Purpose

This policy explains how BJBM handles:

• minor and major corrections;
• corrigenda and errata;
• expressions of concern;
• retractions;
• article removals or temporary takedowns in exceptional cases; and
• post-publication correspondence and discussion.

Corrections

A correction may be issued where part of a published article is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or improperly presented, but the core findings and overall reliability of the article remain substantially intact. Examples may include errors in:

• author names, affiliations, funding statements, acknowledgements, or ORCID details;
• references, tables, figures, labels, legends, or supplementary files;
• wording that requires clarification but does not invalidate the study; or
• metadata associated with the publication.

Minor publisher-introduced errors may be corrected promptly. Substantive corrections affecting interpretation will be recorded formally through a dated correction notice linked to the article.

Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued where BJBM has serious, credible concerns about the integrity, legality, ethical basis, or reliability of a publication but does not yet have sufficient evidence to reach a final outcome. This may occur, for example, where:

• an institutional or funder investigation is ongoing;
• key evidence is unavailable or delayed;
• there is reason to believe the findings may be unreliable; or
• allegations are serious but not yet resolved.

Expressions of Concern are interim notices and do not prejudge the final outcome.

Retractions

A retraction may be issued where the article is shown to be seriously unreliable or seriously in breach of publication standards. Grounds may include:

• major error invalidating the work;
• fabrication, falsification, or material misrepresentation of data or results;
• plagiarism or substantial unattributed overlap;
• duplicate or redundant publication that materially misleads the record;
• unethical research or serious lack of required permissions or approvals;
• manipulated or compromised peer review;
• unlawful publication of material; or
• other serious misconduct or integrity breach.

Retraction is not used merely because a paper is controversial, because readers disagree with its interpretation, or because authors later regret publication.

Removals and Exceptional Takedowns

BJBM will preserve the published record wherever possible. Article removal, replacement, or temporary takedown will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as clear legal risk, court order, serious defamation, grave privacy violation, or immediate safety concerns. Where content must be removed, the journal will leave a transparent public notice in place wherever legally possible.

Assessment Process

Concerns may be raised by authors, reviewers, readers, editors, institutions, whistleblowers, or other parties. BJBM may:

• seek explanation from the corresponding author and, where appropriate, all authors;
• consult reviewers, editorial board members, subject experts, or the publisher;
• request supporting documentation, raw data, ethics approvals, consent documentation, or permissions;
• contact relevant institutions, employers, ethics committees, or funders where necessary; and
• pause publication or related editorial action while a matter is under review.

The journal will avoid prejudging the outcome. Where appropriate, authors will be given a fair opportunity to respond before a final decision is made.

Notices and Transparency

All formal post-publication notices will:

• be clearly labelled;
• identify the affected article precisely;
• explain the reason for the action in neutral, factual language;
• be linked bidirectionally to the original publication;
• be free to access; and
• remain permanently part of the scholarly record.

Retracted articles will normally remain available with clear marking in the HTML version, PDF, metadata, and article landing page. BJBM does not support silent correction or silent deletion of published scholarly content.

Author-Initiated Withdrawal Requests

Authors may request withdrawal before publication, but BJBM may refuse withdrawal where there are unresolved integrity concerns or where editorial or production processes have already advanced substantially. After publication, removal is not an author right and will be assessed under this policy.

Post-Publication Discussion

BJBM welcomes good-faith scholarly correspondence after publication. Any reader may write to the journal to raise concerns, propose clarifications, or submit substantiated critiques. Post-publication correspondence should normally be sent within 5 years of publication, although the journal may consider later submissions where the concern is serious, evidence-based, or relevant to the integrity, legality, or ethics of the scholarly record.

Post-publication comments should normally be sent to editorbjbm.gcbs@rub.edu.bt and copied to crc.gcbs@rub.edu.bt. Where the comment concerns the Editor-in-Chief directly, it should instead be sent to crc.gcbs@rub.edu.bt.

Where a post-publication comment raises a substantive interpretive, methodological, evidentiary, or record-affecting issue, the journal may invite a response from the authors. Where the matter is severe, credible, or potentially record-affecting, the journal will normally seek an author response before deciding whether to publish correspondence, issue a notice, or open a formal correction or integrity review.

The journal may publish correspondence, responses, scholarly discussion, or editorial notes where appropriate, but it is not obliged to publish every submitted comment. The journal may decline to publish commentary while still considering the substance privately, including where the submission is unsupported, repetitive, abusive, legally risky, outside the journal’s remit, or better addressed through formal correction or misconduct procedures.

An editorial note is a signed journal-issued notice used to clarify context, explain procedure, or alert readers to a limited issue that does not by itself justify a correction, expression of concern, or retraction. An expression of concern is reserved for serious and credible concerns about the reliability, integrity, legality, or ethics of a publication where the matter is unresolved or an investigation is ongoing.

BJBM may also publish scholarly discussion or author responses where alternative interpretations of published data, methods, arguments, or evidence arise, even where no misconduct is alleged and no correction is required. Post-publication debate must remain evidence-based, professional, and legally responsible.

Contact

Concerns about published content should normally be sent to editorbjbm.gcbs@rub.edu.bt and copied to crc.gcbs@rub.edu.bt. Concerns that directly involve the Editor-in-Chief should instead be sent to crc.gcbs@rub.edu.bt.