The Journal of Pharmacology and Drug Development (JPDD) is committed to the integrity of the academic record. We recognize our responsibility to correct errors, clarify ambiguities, and respond to any issues discovered in published articles. This policy, which follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines, outlines the procedures for corrections, article withdrawals, and retractions.
Errors discovered after publication will be addressed based on their severity.
Minor Errors: Errors that do not affect the scientific integrity, data, or conclusions of the paper (e.g., spelling errors, author affiliation typos) may be corrected at the discretion of the Editorial Office. A correction notice will be published and linked to the original article.
Major Errors: Significant errors that impact the scientific understanding or conclusions of the paper, but do not invalidate the entire work, will be corrected through a formal notice.
Corrigendum: Published if a significant error is discovered and reported by the author(s).
Erratum: Published if a significant error was introduced by the journal or publisher during the production process.
In all cases, a formal Corrigendum or Erratum notice will be published, linked to the original article, and indexed to ensure readers are aware of the correction. Authors who discover an error in their published work are obligated to inform the journal's editorial office immediately.
An article may be withdrawn from the journal's review process or "in-press" queue (articles accepted but not yet formally published).
Reason for Withdrawal: Withdrawals are typically requested by the author(s) if they discover significant errors in their data, if the work has been inadvertently submitted to another journal, or for other ethical reasons.
How to Request a Withdrawal: The corresponding author must submit a formal, signed request to the Editorial Office. This request must be co-signed by all authors and must provide a clear and detailed explanation for the withdrawal.
Journal's Discretion: The decision to withdraw a manuscript is at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. Manuscripts with clear evidence of unethical submission (e.g., duplicate submission, plagiarism) will be withdrawn, and the authors' institutions may be notified.
Note: Once an article has been formally published (assigned a volume, issue, and page numbers or a permanent DOI), it cannot be withdrawn. It must instead be considered for a Retraction or Correction.
A retraction is a mechanism for correcting the literature and alerting readers to published articles that contain seriously flawed or erroneous data, or instances of publication misconduct.
Grounds for Retraction:
Retractions will be considered, following a formal investigation, in cases of:
Clear evidence of unreliable findings due to misconduct (e.g., data fabrication, falsification).
Clear evidence of unreliable findings due to major honest error.
Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism or redundant publication).
Unethical research (e.g., failure to obtain proper IRB approval).
The Retraction Process:
An investigation is initiated by the Editor-in-Chief, either in response to a concern raised by a third party or by the author(s) themselves.
The journal will follow COPE's guidelines for the investigation.
If a retraction is deemed necessary, a formal Retraction Notice will be published. This notice will:
Be clearly identified as a retraction.
Be linked to the original article in all online databases.
State who is retracting the article (author, editor, or publisher).
Clearly state the reason(s) for the retraction.
The original article will not be removed from the online journal, but it will be clearly marked as "Retracted" on all versions to ensure the integrity of the academic record.
In complex or inconclusive cases, the journal may issue an Expression of Concern. This is a notice from the editor that alerts readers to significant concerns about an article while an investigation is ongoing, or when an investigation has proven inconclusive but serious doubts about the article's validity remain.