Retraction and Editorial expressions of concern
Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern Policy
The Journal of Ayurveda and Holistic Medicine (JAHM) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the scholarly record. Post-publication concerns are evaluated in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
https://publicationethics.org/
Corrections
When an error is identified in a published article, whether by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, or other parties, the editorial team will assess its nature and significance.
A correction may be issued when an error or omission affects the accuracy, interpretation, or completeness of the article but does not invalidate its main findings or conclusions.
Where appropriate, the authors will be contacted to confirm the error and provide the correct information. The journal may seek additional editorial or expert assessment when necessary.
A formal correction notice will:
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Clearly identify the article being corrected.
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Describe the error and provide the corrected information.
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Be published as a separate, identifiable, and permanently accessible notice.
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Be linked electronically to the original article, and the original article will be linked to the correction notice.
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Include appropriate bibliographic information and a DOI, where applicable.
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Clearly indicate any changes made to the published article.
Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect the scientific meaning, interpretation, indexing, or understanding of the article may be corrected without a formal correction notice, where appropriate.
The journal will ensure that relevant metadata are updated and corrections are communicated to indexing and abstracting services where technically possible and appropriate.
Retractions
JAHM may retract a published article when there is clear evidence that its findings or conclusions are unreliable or seriously compromised, whether as a result of honest error, major methodological or analytical error, research misconduct, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate image manipulation, duplicate or redundant publication, unethical research, compromised peer review, unauthorized use of data or material, or other serious breaches of publication ethics.
Retraction is intended primarily to correct the scholarly record and protect its integrity, rather than to punish authors.
Before reaching a retraction decision, the journal will conduct an appropriate investigation and may seek explanations from the authors, reviewers, institutions, ethics committees, funding agencies, or other relevant parties, as appropriate.
Where an investigation requires expertise or authority beyond the journal's remit, the matter may be referred to the authors' institution, research-integrity office, ethics committee, funding agency, or other appropriate authority.
A retraction notice will:
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Clearly identify the retracted article.
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State the reason(s) for the retraction.
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Be linked to the retracted article and vice versa.
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Identify who is retracting the article, where appropriate.
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Remain freely and permanently accessible.
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Be published promptly once the decision to retract has been made.
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Distinguish, where possible, between honest error and research or publication misconduct.
The original article will normally remain part of the scholarly record and will be clearly marked as retracted. Removal of the full text will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as where continued availability creates significant legal, privacy, confidentiality, or public-safety concerns.
Editorial Expressions of Concern
JAHM may publish an Expression of Concern when serious questions have been raised regarding the integrity or reliability of a published article but the available evidence is inconclusive, an investigation is ongoing, or a definitive editorial decision cannot yet be made.
An Expression of Concern may be considered when:
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There are unresolved concerns regarding the reliability of the findings.
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There are allegations of research or publication misconduct that require further investigation.
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Concerns exist regarding ethical approval, informed consent, authorship, conflicts of interest, data integrity, or peer-review integrity.
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An institutional or regulatory investigation is ongoing and its outcome may affect the reliability or integrity of the publication.
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The journal has been unable to obtain sufficient information to reach a definitive conclusion within a reasonable period.
The Expression of Concern will clearly identify the article, describe the nature of the concern without making unsupported allegations, and be linked to the original article.
Following completion of the investigation, the Expression of Concern may be followed by a correction, retraction, or other appropriate editorial notice, or it may be updated or withdrawn if the concerns are satisfactorily resolved.
General Principles
All post-publication corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern will be handled fairly, transparently, confidentially where appropriate, and without unnecessary delay.
Editorial actions will be based on the reliability and integrity of the published record and will not be influenced by the authors' institutional affiliation, nationality, seniority, reputation, or commercial considerations.
JAHM will maintain a transparent record of significant post-publication changes and will follow applicable COPE guidance (https://publicationethics.org/