Retractions Policy

Polaris Global Journal of Scholarly Research and Trends (PGJSRT) is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, transparency, ethical standards, and reliability of the scholarly record. The journal follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in addressing concerns about published research and determining when corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions are necessary.

1. Grounds for Retraction

A published article may be retracted when there is clear evidence that its findings or conclusions are unreliable due to research misconduct, serious methodological errors, or honest mistakes that substantially affect the validity of the work.

Retractions may be considered in the following circumstances:

  • Data Fabrication or Falsification: Fabrication, manipulation, or misrepresentation of research data, survey responses, interview findings, experimental results, statistical analyses, historical evidence, or other scholarly materials.

  • Plagiarism: Substantial unauthorized reproduction of another person's work, ideas, methods, theoretical frameworks, or research findings without appropriate acknowledgment.

  • Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Publication of substantially identical research findings in multiple journals without appropriate disclosure or justification.

  • Unethical Research Practices: Serious violations of applicable research ethics, including the absence of required ethical approval, informed consent, research permissions, or appropriate safeguards for human participants, particularly children and vulnerable populations.

  • Copyright Infringement: Unauthorized use of copyrighted text, figures, photographs, illustrations, archival documents, datasets, research instruments, or other protected materials.

  • Major Methodological or Analytical Errors: Significant errors in research design, qualitative or quantitative analysis, statistical calculations, comparative studies, theoretical analysis, sampling procedures, or interpretation of findings that invalidate the research conclusions.

  • Authorship and Publication Misconduct: Serious authorship misrepresentation, fraudulent attribution, or unresolved disputes involving evidence that compromises the integrity of the published article.

  • Peer Review Manipulation: Evidence of fraudulent peer review, fabricated reviewer identities, undisclosed conflicts of interest that compromise editorial decisions, or improper interference with the peer review process.

  • Misrepresentation of Research Findings: Deliberate or substantially misleading reporting of findings concerning humanities, social sciences, education, economics, management, cultural studies, interdisciplinary research, or emerging scholarly trends.

  • Serious Publication Ethics Violations: Significant breaches of research integrity, editorial ethics, or scholarly publishing standards that undermine the credibility or reliability of the published work.

2. Retraction Decision Process

Retraction decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the Editorial Board, relevant subject specialists, and research ethics experts when necessary, in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Before a final decision is made:

  • The journal will conduct an appropriate and impartial investigation into the reported concerns.

  • The corresponding author and, where appropriate, all co-authors will normally be contacted and given an opportunity to respond.

  • Supporting evidence, original research data, survey documentation, interview records, research protocols, ethical approval documentation, methodological explanations, or other relevant materials may be requested, subject to applicable confidentiality and data protection requirements.

  • Relevant academic institutions, research organizations, ethics committees, or funding bodies may be contacted when independent investigation is required.

  • Potential conflicts of interest among individuals involved in the investigation or decision-making process will be appropriately managed.

  • The final decision will be based on the available evidence, applicable ethical standards, and the need to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

A retraction may proceed even if the authors disagree with the decision or fail to respond, provided that sufficient evidence supports the action.

3. Retraction Notice and Publication

When an article is retracted, PGJSRT will publish a formal retraction notice that:

  • Clearly identifies the retracted article, including its title, authors, publication details, and DOI, where available.

  • Explains the reason or reasons for the retraction in a transparent, objective, and factual manner without unnecessarily disclosing confidential information.

  • Identifies who is retracting the article and, where appropriate, whether the authors agree with the retraction.

  • Is published promptly following the final editorial decision.

  • Remains permanently accessible as part of the scholarly record.

  • Is electronically linked to the original published article.

  • Is made freely accessible without subscription or payment.

The original article will normally remain available on the journal's website to preserve the scholarly record but will be clearly marked "Retracted" on its pages and in its associated metadata.

The journal will update relevant indexing services and DOI metadata, where technically supported, to reflect the retraction status.

4. Corrections and Expressions of Concern

When errors do not invalidate the overall findings or conclusions of a published article, PGJSRT may issue a formal correction (Erratum or Corrigendum) rather than retracting the publication.

An Expression of Concern may be published when credible evidence raises serious questions about the integrity or reliability of an article but an investigation remains incomplete or the available evidence is inconclusive.

When concerns involve potentially misleading research findings, significant methodological weaknesses, or ethical issues affecting research participants, the journal will prioritize timely assessment and appropriate communication.

All corrections and expressions of concern will be clearly identified, permanently accessible, and electronically linked to the relevant published article.

5. Article Removal

Complete removal of a published article will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as legal requirements, serious privacy violations, substantial risks to participant confidentiality or public safety, or other compelling reasons that cannot be adequately addressed through retraction.

Particular consideration will be given to protecting participants involved in sensitive research, including children, vulnerable individuals, marginalized communities, confidential interviewees, and participants whose personal information could be exposed.

Where possible, the journal will retain bibliographic information and publish a notice explaining the removal.

6. Compliance with Publication Ethics

Polaris Global Journal of Scholarly Research and Trends applies this policy consistently and fairly to all published articles, regardless of the authors' affiliations, academic positions, nationality, cultural backgrounds, institutional relationships, political perspectives, or funding sources.

The journal is committed to academic freedom, editorial independence, responsible scholarly communication, research integrity, ethical research practices, and the protection of research participants while addressing publication ethics concerns promptly, transparently, and responsibly.

PGJSRT seeks to maintain the accuracy, accessibility, credibility, and permanence of scholarly research in humanities, social sciences, education, economics, business and management, cultural studies, interdisciplinary studies, and emerging areas of scholarly research.

This policy is based on the recommendations and best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including its guidance on retractions, corrections, and expressions of concern.