The journal follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines. An article is retracted where the editors have clear evidence that the findings are unreliable — through misconduct (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism) or honest error — or where the work has been published elsewhere, contains material published without authorisation, reports unethical research, or has been subject to a compromised peer review process.

•      Retraction notices are linked to the retracted article, are free to access, state clearly who is retracting and why, and are published promptly.

•      The retracted article is not removed from the site. It is retained, clearly watermarked "RETRACTED" on every page, with a notice on the landing page, so that the scholarly record remains complete.

•      Where concerns are credible but unresolved, the editors may first publish an Expression of Concern.

•      Articles are removed entirely only where they present a serious legal risk or a threat to individual rights; in such cases the metadata is retained and a notice explains the removal.

•      Retraction and correction notices are indexed, assigned a DOI, and deposited with Crossref.