
Retractions
Retractions are considered and published when there are severe errors in an article that invalidate the conclusions. Retractions are also made in cases where there is evidence of publication malpractice, such as plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical research.
According to industry best practice and in accordance with COPE guidelines, China Oncology implements the following procedure if a retraction is confirmed:
4. The original article is retained unchanged save for a watermark on the PDF indicating on each page that it has been “retracted.”
Editorial expressions of concern
Where substantial doubt arises as to the honesty or integrity of a submitted or published article, journal editors may consider issuing an expression of concern. However, expressions of concern should only be issued if an investigation into the problems relating to the article has proven inconclusive, and if there remain strong indicators that the concerns are valid. Under some rare cases, an editorial expression of concern may also be issued when an investigation is underway but a judgement will not be available for a considerable time.
The expression of concern will be linked back to the published article it relates to.