Corrections/Errata
The Ochsner Journal editorial staff makes every effort to ensure that the information in articles is correct before publication, but corrections sometimes must be made after publication. In such cases, the Journal will issue an erratum identified with a specific digital object identifier (DOI) and metadata tagging that link the erratum to the article it is correcting.
To report corrections, the corresponding author of the paper must contact the editorial office at ocjournal@ochsner.org. A full explanation of the error(s) and the proposed correction(s) must be provided. The managing editor will investigate and work with the corresponding author to make the necessary changes at the Ochsner Journal website, PubMed Central, and PubMed.
Retractions
A retraction notice alerts readers that an article contains seriously flawed or erroneous content or data, and the article should not be cited or its findings relied upon. Unreliable content or data may result from honest error, naïve mistakes, or research misconduct. The principal purpose of retraction is to correct the literature and ensure its integrity rather than to punish the authors. Ochsner Journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics Retraction Guidelines.
Ochsner Journal will consider retracting a paper in the following cases:
- Clear evidence shows that the findings are unreliable, either because of major error (eg, miscalculation or experimental error) or because of fabrication (eg, of data) or falsification (eg, image manipulation).
- The paper is plagiarized. (Ochsner Journal uses plagiarism software to help prevent publication of plagiarized papers.)
- The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper attribution to previous sources or disclosure to the editor, permission to republish, or justification (ie, cases of redundant publication).
- The paper contains material or data without authorization for use.
- Copyright has been infringed or there is some other serious legal issue (eg, libel, privacy).
- The paper reports unethical research.
- The paper was published solely on the basis of a compromised or manipulated peer review process. (The editorial office provides stringent oversight of the Ochsner Journal peer review process. Only the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor select and invite reviewers [see the Ochsner Journal peer review policy]. Guest editors are not permitted to assign peer reviewers.)
- The author(s) failed to disclose a major competing interest (ie, conflict of interest) that, in the view of the Editor-in-Chief, would have unduly affected interpretations of the work or recommendations by editors and peer reviewers.
Notices of retraction issued by Ochsner Journal will comply with the following practices:
- Be linked to the retracted article in all online versions
- Be identified as a retraction
- Be published promptly
- Be freely available to all readers
- Identify the retracted article
- State who is retracting the article
- State the reason(s) for retraction
- Be objective and factual without inflammatory language
Retractions are not usually appropriate in the following cases (an erratum is often sufficient to make corrections in these situations):
- The authorship is disputed, but there is no reason to doubt the validity of the findings.
- The main findings of the work are reliable, and correction could sufficiently address errors or concerns.
- The Editor-in-Chief has inconclusive evidence to support retraction or is waiting for additional information such as from an institutional investigation.
- Author conflicts of interest have been reported to the Ochsner Journal after publication, but in the Editor-in-Chief’s view are not likely to have influenced interpretations, recommendations, or conclusions of the article.
Report concerns about published articles to the Ochsner Journal editorial office at ocjournal@ochsner.org. All reports will be referred to the Editor-in-Chief and the editorial board who will conduct the necessary investigation and make the decision about how to handle the situation.
Expressions of Concern
Expressions of concern are used to signal a possible problem in an article. Ochsner Journal follows the guidance about expressions of concern in the Committee on Publication Ethics Retraction Guidelines.
Ochsner Journal will consider issuing an expression of concern about a paper in the following cases:
- Inconclusive evidence of research or publication misconduct by the authors is provided to the Journal.
- Evidence indicates that the findings in the paper are unreliable, but the authors’ institution will not investigate the case.
- An investigation is underway but a judgment will not be available for a considerable time.
Expressions of concern will be linked to the article and state the reasons for the concern. If more evidence becomes available, the expression of concern will be replaced by a retraction notice or an exonerating statement.
Report concerns about published articles to the Ochsner Journal editorial office at ocjournal@ochsner.org. All reports will be referred to the Editor-in-Chief and the editorial board who will conduct the necessary investigation and make the decision about how to handle the situation.