Phil Daly

What authors need to know about errata, expressions of concern, and retractions

How serious is an erratum, expression of concern, or a retraction? They should all be avoided as they do not reflect well on your research if it needs to be corrected or a statement is issued that calls your article’s integrity into question. Publishers have a responsibility to correct the publication record when required, but you will not be surprised to read that they and the editors of a journal want to avoid publishing an article with mistakes or fraudulent research and having to write an erratum, expression of concern, or retraction. This article describes each of these publication notices and points to the resources of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for further reading.