Retraction is required when serious issues are identified in a published article, including but not limited to:

• Legal limitations imposed by the publisher, copyright holder, or author(s)
• Infringements of professional or ethical codes
• Multiple or duplicate submissions without disclosure
• Bogus claims of authorship or ghost authorship
• Plagiarism in any form (text, data, or ideas)
• Fraudulent use of data (fabrication or falsification)
• Any other major misconduct that undermines the integrity of the work

Occasionally, retraction may also be used to correct numerous serious errors that cannot be adequately addressed through a correction notice.

A retraction may be published by:

• The Editor-in-Chief or Editorial Board (when misconduct is identified)
• The author(s) (when they discover a critical error in their own work)
• Both parties consensually (when all parties agree on the need for retraction)

The retraction takes the form of a separate notice listed in the journal's table of contents and labeled clearly as "Retraction". The notice includes:

• The title of the retracted article
• The author(s) of the retracted article
• A clear explanation of the reason for retraction
• The party responsible for issuing the retraction

The original article remains unchanged in the journal's archives, except for a watermark on each page of the PDF clearly indicating that it is "Retracted." This preserves the scholarly record while alerting readers to the status of the article.

For minor errors that do not affect the overall integrity of the work, the journal issues a correction (erratum or corrigendum). When an investigation is ongoing and a final conclusion has not yet been reached, the journal may issue an expression of concern to alert readers while maintaining impartiality. All such notices follow COPE guidelines.

JECS follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines for all retractions, corrections, and expressions of concern. All decisions are made with careful consideration of ethical standards and in consultation with COPE flowcharts when necessary.