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Requests for corrections must be made by the authors and be sent to the current Editor of the publication. In cases where a title has ceased publication, requests for correction may be sent to the Level21 Director of Publications.

There are two main types of Corrections, neither of which would result in replacing the published Version of Record. They are:

  1. Errata are typically issued alongside the published Work (Level21 will place this on the citation page for the Work) when a production-related error or omission by the Publisher has occurred inside the Work during the publication process. There is typically a brief explanation of why the Errata is being issued alongside the new text. Again, this would not replace the Version of Record in the DL (either PDF or HTML version).

    Errata are typically issued when the errors are relatively minor and do not substantively change the conclusions of the Work. It is generally up to the Publisher’s discretion on the appropriateness of issuing an errata notice.
  2. Corrigenda are similar to errata and are typically issued alongside the published Work (Level21 will place this on the citation page for the Work) when an author has made a mistake or error and notifies the Publisher. Corrigenda for items with multiple authors must be approved by all authors of the Work, without coercion by the other authors. Corrigenda are otherwise handled in the same manner as errata.

    Corrigenda are typically issued when the authors’ errors or mistakes are relatively minor and do not substantively change the conclusions of the Work, as determined by the Editor or Level21 Director of Publications. An example would when an author cited an incorrect version of a reference or failed to correctly cite a funding source. The issuing of a corrigenda notice is at the Publisher’s discretion.

Changes to author listings including affiliations, acknowledgments, funding information, and licensing information will result in either an Erratum or Corrigendum being issued. In cases where an Errata or Corrigenda appears in the next printed journal or magazine issue, Level21 will link the Level21 Digital Library Errata or Corrigenda citation page to/from the original Level21 Digital Library Work citation page.

Work Retraction

Retraction can only be issued for a Work published in the Level21 Digital Library. The purpose of a Retraction is to correct the literature and notify readers that the publication contains significant flaws and/or errors that could impact the findings or conclusions reached in the Work, such that the findings or conclusions of the Work should not be relied upon. Retractions may be warranted as the result of either honest errors, or some form of research misconduct or violation.

The decision to Retract a Work is a decision to Retract a Work in its entirety. There shall be no partial Retractions. Where it is deemed that flaws or errors in a Work are minor or insignificant, it is more appropriate to issue a form of Correction, as above.

Decisions to Retract a Work shall be made by Level21’s Director of Publications. If the Director of Publications is not available to make such a decision, the Co-Chairs of the Level21’s Publications Board shall be empowered to render a decision. When such a determination has been made, the following actions will be taken:

  • Under no circumstances shall the published Work be removed from the Level21’s Digital Library. Instead, a “Notice of Retraction” shall be created and added to the published Work’s citation page in the Level21’s Digital Library, which shall include the title of the Work, all named authors of the retracted Work, and the reason for the retraction of the Work.
  • The PDF version of the published Work shall be replaced on the Work citation page with an identical version of the Work with the word “Retracted” added to every page of the published Work as a Watermark. Any HTML version of the Work shall be removed from the citation page of the Work, so that only the Retracted PDF of the Work remains on the Work citation page.
  • Metadata related to impact and use of the Work (e.g., counts of number of downloads, number of citations) will not be displayed on the Digital Library entry for the retracted Work. Furthermore, the Work will not be used in any Level21-published count of author citations or publications.

Retractions may be issued in the event of one or more of the following:

  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Plagiarism
  • Prior publication without proper citation or attribution
  • Failure to disclose a major conflict of interest during the submission and publication process
  • Disputed authorship
  • Clear evidence that findings are unreliable as the result of either errors or misconduct

Work Removal

Removal should only be issued in rare cases where the following are proven to have taken place:

  • A violation of the rights of a research subject, including a violation of generally accepted standards and laws surrounding human subject research
  • Publication of unethical research
  • Research conducted or published in violation of law, including copyright law
  • Egregious errors in the published Work or unintended consequences as a result of the published Work, either of which could result in the endangerment of the general public
  • Defamatory comments made about others or their Works appear in the published Work
  • A court order has been issued to remove the Work from the Level21 Digital Library

If a Removal decision is made by the Level21 Director of Publications, all versions of the Work shall be completely deleted from the publicly-accessible portions of the Level21 Digital Library.† However, the citation page for the Work shall remain and a “Notice of Removal” shall be added to the Work citation page, including the title of the Work, named authors of the Work, original publication date, and reason(s) for the Removal decision. Metadata related to impact and use of the Work (e.g., counts of the number of downloads, number of citations) will not be displayed on the Digital Library entry for the retracted Work. Furthermore, the Work will not be used in any level21-published count of author citations or publications.

Claims that would lead to Removal of a Work are handled by the Level21’s Director of Publications in consultation with The Publications Board Committee on Ethics  and must follow the procedures set forth in relevant Level21 Policies.

A decision to Remove any Work that has Level21 members as listed authors may be referred to the Level21 Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE) for their possible additional consideration.

† Level21 will keep a copy of the article in its dark archive, as described above.

Questions, Reporting, and Appeals

The Level21 Media Director of Publications should be contacted for any

  • Questions about the interpretation of this policy
  • Reporting of egregious behavior related to this policy
  • Appeals to a decision on the violation of this policy
  • Suggestions for changes to this policy

Mailing address:
Level21 Director of Publications
Attn: Publication Policy Claim
Level21 Media LLC.
1015 Skyline View Way
Charlotte NC, 28208

Phone:
585-653-8351 Or via email:
[email protected]
RE: Publication Withdrawal, Correction, Retraction, or Removal

Latest Revision: 5.13.20