Journal of Social Studies (JSS) takes its responsibility to maintain the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record of our content for all end users very seriously. Changes to articles after they have been published online may only be made under the circumstances outlined below. JSS places great importance on the authority of articles after they have been published and our policy is based on best practices in the academic publishing community.

1. Erratum

An Erratum is a statement by the authors of the original paper that briefly describes any correction(s) resulting from errors or omissions. Any effects on the conclusions of the paper should be noted. The corrected article is not removed from the online journal, but notice of erratum is given. The Erratum is made freely available to all readers and is linked to the corrected article.

2. Retraction

A Retraction is a notice that the paper should not be regarded as part of the scientific literature. Retractions are issued if there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable (as a result of misconduct or honest error); if findings have been previously published elsewhere without proper referencing, permission, or justification; if the work is plagiarized; or if the work reports unethical research.

To protect the integrity of the record, the retracted article is not removed from the online journal, but notice of retraction is given, is made freely available, and is linked to the retracted article. Retractions can be published by the authors when they discover substantial scientific errors, or by Editors/Publisher when appropriate. Bibliographic information will be retained, and in rare legal cases, the Publisher may redact or remove an article.

3. Publisher's Note & Article Replacements

A Publisher's Note notifies readers that an article has been corrected subsequent to publication due to typographical or production errors (fault of the Publisher) that affect metadata (such as title, author list, or byline) or impact comprehension. The original article is removed and replaced with a corrected version.

Timeframe Rule: An original article can only be removed and replaced with a corrected version if the request is made less than one year after the original publication date. Corrections to articles older than one year will only be documented via a Publisher's Note without replacing the original file. Minor errors not affecting metadata or comprehension are corrected at the Publisher's discretion.