Retraction, Withdrawal, and Correction (R-W-C) Policy

The International Journal of Counseling and Applied Psychology (IJCAP) is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record. The journal follows international best practices, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), to address cases requiring retraction, withdrawal, or correction of published articles.

1. Retraction

Retraction is considered when:

  • There is clear evidence of plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or unethical research practices.
  • The article has been published elsewhere without proper citation, permission, or justification (duplicate publication).
  • Significant errors are found that invalidate the main conclusions of the work.
  • The article reports unethical research that does not comply with accepted standards (e.g., lack of informed consent, ethical approval).

A retraction notice will be published and linked to the retracted article, clearly stating the reasons for retraction. The original article will remain accessible but marked as “Retracted” to maintain the scholarly record.

2. Withdrawal

Article withdrawal may occur under the following conditions:

  • Authors request withdrawal before publication for valid reasons, such as errors in data or submission to multiple journals simultaneously.
  • The editorial team identifies issues during the review process, such as ethical concerns or non-compliance with submission guidelines.
  • Withdrawal requests after acceptance or during production are subject to editorial approval and must be accompanied by a formal, signed statement from all authors.

To discourage unethical practices, repeated or unjustified withdrawal requests may lead to blacklisting of the authors from future submissions.

3. Correction

Corrections are issued when:

  • Minor errors are identified in a published article that do not affect the validity of the research findings (e.g., typographical errors, incorrect author affiliations, formatting mistakes).
  • An update is needed to clarify data presentation, references, or acknowledgments without changing the article’s main conclusions.

Corrections will be published as a separate note, linked to the original article, and will include details of the changes made.

4. Expressions of Concern

In cases where an investigation is ongoing, but results are not yet conclusive, the journal may issue an Expression of Concern to alert readers to potential issues with a published article.

5. Publisher and Editor Responsibilities

  • The Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the editorial board, makes the final decision regarding retraction, withdrawal, or correction.
  • All actions will be carried out transparently, and notices will be freely accessible to the public.
  • The journal ensures that all R-W-C policies are applied consistently in line with COPE standards.