Post-publication Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

The Editorial Board of the "Reporter of the Priazovskyi State Technical University. Section: Economic Sciences" is committed to preserving the accuracy and reliability of published technical data. As a scientific article becomes part of a permanent global archive upon publication, any intervention in its content must be governed by strict international protocols. Our policy is fundamentally based on the principles of transparency and accountability established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and in accordance with the  NISO RP-8-2008 recommended practice.

Mechanisms for Post-Publication Corrections

When errors are identified that do not invalidate the fundamental findings of a study but distort technical details or metadata, the Editorial Board employs the mechanism of official correction notices. Each such correction is published as a distinct electronic object with its own unique DOI, ensuring that the corrected information is automatically updated across scientometric databases.

The process distinguishes between technical errors made by the editorial office (Erratum) and substantive errors made by the authors (Corrigendum). If an error occurred during the typesetting or indexing stages—such as the incorrect rendering of mathematical symbols in formulas or mistakes in author affiliations—the editorial office assumes responsibility for publishing the correction. Conversely, if authors discover inaccuracies in their initial calculations, units of measurement, or technical diagrams after the article has been released, they are required to provide the Editorial Board with a written justification. In both instances, the original text of the article remains in the archive without silent changes; instead, it is accompanied by an active hyperlink to the correction notice, thereby guaranteeing the integrity of the scholarly record.

Implementation of Expressions of Concern

In accordance with the настанов COPE щодо Expressions of Concern,

the Editorial Board reserves the right to publish an official cautionary notice regarding an article if serious grounds arise to doubt the integrity of the research. This instrument is vital in situations where an investigation into suspected plagiarism or data manipulation is prolonged or complicated by a lack of prompt communication from the authors' home institution.

An Expression of Concern serves as a temporary indicator for the scientific community, warning of the potential unreliability of the results until a final decision is reached. Such a measure is applied when the Editorial Board possesses significant evidence of misconduct, but the completion of a formal investigation requires additional time. Upon the conclusion of the inquiry, this statement is either rescinded with the publication of an exonerating conclusion or replaced by an official retraction notice.

Article Retraction Procedures

Retraction is the most significant measure for correcting the scholarly record and is applied only in cases of gross ethical violations or the discovery of critical data inaccuracies that render the article's conclusions invalid. Following the COPE Retraction Guidelines,

the Editorial Board initiates a retraction upon identifying large-scale plagiarism, fabrication of experimental results, or the unauthorized use of confidential third-party data.

The retraction process is organized to preserve the publication's history without misleading readers. A retraction notice provides a detailed explanation of the reasons, identifies the initiator of the procedure, and is linked directly to the original material. The article itself is not removed from the journal’s website, as this would contradict the principles of digital archiving; however, a permanent "RETRACTED" watermark is applied to every page of the PDF file. This approach ensures transparency in editorial activities and prevents the future citation of unreliable results.

Following the COPE Position Statements, the Editorial Board adheres to these principles:

• Timescales for handling retractions: We aim to act as promptly as possible to minimize the impact of misleading publications.
• Independence of Decision-making: The journal reserves the right to issue a retraction even if an institutional investigation concludes there was no misconduct, provided the Editorial Board finds compelling evidence of data unreliability or plagiarism.
• Responsibility: In cases where an institution refuses to investigate or provides an unsatisfactory response, the Editorial Board will conduct its own independent assessment.
• Handling Old Articles: Retraction and Correction policies apply to all archived content, regardless of the publication date, if significant integrity issues are identified.

Exceptional Cases of Content Removal and Replacement

The removal of an article from the journal’s web resources is an extraordinary event that occurs outside the scope of standard ethical procedures. This action is only possible when the content poses a direct legal threat, violates privacy rights, or contains data that could cause physical harm—such as critical errors in safety protocols for operating technical equipment. In such situations, the text of the article is replaced by a notice explaining the removal on legal or safety grounds.

The replacement of an article with a new version is permitted only when a discovered error is so fundamental that a standard Erratum is insufficient, yet there is no evidence of intentional misconduct. In such cases, the Editorial Board retains all previous versions in the archive, providing clear navigation between them, consistent with the NISO standard for version control in scholarly publishing.