Retraction, Correction, and Expression of Concern Policy

1. Overview and Commitment to Integrity

NAS Publisher is dedicated to maintaining the integrity and completeness of the academic record for all published scholarly work. While we strive to uphold the highest standards of peer review and ethical screening prior to publication, exceptional circumstances may arise where published articles are found to be fundamentally flawed, misleading, or ethically compromised. In such instances, NAS Publisher follows the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to issue retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern.

2. Grounds for Article Retraction

An article published in any NAS Publisher journal may be formally retracted under circumstances that undermine the reliability of the scholarly record. Grounds for retraction include, but are not limited to:

• Clear evidence of fabrication or falsification of data, rendering the findings completely unreliable.
• Severe plagiarism, redundant or duplicate publication, or simultaneous submission of the same work across multiple journals.
• Unethical research practices, including failure to obtain proper ethical approvals or informed consent involving human/animal subjects.
• Major copyright infringement or legal violations.
• Honest errors (e.g., miscalculations or experimental mishaps) that invalidate the overall conclusions of the study beyond the scope of a standard correction.

3. Retraction Process and Mechanics

When a retraction is deemed necessary, NAS Publisher adheres to a structured, transparent procedure:

• Investigation: The editorial office investigates the allegations in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief, institutional authorities, and peer reviewers.
• Retraction Notice: A formal Retraction Notice—linked directly to the original article—is published in the subsequent issue and maintained permanently online.
• Digital Linking: The original article is watermarked or clearly marked as "RETRACTED" across all digital formats (PDF and HTML) to warn readers while preserving the public record.
• Authorship Notification: All listed authors are notified of the decision prior to publication of the retraction notice.

4. Corrections and Corrigenda

If a published article contains minor errors that do not affect the core conclusions, scientific integrity, or reproducibility of the study, a correction notice will be issued:

• Corrigendum: Issued by the authors to correct errors introduced during their own writing or data preparation phase.
• Erratum: Issued by the publisher or editorial office to correct production or typesetting errors.

5. Expressions of Concern

In cases where inconclusive evidence points toward severe research misconduct, or where an investigation is ongoing but will take a prolonged period to reach a conclusion, the Editor-in-Chief may issue an Expression of Concern alerting readers to potential problems associated with the published article.