Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

The Journal of Biology Education Research (JBER) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record and actively supports post-publication debate, critique, and scientific dialogue. In accordance with the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the journal provides transparent mechanisms for readers, researchers, and authors to discuss published findings, correct genuine errors, or raise concerns regarding scientific integrity.

1. Mechanisms for Post-Publication Debate (Letters to the Editor)

Scholarly criticism and academic discourse regarding articles published in JBER can be submitted as a formal Letter to the Editor or Commentary:

  • Eligibility & Scope: Comments must address substantive methodological, analytical, theoretical, or interpretative aspects of an article published in JBER within the preceding 12 months. Personal criticism, defamatory remarks, or unsubstantiated claims will be rejected immediately without review.

  • Format & Length: Submissions should be concise (maximum 1,500 words, including up to 1 table or figure and no more than 10 references) and written in formal Academic English.

  • Submission Process: Comments must be submitted directly to the Editor-in-Chief via email at [email protected] with the subject line "Post-Publication Comment: [Original Article DOI / Title]".

2. Editorial Evaluation and Right of Reply

To ensure fair and rigorous scholarly exchange:

  • Editorial Review: The Editor-in-Chief and relevant Section Editors assess whether the critique raises valid, constructive, and well-supported scientific questions. The comment may undergo peer review by independent external reviewers.

  • Author's Right of Reply: If the commentary is accepted for publication, the authors of the original article are invited to prepare an Author Reply within a defined timeframe (normally 30 calendar days).

  • Simultaneous Publication: Whenever possible, the accepted critique and the author's reply will be published simultaneously in the subsequent regular issue and bidirectionally cross-linked via persistent identifiers (DOIs) to the original paper.

3. Handling Post-Publication Corrections

Honest intellectual errors or production oversights that do not undermine the principal findings or conclusions of a study are handled transparently:

  • Corrigendum (Author Correction): Issued when an author recognizes an inadvertent calculation error, mislabeled biological diagram/graph, or minor methodological omission in their published work. The corresponding author must submit a written description of the error and the proposed correction.

  • Erratum / Publisher's Correction: Issued when an error occurs during layout typesetting, metadata indexing, or publisher processing that alters the meaning or presentation of the work.

  • Permanent Record Linking: The original article remains online in its published version to maintain provenance. A separate, citable Correction Notice (assigned its own unique DOI) will be published in the current issue, with prominent bi-directional hyperlinks placed on both the HTML landing page and the PDF galley of the original article.

4. Scientific Misconduct and Retractions

When serious doubts arise regarding research integrity, data fabrication, unauthorized plagiarism, copyright infringement, or unethical research practices:

  • Investigation Process: The Editorial Board initiates a systematic investigation following the relevant COPE Flowcharts. The corresponding author will be contacted to provide clarifications, raw datasets, or institutional ethical clearances.

  • Expression of Concern: If a credible investigation is prolonged, inconclusive, or ongoing through the authors' institution, the Editor-in-Chief may issue an interim Editorial Expression of Concern attached to the article to notify the scientific community.

  • Retraction: If conclusive evidence demonstrates fraudulent data, severe plagiarism, duplicate submission, image manipulation, or unresolvable methodological flaws that invalidate the findings, the paper will be retracted in strict compliance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines:

    • A formal Retraction Notice is published detailing who is retracting the article and the explicit reasons for retraction.

    • The original online PDF will be watermarked with "RETRACTED" across every page, preserving the original digital record while clearly preventing future uncritical citation.

5. Reporting Academic and Ethical Concerns (Whistleblowing)

Readers and researchers who identify potential ethical breaches, undisclosed conflicts of interest, image manipulation, or unverified statistical anomalies in any published paper are urged to contact the Editorial Office:

  • Inquiries should be sent to: [email protected]

  • Reports must include clear documentary evidence, comparisons, or data justifications.

  • The editorial team handles all allegations confidentially and investigates claims objectively regardless of whether the informant chooses to remain anonymous.