Policy of retraction and correction of published article

The editorial board of the journal "Martial arts" is responsible for the integrity of the scientific archive. We recognize that errors or violations may be found in the published materials that require an official response.

The policy for retractions and corrections of published articles is based on the COPE guidelines on  Expressions of Concern  and  Retractions . 

Corrections 

Corrections are published if an unintentional error is discovered in an article that does not change the main conclusions of the study but requires clarification to ensure scientific accuracy.
  • Errata:  Corrects technical errors made by the journal (e.g., an error in the DOI, institution name, or author name).
  • Corrigendum (Author's Error):  Correction of significant authorial errors in calculations, tables, or references.
  • Procedure: The editorial team publishes a separate correction notice in the next issue, which is linked to the original article by hyperlink. The original PDF file remains unchanged, but a correction page is added to it.

Article Retraction

A retraction is a last resort and is used to alert the scientific community to data inaccuracies or serious ethical violations.
  • Grounds for retraction:
    • Plagiarism:  the detection of significant borrowing without proper citation after publication.
    • Data tampering:  detecting manipulation of athlete testing results or statistical data.
    • Duplicate publication:  if the article has already been published in another publication.
    • Invalidity:  The detection of random errors that completely change the conclusions of a study.
    • Ethical violations: lack of consent from experiment participants or violation of bioethics protocols.
     
    Initiation mechanism:
    Retraction can be initiated:
    • By the authors themselves   (when identifying their own errors).
    • Reviewers  or third parties (readers, colleagues).
    • By the editorial board based on an internal investigation.
     
    Withdrawal procedure:
    1. Investigation:  The editorial board appoints a fact-checking committee. The authors are given the opportunity to provide explanations.
    2. Decision:  If the violation is confirmed, the Editor-in-Chief decides on a retraction.
    3. Promulgation:
      • A Retraction Notice  with an explanation of the reasons is published on the journal's website in the current issue  .
      • The PDF file of the article has a watermark  “RETRACTED” added to each page .
      • The article  is not removed  from the site and archives (PKP-PN, NBUV) to preserve the integrity of the scientific record, but is marked as invalid.
    4. Database notification: The editorial office officially informs scientometric databases (Scopus, WoS, Google Scholar) about the retraction of the article for metadata update.

Article Removal

An article is removed from the site only in exceptional cases when:
  • The content of the article violates the law (for example, disclosure of state secrets or personal data without consent).
  • The content of the article contains a direct threat to health (for example, dangerous medical or training recommendations that could lead to injury).
  • In this case, a page with a brief explanation of the reason for the metadata removal remains in place of the article.

Expression of Concern

If the editorial team receives a complaint that requires a long time to investigate, or the evidence of a violation is ambiguous, the Editor-in-Chief may publish a “Statement of Concern.” This informs readers that the authenticity of the material is currently being verified.