Research Correction & Retraction Policy

Research Integrity, Misconduct, Corrections, Retractions, and Content Removal Policy

The Pakistan Journal of Law and Policy is committed to maintaining high standards of research integrity, publication ethics, transparency, and accountability. The journal follows recognized international standards and best practices in scholarly publishing, including relevant guidance issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), when addressing suspected research misconduct, ethical violations, or publication malpractice.

Research Misconduct and Ethical Concerns

Where the journal receives allegations or identifies reasonable concerns regarding research misconduct, unethical conduct, plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, authorship disputes, undisclosed conflicts of interest, peer-review manipulation, inappropriate data practices, or other forms of publication malpractice, the matter will be assessed and, where appropriate, investigated in accordance with applicable ethical standards and relevant COPE guidance.

In legal and policy scholarship, concerns may also involve fabricated or misrepresented judicial decisions, inaccurate legal authorities, falsified research evidence, misleading interpretations of legislation, undisclosed use of confidential information, or other practices that undermine the accuracy and reliability of published work.

Authors will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to allegations or concerns relating to their work. Where appropriate, the journal may also seek clarification or information from the author's institution, funding body, research organization, ethics committee, publisher, or other relevant parties.

Following an assessment or investigation, and depending on the nature and seriousness of the matter, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Reject a manuscript that is still under editorial consideration.

  • Request corrections, explanations, or additional supporting documentation from the authors.

  • Publish a correction or erratum where the published record contains an error that can be appropriately corrected.

  • Publish an editorial note or Expression of Concern where significant concerns exist but the available evidence does not yet justify retraction.

  • Retract a published article where the findings, methodology, ethical conduct, or publication process are sufficiently compromised to warrant retraction.

  • Notify the author's affiliated institution or another appropriate authority where serious research or publication misconduct is established or an institutional investigation is warranted.

  • Record relevant ethical notices or actions within the article's bibliographic and publication record, where appropriate.

Any correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction notice will explain the reason for the action and will be linked to the affected article wherever practicable, thereby maintaining transparency and preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.

Retraction of Published Articles

Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record where an article is found to contain serious errors, unreliable findings, significant ethical violations, plagiarism, fabricated or falsified evidence, or other circumstances that substantially undermine its validity, reliability, or integrity.

A retraction may be appropriate where the principal findings cannot be relied upon, serious research misconduct is established, ethical requirements have been materially violated, or the publication process has been compromised in a manner that warrants retraction.

When an article is retracted, the original article will normally remain accessible on the journal's platform for the purpose of maintaining the scholarly record but will be clearly identified as “Retracted.” A retraction notice explaining the reasons for the retraction will be published and linked to the affected article.

Retraction does not ordinarily mean that the article is removed entirely from the scholarly record. The journal will seek to maintain an appropriate and transparent record of the publication and the reasons for its retraction.

Author Name Changes

The Pakistan Journal of Law and Policy recognizes that authors may change their names for personal, legal, religious, cultural, or other reasons, including gender transition.

An author may request that their name, pronouns, affiliation, or other relevant biographical information be updated on previously published articles. The journal will consider such requests sensitively, confidentially, and respectfully, seeking to minimize unnecessary disruption to the author's publication record.

Where appropriate and technically feasible, the journal may make the requested change without publishing a separate correction notice or drawing unnecessary attention to the name change. Alternatively, an author may request a formal public correction where appropriate.

The journal will make reasonable efforts to ensure that author-name changes are reflected consistently across the article's online version, PDF, metadata, indexing records, and other journal-controlled records, subject to technical limitations and the capabilities of relevant third-party services.

Removal of Published Content

The Pakistan Journal of Law and Policy is committed to preserving the scholarly record and therefore does not ordinarily remove published articles from its website or archives.

In exceptional circumstances, however, published content may be temporarily or permanently removed or restricted where continued public availability would create a significant legal, ethical, privacy, safety, or public-interest concern.

Such circumstances may include, but are not limited to:

  • A competent court or governmental authority lawfully requires or orders