The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the scholarly record. Retraction is considered an exceptional post-publication action and may be undertaken when an article is found to contain serious problems that invalidate its findings, conclusions, or overall reliability, or when significant publication or research misconduct has occurred.

A published article may be considered for retraction when there is clear evidence of fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate or redundant publication, major ethical violations, substantial undisclosed conflicts of interest, serious authorship problems, manipulated peer review, or other misconduct that materially affects the integrity or reliability of the publication.

Retraction may also be considered when a major error is identified after publication and the error is sufficiently serious that a correction or other editorial notice would not adequately restore the reliability of the scholarly record. The decision to retract is based on the significance and consequences of the issue rather than on the identity or status of the individuals involved.

Concerns regarding a published article may be reported by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other relevant parties. Reports should provide sufficient information and supporting evidence where available. The journal will assess credible concerns objectively and may request additional information or documentation from the authors or other relevant parties.

Before a retraction decision is made, the journal may conduct an appropriate investigation and provide the authors with an opportunity to respond to the concerns. Where necessary, the journal may seek clarification from reviewers, editors, research institutions, funding bodies, or other appropriate authorities. The scope of an investigation will depend on the nature and seriousness of the concern.

Where the issue involves potential research or publication misconduct that falls within the responsibility of an author's institution or another competent authority, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or authority. The journal may take editorial action independently where necessary to protect the integrity of the published record.

A retraction does not necessarily imply misconduct by every author. The journal will assess the available evidence and the individual circumstances before making conclusions regarding responsibility. Where appropriate, the retraction notice may identify the reason for retraction and clarify the extent to which the authors or other parties were involved.

When an article is retracted, the original publication will normally remain part of the scholarly record with a clear and prominent indication that it has been retracted. The article may be watermarked or otherwise visibly marked as retracted, while the bibliographic information and publication history are retained to maintain transparency and traceability.

A formal retraction notice will identify the affected article and provide a clear explanation of the reason for the retraction. Where appropriate, the notice will distinguish between errors, ethical concerns, and confirmed or suspected misconduct. The notice will be linked to the original article so that readers are clearly informed of the article's retracted status.

Retraction is not intended to erase the historical publication record or conceal the existence of the original article. The journal will seek to ensure that indexing, citation information, and other relevant records accurately reflect the retracted status of the publication.

In cases where concerns are serious but an investigation has not yet established whether retraction is warranted, the journal may issue an Expression of Concern. This allows the journal to alert readers to a significant unresolved issue while further investigation or clarification is undertaken.

Retraction decisions are made independently of commercial interests, author status, institutional affiliation, citation impact, or other irrelevant considerations. The primary objective is to protect the integrity, accuracy, and reliability of the scholarly record.

The journal may correct or update metadata and related publication records following a retraction where necessary. Relevant databases, indexing services, repositories, and other parties may be notified when appropriate and technically possible.

Through this Retraction Policy, the journal is committed to addressing serious post-publication concerns transparently, fairly, and responsibly, while preserving the traceability of the scholarly record and maintaining the trust of authors, reviewers, readers, and the wider academic community.