiliations.

  • Numerical or statistical errors.

  • Incorrect labels in figures or tables.

  • Missing acknowledgements or funding information.

  • Errors in references.

  • Typographical or formatting mistakes that affect meaning.

  • Inaccurate metadata.

  • Minor omissions that require formal clarification.

The original article will normally remain available, and a separate correction notice will be published and linked to it.

Erratum

An erratum is issued when the error was introduced during the journal's editorial, production, copyediting, formatting, or typesetting process.

Examples include:

  • Incorrect author information added during production.

  • Layout errors.

  • Missing text caused by typesetting.

  • Incorrect table or figure placement.

  • Production-related citation errors.

The erratum will identify the error and state the correct information.

Corrigendum

A corrigendum is issued when the error originated from the author or authors.

Examples include:

  • Incorrect data values.

  • Mislabelled tables or figures.

  • Errors in calculations.

  • Missing author or funding information.

  • Inaccurate methodological details.

  • Mistakes that do not invalidate the overall results.

A corrigendum will clearly explain the error and provide the corrected information.

Retractions

A retraction is issued when an article's findings, methods, data, or ethical basis are no longer considered reliable or valid.

Retraction may be appropriate where there is evidence of:

  • Fabrication or falsification of data.

  • Serious plagiarism.

  • Duplicate or redundant publication.

  • Major methodological errors that invalidate the findings.

  • Unethical research involving human participants or animals.

  • Manipulation of images, results, citations, or peer review.

  • Unauthorised use of confidential or copyrighted material.

  • Serious authorship misconduct.

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest that materially affected the work.

  • Honest errors that make the conclusions unreliable.

A retraction may be initiated by the authors, editors, publisher, institution, or another authorised body.

Retraction Notices

Each retraction notice will:

  • Clearly identify the retracted article.

  • Explain the reason for retraction.

  • State who initiated the retraction where appropriate.

  • Distinguish between honest error and misconduct when this can be established.

  • Be linked to the original article.

  • Remain freely accessible.

  • Be clearly dated and labelled.

The original article will normally remain available to preserve the publication record, but it will be clearly marked as retracted on the article page and within the full text where technically possible.

Partial Retraction

In rare circumstances, a partial retraction may be considered where only a clearly identifiable part of the article is unreliable and the remaining findings remain valid.

However, where the affected section undermines the article's central conclusions, a full retraction will normally be issued.

Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be published when serious questions have been raised about an article but the available evidence is not yet sufficient to justify a correction or retraction.

An expression of concern may be appropriate when:

  • An investigation is ongoing.

  • The authors' institution has not completed its inquiry.

  • Evidence is incomplete or disputed.

  • There are concerns about data, ethics, authorship, or research conduct.

  • The journal cannot obtain adequate information to reach a final decision.

The notice will be linked to the original article and updated when the investigation is concluded.

Following the investigation, the expression of concern may be replaced or supplemented by:

  • A correction.

  • A retraction.

  • A statement confirming that no further action is required.

Article Removal

Published articles will not normally be removed from the journal website.

Removal may be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as where:

  • Continued publication creates a serious legal risk.

  • The article contains unlawful or defamatory content.

  • The article violates privacy or confidentiality rights.

  • The content presents a serious and immediate public safety risk.

  • A court or authorised legal body requires removal.

Where removal is necessary, a notice explaining the reason will normally remain in place, while preserving as much bibliographic information as legally possible.

Manuscript Withdrawal Before Publication

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before publication by submitting a written request to the editorial office.

The request should:

  • Identify the manuscript.

  • Explain the reason for withdrawal.

  • Confirm that all authors agree with the request.

The editorial office will review the request and, where approved, mark the manuscript as withdrawn and remove it from the active editorial process.

The journal may retain an internal record of the submission for administrative, ethical, and audit purposes.

Withdrawal After Acceptance

A manuscript accepted but not yet published may still be withdrawn in exceptional circumstances.

The journal may request a clear explanation and confirmation from all authors before approving withdrawal.

Where substantial editorial or production work has already been completed, the journal may record the withdrawal internally.

Withdrawal After Publication

A published article cannot normally be treated as an unpublished manuscript or removed merely because an author requests withdrawal.

Once published, the article becomes part of the permanent scholarly record.

Where a valid concern exists after publication, IRFBM will normally issue a:

  • Correction.

  • Expression of concern.

  • Retraction.

  • Removal notice in exceptional legal or safety cases.

Requests for Post-Publication Changes

Requests for corrections or other post-publication actions should be sent to the editorial office and should include:

  • Article title.

  • Author names.

  • Volume and issue information.

  • DOI or article identifier, where available.

  • A clear explanation of the concern.

  • Supporting evidence.

  • The proposed correction, where applicable.

The journal may request further evidence before taking action.

Investigation and Decision-Making

The Editor-in-Chief will conduct or supervise the initial assessment of any reported concern.

Depending on the nature of the issue, the journal may consult:

  • Associate Editors.

  • Members of the Editorial Board.

  • Independent subject experts.

  • Research ethics specialists.

  • Authors and co-authors.

  • The authors' institutions.

  • Funding organisations.

  • Legal advisers, where necessary.

The final decision will be based on the available evidence, the seriousness of the concern, and the need to preserve the accuracy of the scholarly record.

Author Notification

Authors will normally be informed of proposed post-publication action and given a reasonable opportunity to respond.

However, author agreement is not required where the evidence clearly justifies a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or other editorial notice.

A lack of response from the authors will not prevent the journal from taking necessary action.

Reader Notification

All formal post-publication changes will be made clearly and transparently.

Where technically possible:

  • Notices will be linked to the original article.

  • The original article will link back to the notice.

  • The article page will display its current publication status.

  • DOI and metadata records will be updated.

  • Relevant indexing and abstracting services will be notified.

Authorship and Affiliation Corrections

Requests to change author names, author order, corresponding authorship, or affiliations after publication will be assessed carefully.

The journal may require:

  • Written agreement from all authors.

  • An explanation of the requested change.

  • Evidence supporting the correction.

  • Institutional confirmation in disputed cases.

Substantial authorship disputes may be referred to the relevant institution for investigation.

Minor Changes

Minor changes that do not affect the academic record, interpretation, indexing, or citation may be corrected without publishing a separate notice.

These may include:

  • Minor typographical errors.

  • Formatting inconsistencies.

  • Broken internal links.

  • Small metadata corrections.

Substantive changes will always require a formal and visible notice.

Appeals

Authors may appeal a post-publication decision by submitting a written request with relevant evidence.

The appeal should explain:

  • Why the decision is believed to be incorrect.

  • What evidence was overlooked or misunderstood.

  • What outcome is requested.

The Editor-in-Chief may seek additional independent advice before issuing a final decision.

Contact

Questions, correction requests, retraction concerns, or other post-publication matters may be directed to:

International Review of FinTech Business and Management (IRFBM)
Academy of Decision and Data Sciences (ADDS)
Email: editor.irfbm@addsacademy.com

Policy Review

This policy is reviewed periodically to reflect developments in publication ethics, research integrity, legal requirements, and scholarly communication practices. Any revisions will be published on the journal website.