Corrections
Where errors that affect the interpretation of a published article are identified, a correction (erratum or corrigendum) is published, is linked to the original article and is permanently available. Minor typographical errors may be corrected in the article with a version note.
Retractions and expressions of concern
Articles are retracted when there is clear evidence of serious misconduct or honest error that invalidates the findings, including plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, unethical research, undisclosed conflicts of interest or compromised peer review. An expression of concern may be issued while an investigation is under way. Retracted articles remain accessible, are clearly marked as retracted, and the retraction notice is linked to the original article. The journals follow the COPE Retraction Guidelines.
Plagiarism and similarity checking
All submissions are screened for similarity with plagiarism-detection software. Manuscripts with unacceptable levels of overlap, text recycling or duplicate submission are rejected, and published articles found to contain plagiarism will be handled under the retraction policy.
Research data and ethical approval
Authors are encouraged to make their data available in public repositories or to include a data availability statement. Research involving humans or animals must state the ethical approval obtained and the informed consent procedure.
Use of AI tools
Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors must disclose in the manuscript any use of AI tools, in line with the journal’s AI policy, and remain fully responsible for the content. Editors and reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts to public AI tools.