Article Retraction and Withdrawal

The Journal of Clinical and Community Health (JCCH) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and transparency of the scholarly record. In certain circumstances, published or submitted articles may need to be retracted or withdrawn in accordance with ethical publishing standards and the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Article Retraction

Retraction may occur after an article has been published when:

  • There is clear evidence of plagiarism, data fabrication, or falsification.

  • The article contains major errors that invalidate its findings or conclusions.

  • The research violates ethical standards, such as lack of informed consent or animal welfare violations.

  • The article has been published elsewhere without proper attribution (duplicate publication).

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest are discovered that significantly compromise the integrity of the work.

Retraction Process:

  • A retraction request may come from authors, readers, editors, or institutions.

  • The editorial board will conduct an investigation and consult with relevant parties.

  • If retraction is warranted, a retraction notice will be published, stating the reason clearly.

  • The original article will remain accessible online but marked as “Retracted” to maintain the scholarly record.

2. Article Withdrawal

Withdrawal may occur before publication (during review or production) when:

  • Authors request withdrawal due to valid reasons (e.g., errors in data, need for substantial revision).

  • Manuscripts are found to contain plagiarism, fraudulent data, incomplete submission, or placeholder content (e.g., lorem ipsum).

  • Authors fail to respond to editorial communication during the peer review or production process.

Withdrawal Process:

  • Withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author, stating the reason.

  • The editorial office will review the request, and approval must be granted by the Editor-in-Chief.

  • If withdrawal is approved, the manuscript will be removed from the submission system.

  • In cases of ethical misconduct, JCCH reserves the right to impose restrictions on future submissions by the same author(s).

3. Expressions of Concern and Corrections

  • If concerns are raised but the investigation is inconclusive, JCCH may issue an Expression of Concern.

  • For minor errors that do not affect the validity of the research, a Correction Notice (Erratum/ Corrigendum) will be published instead of a retraction.