VARIANSI keeps the published record accurate. This page covers how we handle published articles that contain errors or violations. It follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines (Version 3, 2025) and COPE’s guidance on expressions of concern. A retraction corrects the literature. It does not punish authors. We do not change a published article without a visible notice.

A. Types of action

• Correction (erratum or corrigendum). For errors that do not change the main conclusions, such as an author’s name or affiliation, a table or figure label, or a reference. An erratum covers an error made by the journal. A corrigendum covers an error made by the authors.
• Expression of concern. We publish one when there are serious doubts about an article’s reliability but the evidence is not yet sufficient or the investigation is still open.
• Retraction. We retract an article when the editors no longer have confidence in its results or conclusions.
• Removal. Only for content that is illegal, defamatory, a breach of privacy, or harmful. We still publish a notice.

B. Grounds for retraction

We consider retraction when there is clear evidence that:

1. the findings are unreliable because of a major error, or because data or images were fabricated or falsified;
2. the article contains plagiarism, or uses ideas, text, or data without attribution or permission;
3. the article duplicates earlier work without justification or disclosure;
4. authorship cannot be verified, the authors are fictitious, or the manuscript came from a paper mill;
5. the research was unethical, for example done without participant consent or required permits;
6. peer review was manipulated, or an undisclosed conflict of interest affected the outcome;
7. citations were manipulated, or undisclosed use of artificial intelligence (AI) affects the reliability of the content.

When the information is not enough to retract, we publish an expression of concern first. Whether the cause is an honest error or misconduct does not decide if we retract, but we state it in the notice.

C. Who decides

The Editor-in-Chief decides after consulting the editorial board. If the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, another editor or an independent party decides.

D. Procedure

1. We receive a report from a reader, author, reviewer, or other party, or the editors find the problem themselves.
2. The editors assess the report and ask the corresponding author to respond within a reasonable time.
3. When needed, the editors consult independent experts or the authors’ institution.
4. The editors decide on one outcome: no action, correction, expression of concern, or retraction.
5. We inform the authors and the person who reported the problem, then publish the notice as soon as possible.

Reports of suspected misconduct follow the Allegation of Research Misconduct page.

E. Content of notices

Every notice is open to all readers and links to the related article, and the article links back. It gives the title, authors’ names, DOI, and journal details. It states the reason for the action and who took it (the editors, the authors, or the publisher). The language is factual and does not accuse.

F. Retracted articles

A retracted article stays on our website, marked “RETRACTED” on the article page and on every page of the PDF, so readers know its status before they cite it. We update the article’s metadata and notify indexing services and the DOI provider where relevant.

G. Author-requested retraction

Authors who find a serious error in their article must tell the editors promptly at variansi@unm.ac.id, from the same email address used for manuscript correspondence. We assess the request and publish a correction or retraction, depending on how serious the error is. An author who reports an unintentional error acts responsibly, and we treat the report that way.

H. Withdrawal before publication

Authors may withdraw a manuscript before acceptance by emailing the editors. After acceptance, we consider withdrawal only in exceptional circumstances.

I. Batch retractions

When there is evidence of systematic manipulation of the publication process, such as a paper mill, we may retract several articles at once after a thorough investigation.

J. References

• COPE Retraction Guidelines, Version 3 (2025)
• COPE Guidance on Expressions of Concern (2025)