Corrections, Retractions and Appeals

The Journal of Algebra Combinatorics Discrete Structures and Applications is committed to maintaining the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record. When errors, ethical concerns, or disputes arise before or after publication, the journal will take appropriate editorial action in accordance with accepted standards of scholarly publishing and publication ethics.

Purpose of Post-publication Actions

Corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, and related editorial notices are intended to correct or clarify the scholarly record. Such actions are not intended to be punitive. The journal will consider the reliability of the published article, the seriousness of the issue, the available evidence, and the need to inform readers transparently.

Corrections

A correction may be issued when an error is identified in a published article but the main findings, conclusions, and scholarly reliability of the article remain valid. Corrections may relate to author information, affiliations, funding statements, acknowledgements, declarations, references, typographical errors affecting meaning, mathematical notation, formulas, proofs, figures, tables, or other content requiring clarification.

Correction requests should be sent to the editorial office and should include the article title, DOI, corresponding author information, a clear description of the error, the proposed correction, and an explanation of why the correction is necessary.

Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when serious questions have been raised about a published article but the available evidence is inconclusive, an investigation is ongoing, or the journal is awaiting information from authors, institutions, reviewers, or other relevant parties.

An expression of concern is used to alert readers to a potential issue while the matter is being assessed. It may later be followed by a correction, retraction, clarification, or no further action, depending on the outcome of the investigation.

Retractions

A retraction may be issued when the findings or conclusions of a published article are no longer reliable, or when serious publication ethics violations are confirmed. Retraction may be considered in cases including, but not limited to, plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, falsification, significant error, manipulated peer review, unethical research, major undisclosed conflicts of interest, or serious authorship misconduct.

Retraction notices will identify the article being retracted and state the reason for the retraction where appropriate. The original article will remain part of the scholarly record, except in exceptional circumstances where legal, safety, or privacy concerns require removal.

Article Withdrawal

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before publication by contacting the editorial office. Withdrawal requests must include a clear explanation and must be approved by all authors. The journal may decline withdrawal requests where the manuscript is already in an advanced stage of production or where ethical concerns are under investigation.

Once an article has been formally published as the version of record, concerns will normally be handled through correction, expression of concern, or retraction rather than withdrawal.

Complaints

The journal considers complaints about editorial procedures, publication ethics, reviewer conduct, editor conduct, journal policies, or publisher actions. Complaints should be submitted in writing to the editorial office with a clear description of the issue, relevant manuscript or article details, and any supporting documentation.

Complaints will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief, an appropriate editorial board member, or the publisher, depending on the nature of the complaint. Where possible, complaints will be handled by someone who was not directly involved in the matter being complained about.

Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors may appeal an editorial decision if they believe that a significant error, misunderstanding, conflict of interest, or procedural problem affected the decision. Appeals must be submitted in writing and must provide a clear, reasoned explanation of the grounds for appeal.

Appeals are considered carefully, but they do not guarantee reversal of the original decision. The journal may consult the handling editor, the Editor-in-Chief, additional editorial board members, or independent reviewers when evaluating an appeal. The outcome of the appeal will normally be final.

Handling of Ethical Concerns

If a concern involves possible research or publication misconduct, the journal may seek clarification from authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other relevant parties. The journal may pause editorial processing while a concern is investigated. All parties are expected to cooperate with reasonable requests for information.

Confidentiality and Fair Process

Complaints, appeals, and ethical concerns will be handled confidentially to the extent reasonably possible. The journal will seek to treat all parties fairly and to avoid unnecessary disclosure of personal or sensitive information.

Contact

Correction requests, complaints, appeals, or concerns about published articles should be sent to the editorial office at info@jacodesmath.com.