Article Retraction & Withdrawal
The HURMAH: Islamic Journal of Human Rights is dedicated to upholding the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record. We acknowledge that while manuscripts are prepared with care and undergo rigorous peer review, extraordinary circumstances may necessitate the withdrawal, correction, or removal of a published article. Such actions are not taken lightly and are executed under strict standards and transparent procedures to preserve trust in the authority of our academic archives. Our policy aligns with the best practices and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Article Retraction
A retraction is a mechanism for correcting the literature and alerting readers to articles that contain seriously flawed or erroneous content, such that their findings and conclusions cannot be relied upon. Articles may be retracted for several reasons, including: the presence of a significant scientific error that invalidates the article's conclusions (due to honest error or research misconduct); redundant publication (where findings have been published elsewhere without proper attribution or justification); or serious ethical breaches such as plagiarism, data fabrication, or inappropriate authorship.
Our retraction process is designed to be fair, consistent, and transparent:
- A concern regarding a published article is brought to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief.
- The Editor-in-Chief investigates the issue, following the relevant COPE flowcharts, which include seeking a formal response from the article's author(s).
- The findings and proposed action are presented to the journal's Publication Ethics Board for advisory review to ensure a consistent and impartial approach.
- The final decision to retract is communicated to the corresponding author and, if necessary, their institution.
- A formal retraction notice is published, clearly labeled and linked to the original article. This notice states the reason for retraction and is included in a subsequent issue of the journal. The original article remains online but is digitally watermarked as "Retracted."
Article Correction
A correction is issued to address errors that do not fundamentally invalidate the article's overall findings. Corrections are appropriate for: minor but significant errors in a portion of the data or analysis resulting from an honest mistake; or an incorrect author list (e.g., omission of a contributor or inclusion of an ineligible person). Corrections are categorized as:
- Publisher Correction (Erratum):For an error introduced by the journal or its staff during production.
- Author Correction (Corrigendum):For an important error introduced by the author(s).
- Addendum:An addition by the authors to clarify, update, or expand upon information in the original work without altering the original text.
The decision to publish a correction is made by the Editor-in-Chief, potentially with counsel from the Editorial Board. Authors are consulted for clarification, but the journal retains final authority on the necessity and type of correction.
Article Removal
In rare and extreme cases, removal of an article from our online platform may be required. This action is reserved for situations where the article is clearly defamatory, infringes upon legal rights, is subject to a court order, or poses a serious and immediate health risk if acted upon. In the event of removal, the article's metadata (title, authors) will be preserved, but the full text will be replaced with a notice stating the article has been removed for legal or safety reasons, along with a brief explanation.
Article Replacement
If a published article is found to pose a serious health risk, the authors may retract the flawed version and submit a corrected replacement. In this scenario, standard retraction procedures are followed. The retraction notice will explicitly link to the newly published, corrected article, and both versions will be cross-linked to provide a clear publication history.
