Retraction & Correction Policy

The Celebes Nursing Journal (CNJ) is dedicated to maintaining a reliable, transparent, and ethically robust scholarly record. When concerns arise regarding the accuracy or integrity of published content, CNJ adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Retraction Guidelines, ensuring that post-publication issues are resolved responsibly, fairly, and transparently.
This policy outlines the standards and procedures for issuing corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions, along with the roles of authors, editors, and institutions during investigations.

1. Principles Governing Corrections and Retractions
CNJ upholds the following guiding principles:

Transparency in communicating reasons for correction or retraction
Timely response to credible concerns from any source
Fair, unbiased investigation following COPE flowcharts
Clear differentiation between honest error and misconduct
Avoidance of defamatory or accusatory language in notices
Permanent accessibility of correction/retraction notices
Protection of whistleblowers acting in good faith

2. Types of Post-Publication Updates
Corrections (Errata / Corrigenda)
Corrections are issued when:

Minor errors do not affect results or conclusions
Metadata needs updates (author names, affiliations, funding info)
Figures/tables require clarification without altering meaning

Corrections are:

Published as a separate, citable document
Linked to the original article
Openly accessible and permanently archived

Retractions
Retractions are issued when:

Data fabrication, falsification, or manipulation is confirmed
Plagiarism or redundant/duplicate publication is identified
Unethical human/animal research is confirmed
Hidden conflicts of interest compromised the integrity of findings
Peer-review or authorship manipulation occurred
Major, honest errors invalidate conclusions

Retraction notices:

Are written by the journal, not the authors
Are clearly labeled “Retraction”
Remain permanently accessible
Are linked to the affected article
Include reason(s) for retraction and responsible party

The original article remains online but watermarked “RETRACTED”.

Expressions of Concern
Issued when:

Investigations are ongoing
Evidence is inconclusive
There is credible suspicion but no definitive proof

CNJ updates or replaces the notice once the investigation concludes.

3. Investigation Process

Preliminary Assessment. The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the concern and gathers initial evidence.
Formal Inquiry. Authors are asked to submit clarification or documentation (raw data, approvals).
Independent Evaluation. Additional reviewers or external experts may be consulted.
Institutional Notification. In cases of potential misconduct, the authors’ institution may be contacted for investigation support.
Final Decision. Based on COPE guidelines, CNJ will issue: Correction, Expression of Concern, and Retraction.
Public Notification. Notices are published, indexed, and permanently linked.

4. Responsibilities
Author Responsibilities