Make / research integrity
Corrections and retractions: reading the publication record
A paper can change after publication. Read the notice, the affected article and the latest version together to understand what changed and what can still be relied on. A label alone does not explain the reason.
A correction identifies a change
ICMJE distinguishes errors of fact from matters of debate or evolving science. A correction should describe the change and cite the original article. Readers need to know whether a detail, analysis or interpretation changed and whether the conclusion still holds. Not every disagreement with a paper is an error, and a correction is not automatically a retraction. Inspect the specific notice rather than guessing the importance from its title.
Evidence: ICMJE: Corrections and version control
A retraction is a warning about reliance
COPE describes retraction as a way to correct the literature and alert readers when findings and conclusions cannot be relied on. Unreliable work can result from honest error or misconduct; a retraction alone does not establish which occurred. The notice should identify the article and explain why it was retracted. Read that explanation before attributing blame or repeating the original finding as dependable evidence.
Evidence: ICMJE: Misconduct, expressions of concern and retraction / COPE: Retraction guidelines (2025)
An expression of concern leaves a question open
An expression of concern can alert readers when reliability is in question but the available information does not yet support a final decision. COPE and ICMJE describe its use while concerns or investigations remain unresolved. COPE notes that it can be an interim notice or a final outcome when the issue cannot be resolved. It is not a correction of a specified result, and it is not a finding of misconduct. Check whether a later notice or investigation outcome has changed the record; an old warning may not describe the current state.
Evidence: ICMJE: Misconduct, expressions of concern and retraction / COPE: Retraction guidelines (2025) / COPE: Expressions of concern
Read the version as well as the notice
ICMJE recommends a new article version that describes and dates its changes, retention of prior versions, and a prominent indication on earlier versions that a newer one exists. Serious errors may require retraction; in some honest-error cases, retraction and republication can allow a corrected paper to be assessed again. A downloaded PDF can predate these changes. Check the publisher record and cite the appropriate current version, with the notice when it matters to the claim.
Evidence: ICMJE: Corrections and version control / ICMJE: Misconduct, expressions of concern and retraction
A database link is a route to the evidence
PubMed links eligible correction, retraction and expression-of-concern notices to affected citations. NLM uses article types and related-citation links to distinguish a notice from the original article. These links help find the publication record, but do not replace reading it. NLM also describes how notices must be reported and identified for linking. The absence of a visible link should not be treated as a guarantee that no issue exists.
Evidence: NLM: Errata, retractions and linked citations in PubMed / NLM: Related citation links in PubMed search results
Keep the conclusion within the record
Ask what was changed, why, how much of the article is affected, and whether there is a newer notice. A correction may preserve a conclusion or change its interpretation; a retraction can have different stated causes. Keep these distinctions visible when summarizing health research. This page is general publishing education, not a live corrections index, an investigation service or an adopted policy of a functioning Mynd journal.
Evidence: ICMJE: Corrections and version control / ICMJE: Misconduct, expressions of concern and retraction / COPE: Retraction guidelines (2025) / NLM: Errata, retractions and linked citations in PubMed
Source note
This is general health-science education. No clinical review has been performed.
General publishing education, not a live index, misconduct verdict, investigation service or adopted Mynd journal policy.