Corrections, Retractions & Updates Policy
Opus Publica — the publishing arm of Advocacy Unified Network
Our Commitment
Opus Publica is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and completeness of the scholarly and editorial record across all of our journals and books. Research and policy analysis do not stand still: after publication, new evidence, identified errors, or ethical concerns can require us to correct, update, or in rare cases retract published content. This page explains how we handle these situations and how readers can determine whether a piece of content they are viewing — including a previously downloaded copy — has changed since its original publication.
Opus Publica participates in Crossmark, a service from Crossref that provides a standard way for readers to check the current status of a piece of content. By applying the Crossmark logo to our published articles, Opus Publica commits to maintaining the content we publish and to alerting readers to changes if and when they occur. Clicking the Crossmark logo on any article will show its current status and additional publication record information.
Types of Updates
We classify post-publication updates using the following categories, consistent with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines:
Correction (Erratum/Corrigendum) A correction is issued when an error has been identified in a published work that does not undermine the overall validity or conclusions of the piece, but that should nonetheless be fixed in the scholarly record — for example, an author affiliation error, a data transcription error, or a citation error. Corrections are published as a separate, linked notice; the original article remains available alongside it.
Retraction A retraction is issued when the integrity of a published work is seriously compromised — for example, due to research misconduct, plagiarism, duplicate publication, major undisclosed conflicts of interest, or fundamental errors that invalidate the work's conclusions. A retraction notice is published, clearly linked to the original article, and the original article's title and record are updated to indicate its retracted status. The original article is not deleted; the scholarly record is preserved with its status clearly marked.
Expression of Concern An expression of concern is issued when credible concerns have been raised about a published work — for example, a pending institutional investigation — but the matter has not yet been fully resolved. This signals to readers that caution is warranted while the concern is investigated, without prejudging the outcome.
Withdrawal A withdrawal applies to content removed prior to formal publication in a journal issue — for example, an article withdrawn during the production process due to a serious error discovered before it reaches its final published state.
How We Handle Updates
In keeping with best practice, and in order to preserve a clear and complete scholarly record, Opus Publica does not silently edit published content ("in situ" changes). Instead:
- A separate notice (correction, retraction, expression of concern, or withdrawal) is published, with its own persistent identifier
- The notice is explicitly linked to the original article, and the original article's record is updated to reference the notice
- The decision to issue any of the above is made by the relevant journal's Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the editorial board and, where appropriate, the author(s), following our Research Ethics & Misconduct Policy and COPE guidelines
- Minor, non-substantive corrections that do not affect interpretation, crediting, or conclusions (for example, a formatting fix or a typographical correction that changes no data or meaning) may be corrected directly without a separate notice, consistent with standard practice
How Readers Are Notified
Every article we publish displays a Crossmark badge. Clicking it will show whether the article has been updated since original publication, and will link directly to any correction, retraction, or expression of concern notice associated with it. We apply this to all published content, not only content that has since been updated, so that a reader can always check current status regardless of when or how they accessed the article.
Related Policies
This page works alongside our other editorial policies, which govern the standards this policy exists to protect:
- Peer Review Policy (per journal — see each journal's "Aims & Scope" page)
- Research Ethics & Misconduct Policy
- Author Agreement & Copyright/Licensing Policy
Reporting a Concern
If you believe a published Opus Publica article, book, or chapter requires correction or raises an integrity concern, please contact the relevant journal's editorial team, or write to us directly at editorial@opuspublica.com. All concerns are reviewed following our Research Ethics & Misconduct Policy.
This policy is maintained by Opus Publica and registered with Crossref as our Crossmark update policy statement.