Corrections and Retractions

The Precision Medicine and Health Journal (PMHJ) will issue corrections, retraction statements, and other post-publication updates, including Editor’s Notes and Editorial Expressions of Concern on published content.  

 The following are categories of corrections and post-publication updates for peer-reviewed primary research and review-type articles, as well as certain non-peer-reviewed article types. Substantial errors in the Supplementary Information and Extended Data are corrected in the same manner as amendments to the main article. Except Editor’s Notes, all categories below are bi-directionally linked to the original article and indexed.

 The PMHJ includes the Crossmark button on the HTML and online PDFs of all articles. Crossmark is an industry-standard mechanism that allows readers to quickly verify that the version of the article they are reading is up to date. By clicking the Crossmark button, readers can view the Crossmark record for that article, with details of all formal amendments and corrections.

 Author Correction: An Author Correction may be published to correct a critical error(s) made by the author(s) that affects the scientific integrity of the published article, the publication record, or the reputation of the authors or the journal.  

Author Name Change: For authors who've changed their name and wish to correct it on their published works, don't hesitate to get in touch with the chief editor at editor@pmhjournal.com

Publisher Correction: A Publisher Correction may be published to correct an important error(s) made by the journal that affects the scientific integrity of the published article, the publication record, or the reputation of the authors or of the journal.

 Addendum: An addendum is generally published when significant additional information crucial to the reader’s understanding of the article has come to light following publication of the article.

 Editor's Note: An Editor's Note is a notification alerting readers if the journal has initiated an inquiry in response to concerns raised about a published article. It is an online-only update, applied only to the HTML version of the published article's record. It is not indexed.

Editorial Expression of Concern: An Editorial Expression of Concern is a statement from the editors alerting readers to serious concerns affecting the integrity of the published paper. EEoCs are published online and are bidirectionally linked to the published paper. They receive a DOI and are indexed in major scholarly databases such as PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. EEoCs may be interim measures or final. 

 Publishing an Editor's Note or EEoC is recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as a means of keeping readers updated while a potentially lengthy research integrity investigation is underway. Editor's Notes and EEoCs are typically superseded by publishing another amendment―such as a correction or retraction―once the investigation is complete.

 Retraction: An article may be retracted when the integrity of the published work is substantially undermined owing to errors in the conduct, analysis and/or reporting of the study. Violation of publication or research ethics may also result in a study’s retraction. The original article is marked as retracted but a PDF version remains available to readers, and the retraction statement is bi-directionally linked to the original published paper. Retraction statements will typically include a statement of assent or dissent from the authors.

 When making corrections to articles, in the majority of cases the original article (PDF and HTML) is corrected and is bi-directionally linked to and from the published amendment notice, which details the original error. For the sake of transparency, when changes made to the original article affect data in figures, tables or text (for example, when data points/error bars change or curves require redrawing) the amendment notice will reproduce the original data. When it is not possible to correct the original article in both HTML and PDF versions (for example, articles published many years before the error is raised) the article will remain unchanged but will contain bi-directional links to and from the published amendment notice.

Removal of published content

In exceptional circumstances, PMHJ reserves the right to remove an article or other content from the Journal's online platforms. Such action may be taken when (i) PMHJ has been advised that content is defamatory, infringes a third party’s intellectual property right, right to privacy, or other legal right, or is otherwise unlawful; (ii) a court or government order has been issued, or is likely to be issued, requiring removal of such content; (iii) content, if acted upon, would pose an immediate and serious risk to health. Removal may be temporary or permanent. Bibliographic metadata (e.g., title and authors) will be retained and will be accompanied by a statement explaining why the content has been removed.

Matter Arising

PMHJ recognizes the importance of post-publication commentary in strengthening the scientific record. Matters Arising allows readers to highlight substantial issues related to interpretation, methodology, data accuracy, or reproducibility in a published article. These submissions must present clear, evidence-based concerns that directly relate to the published work, and they should not introduce unrelated new research. Submissions should be concise, focused on a specific issue, and supported with factual or analytical justification.

All Matters Arising undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine whether the concern is scientifically valid and appropriate for formal review. If deemed suitable, the submission proceeds to peer review, which typically involves independent experts—similar to the standard peer-review process used for original articles. However, because Matters Arising evaluates existing published content, the review emphasizes the accuracy of claims, fairness of critique, and adherence to COPE ethical standards. The original article’s authors are invited to submit a formal Reply, which may also be peer-reviewed to ensure accuracy and balance.

Accepted Matters Arising and the corresponding Replies are published together online, providing transparent and constructive scientific dialogue. Full submission criteria and procedural details will follow the same general review principles already outlined in the PMHJ Guide for Authors, except that the review focuses on identifying valid concerns rather than evaluating a complete research study, in accordance with COPE’s guidelines for responsible post-publication discussion.

Addressing post-publication issues

We are committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record and thoroughly investigate concerns that are directly raised with us by authors and readers.  Authors are always given an opportunity to respond to the concerns raised. We may request original unprocessed data, and consult with experts in the course of an investigation. Depending on the seriousness of the issues, the following outcomes may ensue:

 ● If the manuscript is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author.

● If the article has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the issues:

• a correction or Addendum may be issued
• an Editor’s Note or Editorial Expression of Concern may be issued; these are typically followed by a second notification once the investigation concludes
• the article may be retracted

● The author’s institution may be informed if we identify potentially serious issues.

We aim for transparent notification to readers; however, our primary goal is to ensure the integrity of the published record rather than to sanction individuals and as such, we will not use these statements to attribute responsibility to specific named individuals. We may refer readers to the reports of institutional investigations if these reports are publicly available. While we are committed to addressing post-publication issues and correcting the record swiftly, investigations typically take some time to reach resolution given the complexity of the discussions and the need to obtain original data and consult with experts. We will issue Editor’s Notes and/or Editorial Expressions of Concern to alert our readership when we become aware of concerns with published material.

All policies and procedures outlined by PMHJ strictly adhere to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. For complete COPE standards, please visit:

https://publicationethics.org/search?query=guidance+guideline&urlfield=