Corrections

POL's Editors encourage readers and authors to notify them of any errors, especially those that could affect the interpretation of data or information presented in an article. When an error is identified, the Editorial Office will collaborate with authors to correct errors in publications that are deemed to be significant. The Editorial Office will consider retraction if the errors invalidate the findings.

Typically, corrections will be reflected directly in the (latest) Version of Record, and a Correction Note will be issued to offer an explanation and/or justification for the corrections made and pinpoint the exact location in the text where changes have been made. For minor corrections made while the articles are still in the Online First stage, changes will be made directly into the Version of Record without issuing a Correction Note. All Correction Notes are open-access and linked to the online Version of Record. 

Retractions

Articles may be retracted if:

• There is a major scientific error that would invalidate the conclusions of the article, for example, where there is clear evidence that findings are unreliable, either due to misconduct (e.g., data fabrication) or honest error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error).
• The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission or justification (i.e., cases of redundant publication).
• There are ethical issues such as plagiarism (appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit including those obtained through confidential review of others' manuscripts) or inappropriate authorship.
• Unethical research has been reported.

In order to ensure that retractions are handled according to industry best practices, and in accordance with COPE guidelines, POL’s journal adopt the following retraction process:

All journals follow the recommendations of the COPE guidelines for retraction. Potential retractions are thoroughly investigated by the Editorial Office with the support of the Editorial Board and final approval by the Editor-in-Chief. Other persons and institutions will be consulted as necessary, including university authorities or experts in the field.

Editorial Expressions of Concern

Editors of the journal may consider issuing an Expression of Concern if they have well-founded concerns and feel that readers should be made aware of potentially misleading information contained in an article. However, Expressions of Concern should only be issued if an investigation into the problems relating to the article has proved inconclusive, and if there are strong indicators that the concerns are valid. Under some rare circumstances, an Expression of Concern may be issued even if an investigation is underway but a judgment will not be available for a considerable time, provided that the Editorial Office has well-founded grounds to suggest that the concerns are valid.