Retraction & Withdrawal Policy

The journal is committed to the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics, following the Elsevier's Policies and Ethics and COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. Ethical conduct is required of authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.

The main principle of this policy is that published articles remain permanently accessible and accurate as far as possible. However, under exceptional circumstances, articles may be withdrawn, retracted, replaced, or completely removed if there is a serious violation of publication ethics or a legal requirement.

1. Authority and General Principles

  • The editors of JAPHTN-HAN do not have absolute authority to decide publication matters unilaterally.
  • All decisions are based on the editorial policies of the journal and applicable legal requirements, including issues of defamation, copyright infringement, duplicate publication, and plagiarism.
  • Published articles will not be altered or removed except in exceptional cases that meet the conditions of this policy.

2. Retraction (Post-Publication Withdrawal)

Retraction is carried out if, after publication, serious violations of publication ethics are discovered, including but not limited to:

  • Plagiarism or self-plagiarism.
  • Duplicate submission or multiple publication.
  • Data falsification or fabrication.
  • Serious errors that invalidate the research conclusions.
  • Violations of research and publication ethics by authors or institutions.

Retraction Mechanism in JAPHTN-HAN:

  1. Retraction may be initiated by the editor, the author(s), or the author’s institution.
  2. The retraction must include an official statement explaining the reason, including an apology or acknowledgment by the responsible party, if relevant.
  3. Retraction steps include:
    • A formal notice titled “Retraction: [Article Title]” is published in the subsequent issue of JAPHTN-HAN, signed by the editor and/or the author(s).
    • The online article is displayed with a retraction notice page before readers access the full text.
    • The original PDF remains accessible but is watermarked “Retracted” on every page.
    • The HTML version is removed, but metadata (title, author, citation) remains available.

3. Withdrawal (Pre-Publication Withdrawal)

Withdrawal applies only to manuscripts that have not been published, under circumstances such as:

  • Significant errors discovered in the manuscript.
  • Simultaneous submission to JAPHTN-HAN and/or another journal.
  • Ethical violations such as authorship misrepresentation, plagiarism, data fabrication, or other misconduct.

Withdrawal Procedure in JAPHTN-HAN:

  • The author(s) must submit a formal withdrawal letter signed by all authors.
  • Upon approval, the JAPHTN-HAN editorial office will record the request and confirm it with the author(s).
  • Withdrawals will be internally documented to maintain transparency and publication integrity.

4. Article Removal (Legal Reasons)

Article removal from JAPHTN-HAN’s database is performed only in extraordinary situations such as:

  • Articles containing defamatory content or violating privacy rights.
  • Articles infringing copyright or violating applicable laws.
  • Articles subject to a valid court order.
  • Articles posing serious threats to national or public security.

In such cases, the metadata (title, author, citation) remains accessible, while the full text is replaced with an official notice: “This article has been removed due to legal reasons.”

5. Article Replacement

Replacement occurs when a published article contains errors posing serious risks, for example, related to public health or safety.

Procedure:

  • The author(s) may request JAPHTN-HAN to withdraw the original article and replace it with a corrected version.
  • The standard retraction mechanism is applied, accompanied by a link to the revised version and a documented modification history.

Conclusion

This policy confirms JAPHTN-HAN’s commitment to:

  • Maintaining scholarly publishing integrity.
  • Ensuring transparency in all editorial actions.
  • Complying with international best practices (COPE) and applicable legal regulations.