Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat: Humanity and Medicine

Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat: Humanity and Medicine is fundamentally committed to safeguarding the accuracy, integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record. To uphold these standards, the journal enforces a rigorous policy for correcting and retracting published literature, strictly adhering to the core principles and flowcharts provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This framework ensures that any discrepancies, errors, or ethical breaches identified post-publication are addressed objectively, proportionately, and transparently.

1. Article Corrections (Erratum / Corrigendum)

A correction is issued when a published article contains significant errors that need rectification but do not undermine the scientific reliability of the core findings, conclusions, or overall academic contribution.

Corrections are typically warranted in cases of:

• Inadvertent errors in data formatting, tables, or figures that do not alter the main outcomes.
• Omissions or errors in the author list, affiliations, or corresponding author details.
• Inexact methodological descriptions that require further clarification for reproducibility.
• Errors in the bibliography or citations that affect the proper attribution of sources.
• Editorial or typesetting/production errors that impair the reader's comprehension of the text.

All corrections will be published as formal, standalone notices detailing the exact modifications, the reason for the change, and a direct bi-directional link to the original article. The updated version of the manuscript will clearly reflect the revisions to maintain traceability.

2. Article Retractions

A retraction is the most severe editorial action, utilized when there is compelling evidence that an article's findings are entirely unreliable or that gross ethical misconduct has occurred.

Grounds for retraction include, but are not limited to:

• Fabrication or falsification of community service data, field results, or clinical outcomes.
• Substantial and deliberate plagiarism of previously published works.
• Duplicate or redundant publication without transparent disclosure and editorial justification.
• Critical flaws in methodology, data analysis, or reporting that render the conclusions fundamentally invalid.
• Severe ethical violations, including the infringement of participants' rights, privacy, or safety without appropriate ethical clearance.
• Manipulation of the peer review process or other unethical practices that compromise the manuscript's legitimacy.

Retractions may be initiated by the authors themselves (due to honest, catastrophic errors) or mandated by the editorial board following a thorough investigation. A retraction does not inherently imply malicious intent, as it can also result from systemic but unintentional mistakes.

3. Expressions of Concern

Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat: Humanity and Medicine may issue an Expression of Concern if serious allegations regarding an article's integrity are raised, but the available evidence remains inconclusive. This notice is typically published while a complex, long-term institutional investigation is underway or when there is significant ambiguity regarding the reliability of the work. Once conclusive evidence or a final institutional report is obtained, the Expression of Concern will be updated, either culminating in a Retraction or being resolved with an exonerating Correction/Notice.

4. Investigation and Handling Procedures

Any report of alleged errors or misconduct concerning a published article will follow a structured procedural pathway:

1. Report Reception: The editorial office receives a formal complaint or notification from an author, reader, reviewer, or institution.
2. Initial Triage: The Chief Editor conducts a preliminary assessment of the report's gravity and the validity of the supporting evidence.
3. Right of Reply: The corresponding author is contacted, presented with the concerns, and given a fair timeframe to provide clarifications or raw data.
4. Advanced Investigation: If necessary, the editorial board will consult independent peer reviewers, statistical experts, or the authors' affiliated institutions to evaluate the evidence.
5. Editorial Resolution: A final decision is made based on the gathered evidence and COPE guidelines.
6. Transparent Publication: The resulting Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction is published transparently. (Note: The editorial board reserves the right to proceed with a decision even if the authors refuse to cooperate or respond).

5. Retraction Publication Mechanism

To preserve the historical accuracy of the scholarly record, retracted articles are never silently deleted from the journal's archives (except in extraordinarily rare cases involving extreme legal risks, privacy breaches, or public health dangers).

The retraction protocol dictates that:

• A formal notice is published, explicitly titled "Retraction Notice: [Article Title]".
• The notice clearly identifies the compromised article, including authors and the Digital Object Identifier (DOI).
• The notice provides a clear, objective, and factual explanation for the retraction.
• It states who initiated the retraction (e.g., the authors, the institution, or the Chief Editor).
• The original article PDF and webpage will be prominently watermarked or marked as RETRACTED to prevent future misuse or invalid citation.

6. Author Rights and Appeals

Authors have the right to be informed of the specific reasons behind an editorial action and are permitted to submit an appeal accompanied by new, compelling evidence. The editorial team will evaluate appeals objectively, often enlisting an independent arbiter if necessary. However, unanimous consent among all co-authors is not a mandatory prerequisite for the journal to execute a retraction if the editorial board possesses sufficient, irrefutable evidence of invalidity or misconduct.

7. Transparency and Record Preservation

All post-publication updates—Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions—are permanently documented, openly accessible, and seamlessly linked to their respective original articles. Furthermore, publication metadata is immediately updated and transmitted to indexing databases (e.g., Crossref, SINTA, Google Scholar) to ensure the global academic community is aware of the article's revised status. The ultimate goal of this policy is not to act punitively against authors, but to protect the integrity of scientific literature and public health knowledge.