Misconduct

• Misconduct constitutes violation of this editorial policy, journal policies, publication ethics, or any applicable guidelines/policies specified by COPE, WAME, ICMJE, and STM. Any other activities that threaten/compromise the integrity of the research/publication process are potential misconducts. Suspected cases of misconduct will be investigated according to COPE guidelines.

 Correction, retraction and update after publication

• Although it is rare, a request to alter a published article may be made. However, such changes will be made after the careful consideration by the journal editors. Such changes will be done in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics(COPE). These changes could range from update to the retraction of the published article. Corrections may be made to a published article with the authorization of the editor of the journal. Editors will decide the magnitude of the corrections. Minor corrections are made directly to the original article. However, in cases of major corrections, the original article will remain unchanged, while the corrected version will also be published. Both the original and corrected version will be linked to each other. A statement indicating the reason for the major change to the article will also be published. When necessary, retraction of articles will be done according to COPE retraction guidelines. Request should be made to the editor using the journal email.

Post-publication notifications to guarantee the scholarly record's accuracy

Correction notice

A correction notice is published to amend errors or oversights that might affect how an article is interpreted, while ensuring the integrity and core conclusions of the work remain intact. These notices should generally be composed and authorized by all original authors of the article. However, in rare cases where the mistake arises from the publication process itself, the journal may issue the correction independently. If this occurs, efforts will be made to inform the authors of the changes.

Requests for corrections are subject to detailed review, which may require authors to provide additional details to support the proposed amendment. East Afr J Health Sci classifies errors as either major or minor. Major errors are those that influence the understanding of the article but do not compromise its scholarly integrity. Minor errors, on the other hand, are those that do not impact the reliability or clarity of the work’s interpretation.

When addressing major errors, the correction notice includes a detailed explanation of the mistake and the adjustments made to the published version. These corrections involve revising the online article, issuing a separate notice linked electronically to the updated version, and providing clear visibility to readers of the correction. For minor errors, a simple footnote is added to the article, notifying readers of the amendment without issuing a separate correction notice.

Major revision: - There is always a separate correction notification for major errors. Clear information about the error and the modifications made to the final manuscript should be included in the correction note. In these conditions, the East African Journal of Health Science will:

• Fix the online article.
• Send out a different correction notice that is electronically connected to the updated version.
• Include a footnote in the article with the correction notice's electronic link.
• Print and publish the correction notice in the journal's online edition.
• Make the correction notice publicly accessible.

 

Minor revision: -There might not be a separate correction notice for minor errors. Instead, a footnote informing the reader that the article has been corrected will be appended.

Retraction

A retraction will be issued if there is a significant mistake (for example, in the methods or analysis) that renders the conclusions in the article invalid, or if there is evidence of research or publication misconduct (for example, research conducted without the necessary ethical approvals, manipulated images, fabricated data, plagiarism, duplicate publication, etc.).

Retraction of an article shall be decided in compliance with COPE standards and the regulations of East Afr J Health Sci. The editorial staff at the East Afr J Health Sci will work with the journal's editorial team to conduct a thorough inquiry before making a conclusion. If an author or institution feels that their justifications fit the requirements for retraction, they may request that their papers be retracted.

Retractions are not meant as disciplinary proceedings against authors; rather, they are issued to correct the academic record.

Retraction will be taken into account when:

• The results are obviously unreliable, either due to misconduct (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error) or misbehaviour (e.g., data falsification or image manipulation).
• The results have been published somewhere before without the appropriate citation, consent, or explanation (e.g., situations of redundant or duplicate publication).
• Plagiarism is present in the research.
• The article's integrity and validity are no longer regarded with confidence by the editor.
• Concerns or proof of authorship are available for purchase.
• There is clear citation manipulation in the published work.
• There is proof of systemic manipulation or tainted peer review.
• There is proof of either unethical research or a violation of editorial guidelines.
• The authors have knowingly submitted false or misleading information, or they have violated an Author Publishing Agreement (APA) warranty.

When a decision is made to retract an article, East Afr J Health Sci will:

• Watermark the published version of the paper with the word "retracted."
• Add a link to the retracted paper on East Afr J Health Sci Online with a separate retraction statement that reads, "Retraction: [article title]".
• Print the retraction statement and make it accessible in the journal's online edition.

Expressions of concern
In certain situations, where serious concerns have been raised (such as research or publication misconduct), but the investigation's findings are equivocal or the investigation won't be finished for a long time due to various complications, an Expression of Concern may be taken into consideration. This can be the result of ongoing institutional investigations or other uncontrollable events.

The Expression of Concern and the original article may be followed by a Retraction or Correction notice after the investigation is over. Every one of them will be included in the permanent publication record.

Notices of Expressions of Concern shall be taken into consideration when:

• Although there isn't enough proof to conclude that the authors engaged in research or publishing misconduct, the seriousness of the issues calls for alerting readers.
• There are legitimate worries that the results are not trustworthy or that there might have been misbehaviour, but the authors' institution or institutions have not cooperated very much in looking into the issues brought up.
• An inquiry into the publication's alleged misbehaviour has not been fair, unbiased, or definitive, and it never will be.
• The magnitude of the issues warrants informing the readers that although an investigation is under progress, a resolution will not be forthcoming for some time.

The published article to which the Expression of Concern pertains will be addressed.

 

Removal of the article

• Rarely, if the issues cannot be resolved by a Retraction or Correction notice, an Article Removal will be given. There are relatively few situations in which East Afr J Health Sci will consider removing a published paper, including:
• The article contains information that, if followed or acted upon, might be extremely harmful.
• The article includes information that infringes on a study participant's right to privacy.
• The article violates other legal rights or is libelous.
• A court order governs an article.

A removal notification will be sent in its stead if an article is taken down from East Afr J Health Sci Online