R-W-C-R-R Policy

ARTICLE RETRACTION

At the Journal of Communication Systems, Networks, and Security (JCSNS), we are committed to maintaining the integrity of the academic record, so there are occasions when retraction is necessary. An article would be retracted for the following reasons:

  • If there are major scientific errors, the article's conclusion will be invalidated. An example is when there is evidence that that the findings in the article is unreliable either due to an honest error a miscalculation or experimental error or as a result of misconduct data fabrication.
  • If the research and resulting findings have already been posted elsewhere without appropriate cross-referencing, justification, or permission, the case is one of a redundant publication.
  • If there are plagiarism issues, words from another publication are used without credit or proper attribution.

To make sure that retractions are handled according to the best practice of publications, and also in accordance with COPE retraction guidelines, the Journal of Communication Systems, Networks, and Security (JCSNS) makes use of the following retraction process:

  • Any article that requires potential retraction should be brought to the notice of the journal editor.
  • Once this is done, the journal editor would follow the guidelines according to the COPE flow chat  this includes the evaluations of the answers given by the author of the article t certain questions.
  • The editor's findings are then sent over to the Ethics Advisory Board before any action can be taken. This step is put in place to ensure a consistent approach to these situations, in line with industry best practices.
  • The decision on whether the publication will be retracted is communicated to the author and, if necessary, to other relevant bodies, such as the Author's institution.
  • When all this is concluded, a retraction statement is posted online and then published in the next available issue of the journal. We will provide detailed information on this step as we move forward.

Note: if the author retains copyright for an article, this does not qualify them for the right to retract it after publication. The integrity of the public scientific record is important, and COPE's Retraction Guidelines still apply in such cases.

ARTICLE WITHDRAWAL

The Journal of Communication Systems, Networks, and Security (JCSNS) strongly advises authors to carefully review their submissions before submitting them. Withdrawing a manuscript after submission is discouraged, as it consumes valuable time and resources for editors and reviewers.

However, authors retain the right to withdraw their manuscript at any stage before publication. To request withdrawal, the corresponding author must submit an official withdrawal request, clearly stating the reasons, and the request must be signed by all authors. This ensures that the decision is transparent and agreed upon by all contributing parties.

By following this procedure, the journal seeks to maintain academic integrity while respecting authors' rights.

ARTICLE CORRECTION

Issuing a correction is considered by the Journal of Communication Systems, Networks, and Security (JCSNS) if the following happens:

  • A small section of a reliable publication reports flawed data, which misleads due to an honest error.
  • The Contributor list or Author is incorrect (e.g., a deserving author has been omitted, and likewise, a person who is not worthy of authorship criteria has been included.

Corrections to peer-reviewed content fall into one of these three categories:

  • Publisher correction (erratum): this helps notify readers of a major error by the publishing staff that negatively impacts a publication record, the scientific veracity of the article, or the reputation of the Journal or authors.
  • Author correction (corrigendum): this also helps notify readers of an author's error, which can negatively impact the scientific integrity of a publication record or the author's reputation in the journal.
  • Addendum: this is where there is an addition to the article by the author to explain inconsistencies and expand the existing work, or explain or update the information in the main work.

Deciding whether a correction should be issued is made by the editor of a journal, and this sometimes comes with advice from Reviewers or Editorial Board Members. Handling Editors would contact the Authors of the concerned paper with a clarification request, but the final decision on a correction, including any type, rests with the editors.

ARTICLE REMOVAL

Removing a published article from an online platform is necessary in a limited number of cases. This would only occur if an article is defamatory or infringes the legal rights of others, or if we have good reason to believe that publication would result in certain court orders. In such situations, while the article's metadata will be retained, the text will be replaced with a screen that states the article has been removed to prevent any legal complications.

ARTICLE REPLACEMENT

At a point, an author of an original paper may wish to remove or retract the flawed original and replace it with another corrected version. Under these circumstances, the retraction procedure would be followed, with the difference that the article retraction notice would include a link to the corrected, republished article alongside the document's history.