Scholarly Summit is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, and transparency of the scholarly record. Retraction is a mechanism for alerting readers when a published article contains seriously unreliable findings or other significant problems that undermine its validity or integrity.
Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record, not to punish authors. Each case is assessed fairly and independently, taking into account the available evidence and the relevant journal’s publication ethics policies.
A published article may be considered for retraction when there is credible evidence of circumstances such as:
This list is not exhaustive. The appropriate action depends on the seriousness of the concern, the evidence available, and its effect on the reliability or integrity of the published article.
Authors, readers, researchers, institutions, and other relevant parties may report concerns about a published article by contacting the editorial office at editorial@scholarlysummit.com.
Reports should include the article title, author names, journal name, DOI or article URL, where available, a clear description of the concern, and any supporting evidence.
All concerns will be assessed on their merits. The editorial team may request further information from the reporting party, authors, institutions, or other relevant experts where appropriate.
The Editor-in-Chief or another appropriately authorized editor will assess the reported concerns and determine the appropriate next steps. Where necessary, the journal may seek independent expert advice or contact the relevant institution or other responsible body.
Authors will ordinarily be given an appropriate opportunity to respond to the concerns before a final decision is made, unless circumstances require urgent action to protect readers or the integrity of the scholarly record.
All parties involved are expected to cooperate with reasonable requests for relevant information. The assessment should be conducted impartially, with appropriate confidentiality and consideration of potential conflicts of interest.
If an editor has a conflict of interest or is otherwise compromised, the matter should be handled by an independent and appropriately authorized decision-maker.
The editorial decision will be based on the evidence available, the seriousness of the concern, and its implications for the reliability and integrity of the published work.
Possible outcomes include:
An allegation alone does not automatically justify retraction. However, a lack of author agreement does not prevent retraction when the evidence supports that decision.
When an article is retracted, Scholarly Summit will publish a clearly identified retraction notice as promptly as reasonably possible.
The notice will, as appropriate:
Retraction notices will be freely accessible to readers and distinguishable from ordinary corrections, comments, or other editorial notices.
Retracted articles will generally remain accessible as part of the scholarly record, clearly marked as retracted. The retraction notice should be linked to the article wherever possible.
The article will not ordinarily be silently deleted or replaced, as preserving the record helps readers understand the publication history and prevents confusion in citation and scholarly communication.
Where legally required or necessary to address exceptional circumstances, additional measures may be considered, while preserving as much transparency as possible.
When credible concerns exist but the available evidence is insufficient to reach a final decision, or an investigation is significantly delayed, the journal may publish an expression of concern.
An expression of concern alerts readers that the reliability or integrity of an article is under assessment. It does not, by itself, constitute a retraction.
Where appropriate, the journal will review the matter when further evidence becomes available and determine whether a correction, retraction, or other action is necessary.
The corresponding author will ordinarily be informed of the proposed action and given an opportunity to respond. Where a retraction is issued, the journal may record whether the authors agree, disagree, or have not responded, when relevant and appropriate.
Authors who believe a decision was reached through a procedural error, an overlooked material fact, or a conflict of interest may submit a reasoned appeal to the editorial office.
Appeals will be considered by an appropriately authorized editor who is not compromised by the original decision. An appeal does not automatically suspend measures needed to protect the scholarly record.
Scholarly Summit aims to maintain appropriate records of reported concerns, relevant evidence, editorial decisions, communications, and actions taken.
Where a retraction is issued, the notice and the article’s publication record should remain accessible and clearly linked, subject to applicable legal requirements and technical limitations.
The journal will seek to maintain accurate article metadata and communicate relevant updates to indexing or discovery services where applicable.
This policy should be read alongside Scholarly Summit’s Publication Ethics Statements, Article Correction Policy, Peer Review Process, and Archival Practices.
A correction is generally appropriate when an error can be addressed without undermining the overall reliability of the article. Retraction is considered when the issue is sufficiently serious to require a formal warning that the article should no longer be relied upon, or when another substantial ethical or legal ground warrants retraction.