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Publication: corrections to published articles
Print and online corrections. The version of an article which is published online is considered the final and complete version. Even though it is possible to correct this version, our policy (in common with other publishers) is not to do so, except in very limited circumstances.
"Articles that have been published should remain extant, exact and unaltered to the maximum extent possible"
(STM Guidelines on Preservation of the Objective Record of Science).
We are only able to correct typographical errors in the following: author names, affiliations, articles titles, and abstracts and keywords. In such cases, an erratum or corrigendum would be necessary as well (see below), so that there is a record to explain the difference between the online and print versions.
We can publish a correction to your article if there is a serious error, for example with regard to scientific accuracy, or if your reputation or that of the journal would be affected. We do not publish corrections that do not affect the contribution in a material way or significantly impair the reader's understanding of the contribution (such as a spelling mistake or a grammatical error).
There is further advice on affiliations on this page.
Changes to iFirst articles
We are sometimes asked to change online articles that have not yet been published in a print issue. Our policy is that journal articles represent "the scholarly archive as a permanent, historic record or the 'minutes' of scholarship.
Articles that have been published should remain extant, exact and unaltered to the maximum extent possible" (STM Guidelines on Preservation of the Objective Record of Science). Online publication is no different from print publication in that respect. The version of an article which is published online is considered the final and complete version. Even though it is possible to correct this version, our policy (in common with other publishers) is not to do so, except in very limited circumstances. We are only able to correct typographical errors in the following: author names, affiliations, articles titles, and abstracts and keywords.
Errata
An erratum will be used if an important error has been introduced during the production of the journal article (one that affects the publication record, the scientific integrity of the paper, the reputation of the authors or of the journal), including errors of omission such as failure to make factual proof corrections requested by authors within the deadline provided by the journal and within journal policy.
We do not publish errata for typing errors except where an apparently simple error is significant (for example, an incorrect unit). A significant error in a figure or table is corrected by publication of a new corrected figure or table as an erratum. The figure or table is republished only if the editor considers it necessary.
Corrigenda
A corrigendum is a notification of an important error made by the authors of the article. All authors must sign corrigenda submitted for publication.
In cases where co-authors disagree, the editors will take advice from independent peer-reviewers and impose the appropriate amendment, noting the dissenting author(s) in the text of the published version.
Addenda
An addendum is a notification of a peer-reviewed addition of information to a paper, for example in response to a reader's request for clarification. Addenda do not contradict the original publication, but if the author inadvertently omitted significant information available at the time, this material can be published as an addendum after peer review.
Addenda are published only rarely and only when the editors decide that the addendum is crucial to the reader's understanding of a significant part of the published contribution.
Retractions
A retraction is a notification of invalid results or a sanction applied to misconduct, which are held to comprise the validity and reliability of a paper. Retractions with respect to the former are made when the conclusions of a paper are seriously undermined as a result of miscalculation or error.
Retractions with respect to the latter are made when there has been an infringement of
publishing ethics or a breach of author warranties, which can include breaches of third party copyright.
In the case of experimental papers, this can include e.g. further experiments by the authors or by others
which do not confirm the main experimental conclusion of the original publication. Readers wishing to draw the
editors' attention to published work requiring retraction should first contact the author of the original paper
and then write to the journal, including copies of the correspondence with the author (whether or not the
correspondence has been answered).
The editors will seek advice from reviewers if they judge that the information is likely to draw into question the main conclusions of the published paper. Infringements of professional ethical codes, such as multiple submission, bogus claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data, or the like, will also result in an article being retracted. All co-authors will be asked to agree to a retraction. In cases where some co-authors decline to sign a retraction, the editors reserve the right to publish the retraction with the dissenting author(s) identified. In very rare circumstances it may be necessary to remove an article from the online journal. This will only occur where the article is clearly defamatory, or infringes others' legal rights, or where the article is, or there is 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 bibliographic information (title and authors) will be retained online, the text will be replaced with a page indicating that the article has been removed for legal reasons.
Correction in the online version will be linked to the original article (and vice versa), will make the retracted status clear in the preceding screen, and the article will bear a "retracted" watermark throughout.
We will review, and if necessary update, our approach to online corrections at least annually.
Errors in PubMed
It is possible that conversion or other errors can occur when content is sent to PubMed.
Read their policies on correcting typographical errors.
Contact them by email: pubmed@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
If the mistake is also in your article (in print or online), please read the information above. If you decide that an erratum is necessary, please contact the production editor or email us (authorqueries@tandf.co.uk).
You may also be interested in this article from our Authors' Newsletter on online content distribution.
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