Correction and Retraction

SEMESTA: Journal of Community Empowerment is committed to preserving the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record. When errors or concerns regarding published articles are identified, the Editorial Board will take appropriate action in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the journal may issue an Erratum, Publisher's Note, or Retraction.

Erratum

An Erratum is published to correct errors or omissions in a published article that do not invalidate the overall findings or conclusions of the study. Corrections may involve inaccuracies in the text, figures, tables, author information, affiliations, acknowledgments, or references.

The original published article remains available online, while the Erratum is published as a separate document, freely accessible to readers, and electronically linked to the original article to ensure complete transparency.

Retraction

A Retraction is issued when there is clear evidence that the findings of a published article are unreliable due to research misconduct or significant honest error. Retraction may also be appropriate in cases involving, but not limited to:

  • Plagiarism or substantial unattributed text overlap.

  • Duplicate or redundant publication.

  • Fabrication or falsification of data.

  • Unethical research practices or violations of research ethics.

  • Major errors that invalidate the study's findings or conclusions.

Retracted articles are not removed from the journal's archive except in rare circumstances involving legal obligations or court orders. Instead, the original article remains accessible to preserve the scholarly record and is clearly marked as Retracted, accompanied by a formal Retraction Notice explaining the reason for the retraction and identifying the party responsible for the decision. Where applicable, the notice will also indicate whether the authors agreed to the retraction.

Publisher's Note

A Publisher's Note may be issued to correct errors introduced during the production or publication process, including mistakes in article metadata such as the title, author names, affiliations, DOI, or other publishing information. Publisher's Notes are prepared by the Editorial Office or Publisher and are made freely available to readers.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect the scientific content, interpretation, or discoverability of an article may be corrected without issuing a formal notice, at the discretion of the Editorial Board.

Article Replacement

In exceptional circumstances where a published article requires replacement because of significant production errors that substantially affect the integrity or readability of the publication, the Publisher may replace the original version with a corrected version. Any such replacement will be clearly documented, and the date and nature of the correction will be recorded to maintain the transparency of the publication record.

Ethical Guidance

All decisions regarding corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions are made in accordance with internationally recognized best practices for scholarly publishing, including the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal is committed to ensuring that all post-publication actions are conducted fairly, transparently, and consistently in order to maintain trust in the scientific record.