Retraction, Withdrawal, & Correction (R-W-C) Policy

Batulis Civil Law Review acknowledges that authors have worked diligently in preparing their manuscripts and have followed the journal's peer-review procedures. Nevertheless, circumstances may arise in which a published article requires correction, clarification, retraction, withdrawal, removal, or replacement because of errors, ethical concerns, legal requirements, or other circumstances affecting the integrity of the scholarly record.

Batulis Civil Law Review applies these procedures carefully and transparently to protect the integrity, accuracy, and completeness of the scholarly record and to maintain confidence in the journal's electronic archives. All editorial actions concerning published articles are undertaken according to appropriate publication ethics principles and, where applicable, relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Policy Statement

Batulis Civil Law Review recognizes that authors have worked diligently in preparing their manuscripts and have followed the journal's peer-review procedures. Nevertheless, published articles may, in certain circumstances, require correction, clarification, retraction, withdrawal, removal, or replacement because of errors, ethical concerns, legal requirements, or other circumstances affecting the integrity of the scholarly record.

Such editorial actions are undertaken according to strict and transparent criteria in order to preserve confidence in the integrity and reliability of the journal's electronic archives. The journal is committed to maintaining the quality, accuracy, completeness, and accessibility of the scholarly record for researchers, readers, librarians, and other users of its publications.

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Article Retraction

Batulis Civil Law Review is firmly committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. An article may be retracted when substantial problems are identified that make the findings or conclusions unreliable or when serious publication or research ethics concerns affect the validity or integrity of the published work.

Articles may be subject to retraction under circumstances including:

A significant scholarly or research error is identified that renders the article's findings or conclusions unreliable. This may result from research misconduct, such as data fabrication or falsification, or from an honest and substantial error, such as a serious miscalculation or analytical error.
The findings have been previously published elsewhere without appropriate cross-referencing, permission, or justification, including cases of redundant or duplicate publication.
Serious ethical or publication misconduct is identified, including plagiarism, unauthorized use of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without proper attribution, misuse of confidential review materials, or inappropriate authorship.
Material or data have been used without appropriate authorization, where such unauthorized use materially affects the integrity or legality of the publication.
A serious copyright, privacy, legal, or other rights violation affects the published article.
The research reported in the article was conducted in violation of applicable ethical requirements.
The article was published on the basis of a compromised or manipulated peer-review process.
A major undisclosed conflict of interest or competing interest is identified that, in the judgment of the editorial team, materially affected the interpretation of the work or the editorial or peer-review process.

To ensure that retraction procedures follow recognized publication-ethics standards, Batulis Civil Law Review refers to the retraction guidance of COPE and applies the following process:

Any concern that may require retraction is brought to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief or the appropriate editor.
The editor assesses the concern, reviews the available evidence, and, where appropriate, considers the response provided by the author or authors.
Where necessary, the editorial team may consult appropriate experts, members of the Editorial Board, the publisher, the author's institution, or other relevant parties before reaching a decision.
The editorial team determines the appropriate editorial action based on the available evidence, the seriousness of the issue, and the applicable publication-ethics principles.
The final decision concerning retraction is communicated to the author or authors and, where appropriate, other relevant parties or institutions.
A retraction notice is published online and linked clearly to the affected article. The notice identifies the article, states that it has been retracted, explains the reason or reasons for retraction, and identifies the party issuing the retraction.

A retracted article should remain part of the journal's scholarly archive where technically and legally possible. The original article must be clearly identified as RETRACTED, and the retraction notice must remain permanently linked to the original article so that readers, researchers, librarians, and indexing services can clearly understand the status of the publication.

Retraction is intended primarily to correct the scholarly record and protect readers and the integrity of published research. It is not intended solely as a punishment for authors.

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Article Withdrawal

Authors are generally not permitted to withdraw a manuscript after it has entered the editorial or peer-review process without a legitimate reason. Withdrawal after substantial editorial or peer-review work may result in significant and unnecessary use of the time and resources of editors, reviewers, and the publisher.

Authors are therefore expected to carefully review the journal's submission requirements and checklist before submitting a manuscript through the OJS system.

If an author wishes to withdraw a submitted manuscript, the corresponding author must submit an official withdrawal request to the journal through the appropriate editorial communication channel. The request should state the reason for withdrawal and, where applicable, confirm that all co-authors agree to the withdrawal.

The editorial team will evaluate the withdrawal request and determine whether the manuscript may be withdrawn from the editorial process. Withdrawal of a submitted manuscript is distinct from retraction of a published article.

Once an article has been formally published, any subsequent action affecting the published scholarly record is handled under the applicable provisions of this R-W-C Policy.

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Article Correction

Batulis Civil Law Review considers issuing a correction when a published article remains substantially reliable but contains an error or omission that should be corrected to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

A correction may be considered under circumstances including:

When a limited portion of an otherwise reliable publication contains incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information, particularly where the problem resulted from an honest error.
When there are inaccuracies in the author or contributor information, including the omission of an eligible author or the inclusion of an individual who does not meet the journal's authorship criteria.

Corrections to peer-reviewed content may include:

Publisher correction (erratum): a correction issued to address a significant error introduced by the publisher or journal during the production or publication process that affects the publication record, the integrity of the article, or the reputation of the authors or journal.
Author correction (corrigendum): a correction issued to address a significant error introduced by the authors that affects the publication record, the integrity of the article, or the reputation of the authors or journal.
Addendum: additional information provided by the authors to address an inconsistency, provide further details, expand upon the existing work, or clarify or update information in the published article.

The decision on whether a correction is warranted is made by the editor or editors, where necessary in consultation with reviewers, members of the Editorial Board, or other appropriate experts. The handling editor may contact the author or authors to request clarification or supporting information. The final determination of whether a correction is necessary and which type of correction should be issued rests with the editorial team.

Corrections should be clearly identified, linked to the affected article, and published in a manner that preserves the transparency and traceability of the scholarly record.

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Article Removal

In very rare circumstances, a published article may need to be removed from the journal's online platform because its continued public availability would create a serious legal or other exceptional risk.

Removal may be considered only in circumstances such as where an article is clearly defamatory, violates the legal rights of others, is subject to a valid court order or other legal requirement, or where continued availability could create a significant and demonstrable risk of serious harm.

Where removal is legally or otherwise strictly necessary, the journal should preserve the article's bibliographic metadata, including the title and author information, and replace the publicly accessible content with a notification explaining that the article has been removed and the general reason for the removal.

Article removal is distinct from retraction. Where possible, the scholarly record should remain identifiable and traceable even when access to the article's full content is restricted or removed.

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Article Replacement

In exceptional circumstances, an article may be replaced by a corrected version when the original article contains a serious problem that cannot adequately be addressed through a conventional correction and where a corrected and republished version is considered appropriate to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Where an article is retracted and a corrected version is subsequently published, the original article should not simply be deleted or overwritten. The original version should remain identifiable as retracted and should be clearly linked to the corrected and republished version. The publication history should be documented transparently.

Any replacement or republication decision will be made by the editorial team in accordance with the circumstances of the case and relevant publication-ethics guidance.

The retraction notice should explain the reason for the action and provide an appropriate link to the corrected version where applicable. The corrected and republished article should also clearly indicate its relationship to the original retracted article.

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