Policies
Corrections and retractions
A published record is never quietly edited. What separates a record from a blog post is what happens when something in it turns out to be wrong.
| Mechanism | When | What the page shows | Authorized by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Correction | A factual error: a wrong number, a mislabeled figure, a misstated unit. | A dated correction notice at the top. The text is amended and both facts are stated. | An editor |
| New version | A substantive revision: new data, expanded analysis, a changed conclusion. | The new version at the same address, with earlier versions kept and linkable. | An editor |
| Retraction | Fabrication, plagiarism, an ethics failure, or a request from the authors. | The page stays reachable, marked as retracted, with a dated notice and the reason. | The faculty advisor, in writing |
Why a retracted record stays up
Because deleting it does not delete the copies people already have. Someone holding a downloaded version needs to be able to find out that it was withdrawn and why. Retracted records stay in search results here, clearly marked, for exactly that reason.
What does not need a notice
A typo that changes no meaning is fixed silently. Anything that changes what a reader would conclude gets a notice, and the test is the reader's conclusion, not the size of the edit.
Reporting something wrong
Write to the contact address with the record identifier and what you believe is incorrect. Reports from outside are treated the same as reports from authors.