15-Correction & Withdrawal Policy

15.1 Introduction

The Business & Economic Review (BER) upholds the integrity, accuracy, and transparency of the scholarly record. As part of this commitment, the journal maintains clear policies for managing corrections, withdrawals, retractions, and expressions of concern when errors or ethical issues are identified in published content.

This Correction & Withdrawal Policy outlines the principles, procedures, and criteria used to determine and address changes to the academic record after publication. It applies to all contributors, including authors, editors, and third parties.

15.2 Policy Objectives

The key aims of this policy are to:

  • Maintain the credibility and reliability of the journal
  • Correct factual inaccuracies, honest errors, and ethical breaches
  • Comply with international publishing standards (COPE, ICMJE)
  • Ensure that corrections and retractions are visible, permanent, and linked to the original article
  • Prevent the spread of misinformation

15.3 Definitions

15.3.1 Correction (Erratum or Corrigendum)

A Correction is issued when a minor or major error is discovered in a published article that:

  • Does not invalidate the main conclusions
  • Was introduced either by the author (corrigendum) or the publisher/editor (erratum)

15.3.2 Retraction

A Retraction is issued for published articles that are found to contain:

  • Plagiarism or data fabrication
  • Serious errors invalidating findings
  • Unethical research practices
  • Duplicate publication

15.3.3 Withdrawal

Withdrawal refers to the removal of a manuscript prior to formal publication (before assignment of volume, issue, or DOI), due to author request or editorial concern.

15.3.4 Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern is published when an article is under investigation and a final decision is pending. It informs readers of potential issues without prematurely retracting content.

15.4  Correction Policy

15.4.1 Grounds for Corrections

Corrections may be issued for:

  • Errors in author names, affiliations, or correspondence details
  • Inaccurate tables, figures, or data points
  • Omitted acknowledgments or funding information
  • Reference list issues
  • Errors in units, statistical calculations, or formulae

15.4.2 Procedure for Correction

  • Authors must contact the editorial office with the correction request
  • The editorial team reviews and verifies the correction
  • If approved, a correction notice is published in the next issue
  • The notice is linked to the original article and includes:
    • Full citation of the original paper
    • Description of the correction
    • Indication of whether the correction affects conclusions

15.4.3 Publisher Responsibility

If the error was introduced during copyediting, typesetting, or publication, an erratum will be issued and marked accordingly.

15.5 Retraction Policy

15.5.1 Grounds for Retraction

Retractions are issued in cases involving:

  • Plagiarism (text, figures, data)
  • Fabrication or falsification of data
  • Duplicate publication without disclosure
  • Unethical research or lack of informed consent
  • Legal or copyright violations
  • Author conflict of interest not disclosed

15.5.2 Retraction Procedure

  • Concerns may be raised by authors, reviewers, editors, or third parties
  • The editorial board conducts a preliminary investigation
  • The author(s) are notified and given a chance to respond
  • If misconduct is confirmed or the article is invalid, the Editor-in-Chief issues a retraction
  • The retraction notice includes:
  • Title and DOI of the article
  • Reason for retraction
  • Who is retracting the article (authors, editors, or both)

Note: The original article is not deleted, but clearly marked as “Retracted” with a link to the retraction notice.

15.5.3 Partial Retractions

If only part of an article is unreliable (e.g., a figure or section), a partial retraction may be issued with an explanatory note.

15.6  Withdrawal Policy (Pre-publication)

15.6.1 Author-Initiated Withdrawals

After the successful desk review, authors are required to submit a copyright and declaration form affirming their consent to the journal’s copyright policies. At this stage, the authors may withdraw a manuscript subject to following conditions:

  • Withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author
  • Include justification for withdrawal
  • Withdrawal request should be signed by all co-authors.

If the authors wish to withdraw their manuscript during the peer review process, they may be charged reviewer fees as per the following criteria:

  • PKR 5000 if the withdrawal is made after the first review.
  • PKR 10000 if the withdrawal is made after the second review.

Unethical withdrawal—such as submitting elsewhere during peer review—may result in a ban from future submissions.

15.6.2 Editor-Initiated Withdrawal

The editorial team may withdraw a manuscript due to:

  • Plagiarism discovered pre-publication
  • Authorship disputes
  • Failure to respond to editorial queries after multiple attempts
  • Breach of journal policies

In such cases, authors are notified with reasons, and the manuscript is removed from the submission system.

15.7 Expression of Concern Policy

15.7.1 When to Issue

An Expression of Concern may be issued if:

  • There is inconclusive evidence of misconduct
  • An institutional investigation is underway
  • The journal has credible concerns, but the full case is unresolved

15.7.2 Expression Format

  • Published alongside the original article
  • Includes a description of the concern
  • Linked to the article’s DOI
  • Updated when the investigation is complete

If findings confirm misconduct or error, the article will be retracted or corrected accordingly.

15.8  Post-Publication Responsibilities

15.8.1 Authors

Authors are obligated to:

  • Report significant errors discovered post-publication
  • Cooperate with editors during investigations
  • Notify the journal of author name or affiliation changes if relevant

15.8.2 Editors

Editors must:

  • Investigate all ethical or factual concerns raised by any party
  • Maintain confidentiality during the investigation
  • Issue retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern as needed

15.8.3 Readers and Third Parties

BER encourages readers, scholars, and institutions to report suspected errors or ethical breaches by contacting the editorial office with:

  • A description of the issue
  • Evidence or citation to the original article
  • Contact details (anonymous reports are also accepted and investigated)

15.9  Visibility and Transparency

  • All correction and retraction notices are freely accessible
  • Linked to the original article with a clear label (e.g., "This article has been corrected/retracted")
  • Displayed prominently on the article landing page
  • Timestamped and signed by the responsible party (author, editor, or both)

15.10  Consequences of Ethical Violations

If a correction, retraction, or withdrawal results from misconduct:

  • The author(s) may be banned from future submissions (temporary or permanent)
  • BER may notify the author's institution or funding agency
  • In extreme cases, BER reserves the right to publicly disclose sanctions in accordance with COPE guidance

Authors can withdraw the manuscripts submitted to BER without being charged with any withdrawal penalty. It is to note here that the withdrawal request should be placed within seven working days of submission. However, the article cannot be withdrawn — unless inevitable — once it enters the peer-review phase; the editorial board will decide on the withdrawal request. The author may be charged with the withdrawal penalty in these cases. All withdrawal requests will be accommodated only if received from the corresponding author who is expected to have taken on board the co-authors before submitting. The submission should be considered and treated as ‘withdrawn’ only after receiving official notification of withdrawal from BER. All correspondence in this regard will be made from the principal email ID (ber@imsciences.edu.pk).