Policy
Retraction and Removal
The Annals of Clinical and Analytical Medicine (ACAM) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. Retractions, removals, corrections, and related editorial actions are handled transparently and in accordance with international standards, including the COPE Retraction Guidelines.
Criteria
Grounds for Retraction
- Misconduct and integrity
- Plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification/manipulation of data or images.
- Ethics breaches
- Breaches of research or publication ethics (e.g., lack of required approvals or consent).
- Major errors
- Major errors that invalidate findings or undermine scientific reliability.
- Disclosure failures
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest or materially misleading statements.
Process
Procedure
- 1Concerns may be raised by editors, authors, readers, or institutions.
- 2The editorial board conducts an assessment and may request a response from the authors.
- 3Where appropriate, institutions or funders may be consulted; the evaluation follows COPE principles.
- 4Editorial decision: retraction, correction, expression of concern, or no action; the decision and rationale are documented.
Notices
Retraction Notice
- Permanent access
- Retraction notices are permanently and publicly accessible.
- Labeling
- The article’s title and abstract are clearly labeled “Retracted”; the original record remains available unless removed by law.
- Content of the notice
- The notice states who is retracting the article and provides a clear reason without defamatory content.
- Indexing
- Indexing and metadata are updated and relevant services are notified where feasible.
Related actions
Corrections, concern & removal
- Corrections & Expressions of Concern
- Minor issues (e.g., typographical, labeling, or figure/table errors) are addressed via corrigendum/erratum. When an investigation is ongoing but concerns warrant notification, an expression of concern may be issued. All notices remain linked to the article and are permanently accessible.
- Removal
- Article removal is reserved for exceptional circumstances (e.g., court orders, proven defamation, serious personal-data or public-health risks). In such cases, a public statement replaces the article, explaining the reason for removal.
- Standards & Compliance
- ACAM implements this policy in line with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and international publishing ethics. Editorial actions are taken to protect the integrity, transparency, and traceability of the scholarly record.