Correction & Retraction

Wahana Karya Ilmiah Pendidikan, published by the Master's Program in Islamic Religious Education, Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang, is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, reliability, and completeness of the scholarly record. When errors or serious problems are identified in a published article, the journal evaluates the available evidence and determines the appropriate editorial action.

Corrections and retractions serve different purposes. A correction addresses an error that can be resolved without invalidating the principal findings or overall conclusions of an article. A retraction is considered when serious problems undermine the reliability, originality, or ethical acceptability of the published work.

This policy is informed by relevant publication ethics guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

1. Correction

A Correction addresses an error or omission in a published article when the issue can be resolved without invalidating its principal findings or overall conclusions.

When a Correction May Be Appropriate

A correction may be issued for the following reasons:

• Incorrect author names or institutional affiliations.
• Missing or inaccurate funding acknowledgments.
• Incomplete competing-interest declarations that can be addressed through appropriate disclosure.
• Errors in tables, figures, captions, references, or supplementary materials.
• Numerical, textual, or typographical errors that affect readers' understanding but do not undermine the principal findings.
• Other omissions or inaccuracies that require a formal amendment to the scholarly record.

The significance and consequences of an error determine the appropriate editorial action. An issue initially considered typographical, administrative, or analytical may require a different response if its effects are substantial.

Reporting and Assessment

Authors or other concerned parties should notify the editorial office through the journal's official contact channel. The notification should use the subject line Correction Request: [Article Title or DOI], identify the affected material, explain the proposed correction, and provide supporting evidence.

The editor assesses whether the proposed correction is justified and sufficient. Authors may be asked to provide revised text, corrected files, calculations, or other supporting documentation.

Amendments involving authorship must comply with the journal's applicable authorship requirements. A correction cannot substitute for resolving an authorship dispute.

Correction Notice and Article Updates

A formal correction notice should:

• Clearly identify the original article, including its bibliographic citation and DOI, where available.
• Explain the error or omission and provide the corrected information.
• Describe any relevant effect on the interpretation or conclusions.
• Be dated, clearly labeled, accessible, and linked to the original article.

When the original article is updated, the changes must be clearly identified and linked to the correction notice. Substantive amendments must not be made silently.

Corrections aim to improve the accuracy of the scholarly record and may address errors introduced by authors or during editorial production. If a correction is insufficient to resolve the problem, the editor will consider whether retraction or another appropriate editorial action is necessary.

2. Retraction

A Retraction is a formal editorial action indicating that a published article should no longer be relied upon because serious problems affect its reliability, originality, or ethical acceptability, or because other grounds recognized by relevant publication ethics guidance apply.

Grounds for Retraction

Retraction may be appropriate when the available evidence establishes:

• Unreliable findings resulting from fabrication, falsification, serious methodological errors, miscalculations, or other major problems.
• Substantial plagiarism.
• Redundant or duplicate publication without appropriate disclosure, justification, permission, or acknowledgment.
• Research conducted in violation of applicable ethical standards.
• A compromised or manipulated peer-review process.
• Fabricated or falsified essential research materials or evidence.
• The absence of required authorization, ethical approval, or informed consent where this materially affects the ethical acceptability of the research.
• A material undisclosed competing interest that seriously affects the interpretation of the work or the integrity of editorial assessment.
• Other serious problems warranting retraction under relevant publication ethics guidance.

Purpose and Proportionality

Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly literature and alert readers. Its purpose is not to punish authors. Retraction may result from research misconduct or a significant honest error and does not, by itself, establish that an author committed misconduct.

Authorship disagreement alone does not normally justify retraction when the findings remain reliable. Citation, disclosure, and other concerns are assessed individually; not every concern warrants retraction.

Decision and Author Involvement

The editor determines whether retraction is justified after assessing the available evidence and relevant publication ethics guidance. Authors are normally informed of the concerns and given an opportunity to respond.

Retraction may be initiated by the authors or by the journal. Author agreement is not required when the evidence warrants retraction. Similarly, an author's request for retraction does not automatically establish sufficient grounds for that action.

Where concerns involve suspected research misconduct, the journal follows its applicable Allegation of Research Misconduct policy. The journal may seek independent expert advice or cooperate with the relevant institution or competent authority when further investigation is necessary.

Retraction Notice

A retraction notice should:

• Clearly identify the affected article and its DOI, where available.
• Explicitly state that the article has been retracted.
• Explain the reasons sufficiently for readers to understand the decision.
• Identify who is retracting the article and, where appropriate, whether the authors agree or disagree.
• Distinguish established findings from unresolved allegations and misconduct from honest error where the evidence permits.
• Avoid unsupported accusations and unnecessary personal information.
• Remain freely accessible and linked to the affected article.

Treatment of Retracted Articles

A retracted article normally remains accessible as part of the published scholarly record rather than being deleted. The article's landing page and available full-text versions should be prominently marked RETRACTED and linked to the corresponding retraction notice wherever technically possible.

The journal seeks to preserve the bibliographic record, DOI, publication history, and associated editorial notices so that readers can understand the article's status and the reasons for the editorial action.

Article Removal

Complete removal of a published article is reserved for exceptional circumstances in which continued availability presents serious legal, privacy, or safety concerns, or where another compelling obligation requires removal.

Retraction and removal are distinct editorial actions. An article is not removed merely because it has been retracted. When removal is necessary, an appropriate bibliographic record or explanatory notice should remain unless an overriding legal or other obligation prevents disclosure.