The International Journal of Behavioral, Social and Movement Sciences (IJOBSMS) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record. Retractions are issued when a published article is found to contain significant errors, ethical violations, or research misconduct that substantially affect the validity, integrity, or reliability of the work.
The primary purpose of a retraction is to correct the academic literature and inform readers that the findings or conclusions of a published article should no longer be considered reliable.
An article may be retracted under the following circumstances:
Evidence of data fabrication, falsification, or manipulation.
Significant methodological or analytical errors that invalidate the findings.
Plagiarism or substantial unattributed content overlap.
Duplicate or redundant publication.
Unethical research practices, including violations of human or animal research ethics.
Undisclosed conflicts of interest that compromise the integrity of the publication.
Authorship disputes involving serious misrepresentation of contributions.
Any form of publication misconduct that undermines the credibility of the scholarly record.
All allegations of misconduct or concerns regarding published content shall be evaluated by the Editorial Office and Editor-in-Chief in accordance with internationally recognized publication ethics standards.
Upon receiving a complaint or identifying a potential issue:
A preliminary assessment shall be conducted to determine the validity of the concern.
The corresponding author shall be contacted and provided an opportunity to respond.
Additional evidence may be requested from authors, reviewers, institutions, or relevant stakeholders.
Where necessary, the journal may consult independent experts or institutional authorities.
A final editorial decision shall be made based on the available evidence and ethical considerations.
If an investigation is ongoing and conclusive evidence is not yet available, the journal may publish an Expression of Concern to alert readers regarding potential issues associated with the article.
When a retraction is deemed necessary:
A formal Retraction Notice shall be published promptly.
The notice shall clearly identify the retracted article.
The reasons for retraction shall be stated transparently.
The notice shall remain permanently available and linked to the original article.
The retracted article shall not be removed from the journal archive except in exceptional legal circumstances.
To preserve the integrity of the scholarly record, retracted articles shall remain accessible on the journal website with a clear and permanent indication that the article has been retracted. Appropriate digital watermarking or labeling may be applied to ensure transparency for readers and indexing services.
Authors may request the retraction of their published work if substantial errors or inaccuracies are discovered after publication. Such requests shall be reviewed by the Editorial Board, and the final decision shall be made following an independent assessment of the circumstances.
The journal follows internationally accepted principles of publication ethics and reserves the right to take appropriate editorial action whenever concerns regarding research integrity arise. Retraction decisions are made solely to protect the accuracy and trustworthiness of the scholarly literature and not as a punitive measure against authors.
This policy may be revised periodically to reflect evolving best practices in scholarly publishing, research integrity, and publication ethics.