Corrections and Retractions Policy
The journal Horizonte Sanitario is firmly committed to the integrity, accuracy, and transparency of the academic record. In strict accordance with the Code of Conduct of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the journal establishes the following mechanisms to correct published information when inaccuracies, errors, or ethical violations are detected:
1. Errata. An errata notice will be published when it is necessary to correct an unintentional error or omission made by the journal’s editorial or production team (e.g., typographical errors, layout errors, or metadata errors). These corrections apply when the error affects the publication record but does not alter the academic integrity, results, or conclusions of the study. The notice will provide clear details of the change and will link to the corrected version.
2. Corrections. Authors have the responsibility and obligation to notify the journal immediately if they detect any significant errors in their published work. A correction notice will be issued when authors or readers identify an unintentional error (e.g., a calculation error, a miscited reference, or inaccurate data in a table) that affects scientific accuracy but does not invalidate the main findings of the research. The original article will be corrected by adding a note linking to the official correction notice.
3. Retractions. A retraction is a severe measure applied when a significant error invalidates the article’s conclusions or when a serious ethical violation in the research or publication is confirmed. In accordance with COPE guidelines, Horizonte Sanitario will retract an article in the following cases of misconduct:
- Copying or plagiarizing passages without proper citation (including self-plagiarism).
- Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data and conclusions.
- False authorship claims.
- Simultaneous submission to another journal or duplicate publication.
Retraction Procedure: The original article will not be removed but will remain on the platform with a visible watermark or label indicating “Retracted Article.” A separate retraction statement, linked to the document, will be published, explaining in detail the reasons for the retraction to alert the scientific community.
4. Withdrawal of Manuscripts. Authors retain the right to request the withdrawal of their manuscript openly and voluntarily at any time. However, if the article has already been approved for publication, the authors may not withdraw it. If they decide to withdraw it prior to approval, they must submit an official statement that is duly justified and signed by all authors.
5. Removal of Articles. The complete removal of an article from the journal’s platforms will be carried out on an exceptional basis and only when the issues cannot be addressed through a retraction. This will occur only in cases where the content is clearly defamatory, infringes on the legal rights of third parties, is subject to a court order, or if its continued presence poses a serious risk to public health. In this scenario, the metadata (title and authors) will be retained, but the PDF file will be replaced by a document explaining the legal grounds for the removal.
