R-W-C Policy

Policy Statement

We understand that the authors have worked hard and carefully in preparing the manuscript(s). We have also carried out the editorial process as well as possible. However, sometimes there is the potential for submissions to be withdrawn for certain reasons and/or published articles to be withdrawn or even deleted can occur for one/several scientific reasons. Therefore, corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies (if needed) are carried out to strict standards It is our commitment and policy to maintain the integrity and completeness of crucial scientific archives.

Content Integrity and Maintenance

Applying the CrossMark icon is a commitment by Generate Digital Publishing (GDP) to maintain the content published and alert readers to changes if and when they occur. CrossMark, a multi-publisher initiative from CrossRef, provides a standard way for readers to locate the authoritative version of a document. JMER recognizes the importance of the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record to researchers and librarians and attaches the highest importance to maintaining trust in the authority of its electronic archive. Clicking on the CrossMark icon will inform the reader of the current status of a document and may also provide additional publication record information about the document.

Article Retraction

Articles may be retracted if:
- There are major scientific issues that would invalidate the conclusion of the article, for example there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable either as a result of misconduct (e.g. data fabrication) or honest error (e.g. miscalculation or experimental error).
- The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper crossreferencing, permission, or justification (i.e. cases of redundant publication).
- There are ethical violations such as plagiarism (taking someone else's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit including those obtained through confidential review of others’ manuscripts) or inappropriate authorship.

To ensure that retractions are handled according to publication best practice, and in accordance with COPE retraction guidelines, GDP adopted the following retraction process:
- An article requiring potential retraction is brought to the attention of the journal editor.
- Journal editors should follow step-by-step guidelines according to the COPE flowchart (including evaluating responses from the authors of the articles in question).
- The final decision as to whether to retract is then communicated to the author and, if necessary, any other relevant bodies, such as the author's institution on occasion.
- The retraction statement is then posted online and published in the next available issue of the journal.

Note that if authors retain copyright for an article this does not mean they automatically have the right to retract it after publication. The integrity of the published scientific record is of paramount importance and COPE’s Retraction Guidelines still apply in such cases.

Article Withdrawal

Author(s) is not allowed to retract manuscript(s) that is in the process of being peer-reviewed, as such withdrawal is a waste of valuable resources. For attention, the author must read and understand well the approved checklist before the manuscript is submitted.
- If the author(s) requests withdrawal of the manuscript(s) during the Submission stage (initial review), the author(s) will be blacklisted on gdp for 1 year and the submission declined.
- If the author(s) requests withdrawal of the manuscript(s) during the Review stage, the author(s) will be penalized by paying USD100 per manuscript.
- If the manuscript(s) is withdrawn after it is accepted for publication, the author(s) will be penalized by paying USD200 per manuscript.
- If an article has been published as an "Article in Pres" containing a scientific error, a redundant publication, or publication ethical violation, it will be "Withdrawn" from the gdp site. Withdrawal means the HTML and PDF content simply states that the article has been withdrawn. In this case, the author(s) will be penalized by paying USD250 per manuscript.
- If the author(s) does not agree/not accept a fine, the author and his affiliates will be blacklisted for publication in GDP for 3 years.

To request the withdrawal of the article, the author(s) sends an official letter signed by all the authors concerned and addressed to the Chief Editor.

Article Correction

GDP should consider issuing a correction if:
- A small part of an otherwise reliable publication reports flawed data or proves to be misleading.
- The Author or Contributor list is incorrect (e.g. a deserving Author has been omitted or someone who does not meet authorship criteria has been included).

To request the withdrawal of the article, the author(s) sends an official letter signed by all the authors concerned and addressed to the Chief Editor.
1. Changes/additions to accepted articles
All content of published articles are subject to the editorial review process, organized by and under the auspices of the editor. Should the authors wish to add to their article after acceptance, they must submit a request the editor and the new content will be reviewed.
- If the new material is additional to the accepted article, it must be submitted for peer review as a new manuscript, referring back to the original;
- If the new material should replace the original content of the accepted article, the editor may consider the publication of an erratum or a corrigendum.
2. Erratum
Erratum to inform readers of important errors made by publishing/journal staff (usually production errors) that has a negative impact on the publication record or scientific integrity, or on the Author's reputation or the journal.
3. Corrigendum
Corrigendum to inform readers of important errors made by the Author that has a negative impact on the publication record or scientific integrity, or on the Author's reputation or the journal. The Author(s) should contact the editor of the journal, who will determine the impact of the change and decide on the appropriate course of action.
The decision as to whether corrections should be issued is made by the Journal Editor, sometimes with advice from Reviewers and Editorial Board Members. The Editor will contact the Author(s) of the paper concerned for clarification. However, the final decision as to whether the correction is required and what type of error is determined by the Editor.

Article Removal

In an extremely limited number of cases, it may be necessary to remove an article from the online database. This will only occur where the article is clearly defamatory, or infringes others’ legal rights, or where the article is, or we have good reason to expect it will be, the subject of a court order, or where the article, if acted upon, might pose a serious health risk. In these circumstances, while the metadata (Title and Authors) will be retained, the text will be replaced with a screen indicating the article has been removed for legal reasons.

Article Replacement

In cases where the article, if acted upon, might pose a serious health risk, the authors of the original article may wish to retract the flawed original and replace it with a corrected version. In these circumstances the procedures for retraction will be followed with the difference that the database retraction notice will publish a link to the corrected re-published article and a history of the document.