The Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism considers safeguarding the scientific reliability, ethical integrity, long-term accessibility, and bibliographic accuracy of the academic content it publishes to be one of its fundamental publishing responsibilities. The journal addresses issues that may arise post-publication—such as errors, omissions, suspected ethical violations, misrepresentations, data reliability issues, authorship disputes, lack of disclosure regarding the use of artificial intelligence, lack of conflict of interest disclosure, or similar situations—in accordance with the principles of preserving the integrity of the scientific record, informing readers accurately, and ensuring fair editorial evaluation.

This policy governs the processes of corrections, clarifications, editorial notes, expressions of concern, retractions, and post-publication updates for articles published in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism. This policy has been prepared in consideration of COPE principles, DOAJ transparency and good publishing practices, Scopus publication ethics and expectations regarding statements on publication misconduct, Web of Science editorial quality criteria, and the technical operations of the DergiPark platform. This policy is implemented in conjunction with the journal’s Ethical Principles and Publication Policy, Peer Review Process, Similarity and Plagiarism Assessment Policy, Artificial Intelligence Usage Policy, Open Access and Licensing Policy, Archiving Policy, Self-Archiving Policy, and Article Retraction Policy.

The identification of an error or issue in an article published in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism does not, by itself, imply that the article is scientifically worthless. The journal evaluates each case individually based on the nature and scope of the error, its impact on the article’s findings, the potential for ethical violations, the risk of misleading readers, and the consequences for the integrity of the scientific record. The aim is not to punish authors but to safeguard the accuracy and reliability of the academic literature. However, in serious cases such as intentional misrepresentation, fabrication of data, data manipulation, plagiarism, duplicate publication, ghost reviewing, ghost authorship, lack of valid approval from an ethics committee for studies requiring such approval, undisclosed or misleading use of AI tools, and copyright infringement, the journal initiates the necessary post-publication procedures without delay.

Post-publication correction or retraction processes may be initiated based on notifications submitted by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, indexing services, publisher representatives, or third parties. Notifications must be submitted via the journal’s official contact address or DergiPark communication channels. The notification should include, if possible, the article’s title, DOI information, author name(s), volume and issue number, a clear description of the alleged error or infringement, relevant evidence, and any supporting documents. The journal may consider anonymous notifications; however, it reserves the right not to process notifications that lack concrete evidence, are of a personal nature, or are deemed to be made in bad faith.

Post-publication submissions are first subjected to a preliminary review by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor. During the preliminary review stage, the following are assessed: whether the claim falls within the scope of the journal’s post-publication procedures; whether the claim contains concrete evidence; whether the issue constitutes a technical error or a scientific/ethical problem; and whether it affects the article’s reliability. When deemed necessary, opinions may be sought from subject editors, editorial board members, independent experts, ethics committee representatives, the authors’ institutions, or relevant indexing/institutional bodies. Throughout the process, the principles of confidentiality, impartiality, evidence-based evaluation, and avoidance of conflicts of interest are applied.

The journal is not always required to publish a separate correction for minor typographical errors, formatting deficiencies, or insignificant errors that do not affect the scientific content of the article. However, the correction process is initiated if errors are found in elements that could influence the reader’s evaluation, such as author names, institutional information, ORCID, funding statements, conflict of interest declarations, ethics committee information, data access statements, table/figure labels, statistical values, method descriptions, interpretation of results, or reference information.

A correction is applied in cases where the general reliability of the published article is not compromised, but where a specific error, omission, or inaccuracy in the article must be clearly communicated to the reader. Corrections may be published as a “corrigendum” for author-related errors or as an “erratum” for errors arising from the journal or publication process. The correction text clearly states what the error is, where it is located, how it was corrected, and whether the correction affects the article’s findings, analysis, and conclusions. The correction is linked to the article’s original DergiPark page and DOI record whenever possible. To the extent permitted by the DergiPark infrastructure, the article’s metadata, PDF file, supplementary files, or article page may be updated; however, the traceability of the changes is essential.

If a published article contains a claim that could seriously undermine scientific integrity, but the review is not yet complete; if the authors or relevant institutions have not provided sufficient explanation; if the institutional investigation is ongoing; or if the available evidence is insufficient to immediately retract the article but requires informing the reader, a “Statement of Concern” may be published. A Statement of Concern is not a final determination of an ethical violation. This statement is used to alert readers about an ongoing investigation and to maintain the transparency of the scientific record. Once the investigation is complete, the Statement of Concern may be removed, resolved through a correction, or converted into a retraction decision.

Retraction is applied when the findings, data, methodology, ethical compliance, or publication process of a published article can no longer be trusted. A retraction decision may result from data fabrication, data manipulation, plagiarism, duplicate publication, unauthorized or improper republication, serious methodological errors, lack of or fraudulent ethics committee approval, lack of participant consent, copyright infringement, fake peer review, manipulation of authorship, intentional concealment of conflicts of interest, undisclosed use of artificial intelligence that affects the study’s reliability, or serious errors that invalidate the article’s core findings. The decision to retract is viewed not merely as a punitive measure but as a corrective mechanism to safeguard the reliability of the scientific literature.

Retracted articles are not completely deleted whenever possible. The article’s bibliographic information is preserved for the sake of the scientific record, citation chains, indexing records, DOI continuity, and publishing transparency. Within the technical capabilities of the DergiPark platform, the phrase “Retracted” is added to the article page and/or the PDF file; the retraction notice is published to include the article’s title, authors, DOI information, issue number, retraction date, and the reason for retraction. The retraction notice is linked to the original article whenever possible. The reason for retraction must be clear, objective, and verifiable; however, information deemed necessary due to personal data, ongoing institutional investigations, legal proceedings, or the rights of third parties may be disclosed only to a limited extent.

Authors are obligated to promptly notify the journal if they identify a significant error, omission, or ethical issue in their published articles. A request for correction or retraction is not automatically accepted; the request is subject to editorial review. Efforts are made to obtain the views of all authors. In the event of a disagreement among authors, the journal may make a decision prioritizing the integrity of the scientific record by evaluating the relevant correspondence and evidence. If necessary, the authors’ affiliated institutions or ethics committees may be consulted.

Changes to authorship in published articles are considered only in exceptional and strongly justified cases. Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors, or to change the corresponding author’s information, require the written consent of all authors. The request must align with principles of academic contribution, responsibility, and publication ethics. Post-publication authorship changes are not treated as simple technical updates; they are evaluated for potential ghost authorship, gift authorship, lack of contribution statements, or authorship disputes.

Post-publication issues related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted tools are evaluated in accordance with the journal’s AI Usage Policy. If authors have utilized AI tools in processes such as language editing, translation support, data processing, visual production, code generation, analysis assistance, or text generation, they must disclose this in the manner specified by the journal. An AI tool cannot be listed as an author, and scientific responsibility rests with the authors. If undisclosed use of AI has resulted in fabricated sources, fake data, misleading analysis, copyright infringement, unethical visual production, or a breach of peer review/editorial confidentiality, a correction, statement of concern, or retraction process may be initiated.

The journal takes into account the technical limitations of the DergiPark infrastructure in post-publication processes.

Correction or retraction procedures regarding a published article may be carried out through methods such as updating the article’s metadata, adding an explanatory note to the PDF file, publishing a separate correction/retraction statement, providing an explanation on the article page, updating the issue’s content, and notifying DOI and indexing registries. The fact that the DergiPark system has technical limitations in certain areas does not absolve the journal of its responsibility regarding publication ethics. In such cases, the journal implements the most visible, traceable, and transparent solution within the existing infrastructure.

Decisions regarding post-publication corrections or retractions fall under the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief may consult with section editors, advisory editors, editorial board members, or independent experts when deemed necessary. However, the final editorial decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief in accordance with the journal’s editorial decision-making policy. Editors or experts involved in the process must have no conflict of interest regarding the relevant article. Individuals with a potential conflict of interest are excluded from the evaluation process.

When evaluating allegations of ethical violations, the journal respects authors’ right to defend themselves. Authors are invited to respond to the allegations communicated to them within a reasonable timeframe. Failure to respond does not constitute grounds for halting the process. In cases of serious ethical violation allegations, the journal may make a decision based on available evidence and, when necessary, institutional opinions, even in the absence of an author response. A determination that authors intentionally provided misleading information is considered an aggravating factor in the editorial decision-making process.

Authors may file a reasoned appeal against a decision to issue a correction, statement of concern, or retraction. Appeals must be submitted in writing through the journal’s official communication channels within a reasonable timeframe after the decision is communicated to the author or corresponding author. The appeal must clearly state new evidence, concrete grounds, and the specific aspects in which the decision is flawed. The mere repetition of previously evaluated claims without new evidence does not warrant a re-examination of the appeal. If deemed necessary, the appeal may be re-evaluated by editors or committee members who were not directly involved in the initial decision. The final decision is made based on the principles of scientific record integrity and publication ethics.

The journal does not consider it appropriate to conceal information regarding retracted or corrected articles, to silently alter the article, or to take actions that prevent the reader from noticing the changes. Traceability is essential for all significant post-publication changes. Correction or retraction texts are published as open access and are made available in a permanent format whenever possible. The retraction status is clearly indicated to prevent citations of retracted articles or to ensure they are cited in the correct context.

Post-publication procedures are carried out in accordance with the journal’s archiving and open access policies. Articles and related notifications are made available for permanent access as much as possible through the DergiPark infrastructure, archiving systems, and DOI registrations. Retraction does not mean the article is erased from history; it means the article’s status within the scientific record is clearly marked. This approach is essential for both academic transparency and the accurate informing of readers.

The journal endeavors to take the necessary technical and administrative steps to ensure that post-publication decisions are reflected in relevant indexes, databases, DOI registration agencies, or archiving systems. Updates made within the DergiPark infrastructure may take time to reflect in external indexes. Therefore, the journal may carry out additional notifications or follow-up procedures to update relevant records when necessary.

The Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism conducts post-publication correction and retraction processes in accordance with the principles of academic integrity, accountability, impartiality, transparency, and the integrity of the scientific record. This policy may be updated as necessary in light of developments in the journal’s publishing practices, updates to international indexing standards, changes in COPE/DOAJ/Scopus/Web of Science guidelines, and technical innovations in the DergiPark infrastructure. Updates are not applied retroactively to past cases in an arbitrary manner; however, in serious cases involving scientific record integrity, the journal reserves the right to consider the most current ethical principles in effect.