Corrections, Retractions, Appeals and Complaints
Open Christian Press has a responsibility to preserve an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record. Publications may therefore be corrected, clarified, updated, withdrawn or retracted when reliable evidence shows that readers could otherwise be materially misled.
Corrective action is not intended to erase honest disagreement or punish unpopular conclusions. It is used to communicate what has changed, why it changed and which version should be relied upon.
Corrections
A correction may be issued when an otherwise reliable publication contains an error that affects interpretation, attribution, metadata, data presentation or a significant factual statement. Minor typographical changes that do not affect meaning may be corrected in the online file without a separate notice, provided version control remains responsible.
Substantive corrections should be dated, linked to the original work and described clearly. The original DOI should normally be retained.
Expressions of concern
An expression of concern may be published where credible evidence raises a serious question but the facts cannot yet be resolved. It should state the nature of the concern without presenting an allegation as proven.
Retractions
Retraction may be appropriate where findings are unreliable because of fabrication, falsification, major analytical error, serious plagiarism, unethical research, unlawful content, compromised review or another defect that substantially invalidates the work.
A retracted record should remain accessible for the integrity of the scholarly record, be clearly marked and link to a notice explaining the basis for retraction, subject to legal and privacy constraints.
Withdrawal before publication
An accepted work may be withdrawn before publication by agreement or where serious legal, ethical or integrity concerns make publication inappropriate. Authors should not treat acceptance as permission to publish the final typeset files independently unless rights have been clarified.
Book updates and new editions
Books may require an errata page, corrected digital file, revised edition or new edition. A new edition should be identified when substantive content, structure or interpretation has materially changed. Metadata, ISBN and DOI decisions should be made consistently with the nature of the revision.
Appeals against editorial decisions
An author may appeal where there is a specific reason to believe that the decision resulted from a material factual error, demonstrable procedural irregularity, unmanaged conflict of interest or serious misunderstanding of the submission.
An appeal should:
· Identify the manuscript or proposal
· State the precise ground of appeal
· Respond respectfully to the decision and reviews
· Provide relevant evidence rather than merely disagreeing with judgement
· Be submitted within the period stated by the relevant journal or book programme
Appeals are considered by an editor not materially involved in the disputed decision where reasonably possible. An appeal does not guarantee external re-review or acceptance.
Complaints
Complaints may concern conduct, delay, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, discrimination, accessibility, fees, misleading claims or failure to follow a published procedure. The complainant should provide sufficient detail for assessment and disclose any relevant interest.
The Press will acknowledge, assess and respond proportionately. Complex matters may require consultation with editors, reviewers, institutions, rights holders or legal advisers.
Respectful communication
Authors, reviewers, editors and complainants are expected to communicate professionally. Threats, harassment, public pressure campaigns or repeated messages do not strengthen the merits of a case and may hinder fair resolution.
Submit a concern
Use the Contact page and select the appropriate category. Confidential details should be limited to what is necessary and should not be posted publicly.