The journal handles errors and problems in published articles according to the COPE Retraction Guidelines (version 3, 2025). The aim is to correct the scholarly record and inform readers, not to punish authors. Except in the case described below, a published article is never deleted or silently altered.
Corrections
When an error is found that affects the scholarly record but does not invalidate the findings or conclusions (e.g., an author's name or order, an affiliation, a value in a table or figure, a reference or funding information), a correction is published. "Erratum" is used for errors introduced during publication and "Corrigendum" for errors made by the authors. The correction notice is published with its own DOI and linked to and from the article; the corrected article is published as a new version with a note explaining the change, and the original version remains available. Spelling and punctuation errors that do not affect meaning are not corrected.
Expressions of concern
When there are serious ethical or scientific concerns about an article and an investigation is under way or inconclusive, the editors may publish an expression of concern to inform readers. The notice is updated when the investigation is completed and, if necessary, the article is retracted.
Retractions
An article is retracted when there is:
- clear evidence that the findings are unreliable (fabrication, falsification or a serious calculation or methodological error);
- plagiarism, or duplicate publication without disclosure;
- failure to meet ethical requirements such as ethics approval, participant consent or permission to use data;
- serious misconduct related to authorship, peer review or conflicts of interest that affects the reliability of the article; or
- infringement of copyright or another legal right (if keeping the full text available would continue the infringement, the article is removed rather than retracted).
Retracted articles are not deleted: the article page and PDF remain available, and every page of the PDF is marked "RETRACTED". A retraction notice stating the reasons, who requested the retraction and the date is published with its own DOI, linked to the article, and the Crossref record is updated. Authors may also request a retraction; such requests are assessed by the editors.
Removal
Removal means withdrawing the full text of an article from access. It is used only in the following exceptional cases:
- infringement of copyright or another legal right, for example a translation or reprint for which the rights holder's permission cannot be documented;
- a serious ethical violation where keeping the full text available would harm participants or third parties, for example identifying information published without consent;
- infringement of personal rights or of rights concerning the protection of personal data;
- a court order; or
- a serious risk to the health or safety of participants or readers.
Retraction is the usual response to ethical violations; removal is used when keeping the full text available would itself continue an infringement or cause harm. The editorial board decides after an investigation and records its reasons; the authors and, where relevant, the rights holder of the original work are informed. The article's title, authors and DOI remain on the article page together with a note giving the reason for and date of removal, and the DOI continues to resolve to that page.
Post-publication discussion
Scholarly criticism of a published article may be submitted as a letter to the editor or sent to bilgi@artsurem.tr. The editors assess the criticism, give the authors of the article a right of reply and may publish suitable letters together with the reply.