Retraction and correction policy

The Turkic Studies Journal adheres to the principles of scientific integrity, transparency and accountability for published content. This policy outlines the procedures for correcting errors, publishing expressions of concern and retracting articles in cases where violations of publication and/or scientific ethics are identified. Developed in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the policy applies to all materials published in the journal.

  1. General provisions

The editorial board assumes that the primary purpose of corrections and retractions is to ensure the accuracy, reliability and credibility of scientific information rather than to penalize authors. All cases are considered individually, taking into account the nature of the issues identified, the stage of the publication process and the good faith of those involved. Corrections, expressions of concern and retractions are made public and are available to readers of the journal.

  1. Corrections

A correction is published when errors are identified in an article that do not affect its scientific validity, but require clarification or correction.

Corrections may relate to the following:

  • typos and technical errors;
  • incorrect captions for illustrations, tables or diagrams;
  • errors in bibliographic references;
  • clarifications of information about authors, affiliations, funding sources or conflicts of interest.

The correction is published as a separate editorial notice, which contains a link to the original publication.

  1. Expression of сoncern

An expression of concern may be published by the editorial board in cases where there are reasonable grounds for suspicion of a breach of publication or scientific ethics. This may be because the investigation has not yet been completed, or because the data obtained requires further evaluation due to being contradictory. This informs readers of possible issues with the publication and remains in place until the investigation is complete and a final decision has been made.

  1. Grounds for retraction of an article

An article may be retracted (or withdrawn) if there are compelling reasons to believe that the research results or publication content are unreliable or contradict the publication's principles, standards and norms, and/or scientific ethics.

Retraction is carried out in the following cases, in particular:

  • if there is clear evidence that the data obtained are unreliable or were obtained as a result of unlawful actions, including fabrication, falsification or distortion of data;
  • upon discovery of duplicate publication, including if the manuscript was published in another scientific publication prior to its publication in the Turkic Studies Journal.
  • Upon detection of plagiarism in any form, including unattributed text borrowings and unauthorized use of illustrations, graphs, tables, diagrams and other visual materials.
  • If the article contains gross errors (e.g. methodological miscalculations or calculation/experimental errors) that could mislead other researchers and have a negative impact on subsequent scientific work.
  • Upon receipt of substantiated claims from third parties relating to copyright violations of the article as a whole or its individual parts.
  • upon discovery of information in the article that contradicts the principles, standards and norms of publication and/or scientific ethics.
  1. 5. Review procedure

The correction, expression of concern or retraction procedure may be initiated by authors, reviewers, readers or editors. The editorial office will confirm receipt of the request within seven working days. The initial review is usually carried out within 15 working days. If additional expertise is required, if the editorial board needs to be involved, or if interaction with authors and organisations is necessary, the review period may be extended, but it will not usually exceed 30 working days.

During the review process, the editorial board analyses the submitted materials, requests explanations from the authors if necessary and consults independent experts.

  1. Formatting retractions and corrections

Corrections, expressions of concern or retractions are formatted as a separate editorial message indicating:

  • the title of the article;
  • the authors' names;
  • the reasons for the changes;
  • links to the original publication.

The original article is not removed from the journal's website. Instead, it is kept in the archive with a clear note about the correction, expression of concern or retraction, along with a link to the relevant editorial notice. The article's DOI is retained.

  1. Author involvement

Authors are informed when the procedure begins and have the right to provide explanations and comments. If the author agrees with the need for retraction or correction, this is indicated in the editorial note.

If there are sufficient grounds, the editorial board can decide on retraction or correction regardless of the author's lack of agreement.

  1. Responsibilities of authors and reviewers

The editorial board considers it the responsibility of authors and reviewers, and a manifestation of scientific integrity, to promptly inform the editorial board of any errors, inaccuracies or possible violations of publication and/or scientific ethics that they identify after publication. Such notification does not have negative consequences for those involved in the publication process and is considered to contribute to maintaining the quality of scientific communication.

  1. Confidentiality and final provisions

The editorial board ensures the confidentiality of the review process until a final decision is made, acting in good faith and impartially and respecting the rights of all parties involved.

This policy applies to all Turkic Studies Journal publications, regardless of their date of publication, and may be updated in accordance with changes in international publication ethics standards and COPE recommendations.