Aksen Journal of Contemporary Family Law
Aksen Journal of Contemporary Family Law (AJCFL) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record. When errors, ethical concerns, or research integrity issues are identified in published articles, AJCFL will take appropriate and proportionate editorial action.
Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, such action may include the publication of a correction, expression of concern, retraction, article removal, or, in exceptional circumstances, article replacement.
AJCFL follows the principles and relevant guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in addressing corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, allegations of publication misconduct, and other post-publication issues affecting the integrity of the scholarly record.
Visit COPEThe purpose of correction and retraction is to maintain and correct the scholarly record. Retraction is not primarily intended as a punishment for authors. Editorial action will be determined by the reliability of the published work, the seriousness of the identified problem, the available evidence, and the need to provide readers with an accurate and transparent scholarly record.
A correction may be issued when an error or omission is identified in a published article but the error does not substantially invalidate the article's principal findings, arguments, interpretation, or overall scholarly reliability.
Where appropriate, the journal will publish a clearly identified correction notice linked to the original article. The notice should explain what has been corrected and provide sufficient information for readers to understand the nature of the change.
Minor typographical, grammatical, formatting, or stylistic errors that do not affect the scholarly meaning, interpretation, citation, discoverability, or integrity of an article may not require a formal correction notice.
However, changes that affect the interpretation of the article, authorship, data, references, legal authorities, conclusions, or other substantive information should be documented transparently through an appropriate editorial notice.
AJCFL may retract an article when there is clear evidence that its findings, evidence, analysis, or publication history are seriously unreliable or when serious research or publication misconduct has compromised the integrity of the article.
When an article is retracted, AJCFL will seek to preserve the scholarly record transparently. The original article will normally remain accessible but will be clearly identified as RETRACTED and linked to a retraction notice.
AJCFL may publish an Expression of Concern when serious questions have been raised regarding a published article but the available evidence is inconclusive, an investigation is ongoing, or a definitive editorial decision cannot yet reasonably be made.
An Expression of Concern is intended to alert readers to potentially significant issues while avoiding premature conclusions. Once sufficient information becomes available, the journal may maintain, update, or replace the notice with a correction, retraction, or other appropriate editorial action.
Removal of a published article is an exceptional measure. As a general principle, AJCFL seeks to preserve the published scholarly record even when an article is retracted.
Complete or partial removal may be considered where continued public availability would create serious legal, privacy, confidentiality, personal safety, or other compelling risks, or where removal is required by a lawful order.
Where an article must be removed, AJCFL will normally retain a bibliographic record or explanatory notice indicating that the material has been removed and, where legally and ethically possible, explaining the general reason for the action.
Article replacement will be considered only in exceptional circumstances. Where a published article contains a serious problem but a corrected version is necessary to preserve important scholarly or public information, AJCFL may consider replacement while maintaining a transparent record of the original publication and the reasons for the replacement.
Any replacement will be clearly documented and linked to an appropriate editorial notice so that readers can understand the publication history.
Authors who discover a significant error in their published work should notify the AJCFL editorial office promptly and provide sufficient information to enable the journal to assess the issue.
An author's request for correction or retraction will be evaluated by the editorial team. A request does not automatically result in removal or retraction; the journal will determine the appropriate action based on the nature of the problem and the need to preserve an accurate and transparent scholarly record.
Readers, reviewers, researchers, institutions, or other parties may notify AJCFL of suspected errors or ethical concerns relating to published material. Concerns should identify the article involved, describe the issue clearly, and, where possible, provide relevant evidence or documentation.
Good-faith concerns will be considered seriously and fairly. The journal will not determine that misconduct has occurred solely on the basis of an allegation without appropriate examination of the available evidence.
When a credible post-publication concern is received, AJCFL will assess the matter proportionately and may seek clarification or supporting information from the author(s), complainant, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other relevant parties.
Where allegations concern matters that require institutional investigation, the journal may communicate with the relevant institution or other appropriate body. AJCFL will seek to distinguish allegations from established findings and will avoid making unsupported conclusions regarding misconduct.
AJCFL seeks to ensure that substantive post-publication changes are transparent. Formal correction, retraction, and other editorial notices will be linked to the relevant article wherever technically possible. The journal will avoid silently changing substantive published content in ways that could obscure the publication history.
Bibliographic information, persistent identifiers, and the publication history should be preserved as far as reasonably possible so that readers, libraries, indexing services, and scholarly databases can identify the status of the article.
| Editorial Action | General Circumstance |
|---|---|
| Correction | A significant error exists, but the article remains substantially reliable. |
| Expression of Concern | Serious concerns exist, but the evidence or investigation is not yet sufficient for a definitive conclusion. |
| Retraction | The article or substantial parts of it are unreliable, or serious publication misconduct has compromised the work. |
| Removal | Exceptional legal, privacy, safety, confidentiality, or other compelling circumstances require removal. |
| Replacement | Exceptional circumstances justify replacing the article while transparently preserving its publication history. |
Decisions concerning corrections, retractions, and other post-publication notices are intended primarily to ensure that readers have access to an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record. AJCFL will seek to make editorial action proportionate to the problem identified and will distinguish, where evidence permits, between honest error and deliberate misconduct.
Authors, readers, and other interested parties who identify a significant error or publication ethics concern relating to an AJCFL article are encouraged to contact the editorial office. Communications should clearly identify the article concerned and provide a concise explanation of the issue together with relevant supporting evidence where available.
Aksen Journal of Contemporary Family Law (AJCFL) is committed to preserving the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. Significant errors and ethical concerns identified after publication will be addressed through appropriate and proportionate editorial action, which may include correction, expression of concern, retraction, removal, or replacement. AJCFL follows relevant principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in determining and documenting such actions.
