ECAM is committed to protecting the integrity, accuracy, and reliability of the scholarly record. This policy outlines the principles and procedures for retraction, correction, and removal of articles in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Retraction Guidelines and international publishing standards.

Purpose and Scope

The policy applies to all ECAM content—including research articles, reviews, case reports, editorials, and supplementary materials—and is designed to ensure transparent, fair, and consistent editorial actions when ethical or scientific concerns arise.

Retraction of Articles

Retraction is implemented when a published work contains serious flaws or ethical violations that compromise its validity. Retraction is a corrective action to preserve trust in the scientific literature, not a punitive measure.

Grounds for retraction include:

• Plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification/manipulation of data or images;
• Serious breaches of research or publication ethics (e.g., lack of ethics approval or informed consent);
• Errors that invalidate results or fundamentally alter the study’s conclusions;
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest or materially misleading statements.

Retraction notices:

• Are clearly labeled “Retracted” and remain permanently accessible;
• Explain the reason without defamatory language and indicate who is issuing the retraction;
• Remain linked to the original article (which stays available unless legal obligations require removal);
• Trigger updates to indexing/metadata and notifications to relevant services (e.g., PubMed, CrossRef) where feasible.

Corrections and Expressions of Concern

• Corrections (Errata/Corrigenda): Issued for minor errors (e.g., typographical, labeling, or figure inconsistencies) that do not undermine overall validity.
• Expressions of Concern: Published when an investigation is ongoing but preliminary information warrants alerting readers.

All notices remain permanently accessible and are linked to the original article.

Removal of Articles

Removal is considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as legal requirements (e.g., court orders), proven defamation or violations of personal rights, or significant risks related to personal data, confidentiality, or public health and safety.

In such cases:

• The full text is removed from public access;
• A formal removal notice is published, stating the reason.

Process and Decision-Making

1. Concerns may be raised by editors, peer reviewers, authors, readers, or institutions.
2. The Editorial Board reviews the case and may request a response from the authors.
3. Institutional or funding bodies may be consulted in complex cases.
4. Final decisions are taken in accordance with COPE recommendations.
5. Outcomes (retraction, correction, expression of concern, removal, or no action) are documented transparently.

Commitment to Standards

ECAM implements this policy consistently with the COPE Retraction Guidelines, ICMJE Recommendations, and international indexing requirements (e.g., PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, DOAJ, PMC), reaffirming our dedication to research integrity, transparency, and academic credibility.