Author Retraction

Policy Statement

The International Journal of Education and Learning Studies (IJELS) , established in 2025 and published by PT. Intelektiva Global Nusantara, is committed to preserving the accuracy, credibility, and integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal strictly prohibits academic and publication misconduct, including plagiarism, duplicate or simultaneous submission, data fabrication, data falsification, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, unethical research practices, and other violations of professional publishing standards.

When a published article contains serious errors, unreliable findings, or confirmed ethical violations, IJELS may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction. Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record and protect readers rather than to punish authors.

Grounds for Retraction

An article may be considered for retraction when there is reliable evidence that:

• The findings are unreliable because of data fabrication, data falsification, major calculation errors, or serious methodological errors.
• The article contains plagiarism, substantial unattributed overlap, or inappropriate text recycling.
• The article has been previously published elsewhere without proper disclosure, permission, or justification.
• The manuscript was submitted to more than one journal simultaneously.
• Authorship was manipulated, misrepresented, or assigned inappropriately.
• The article reports unethical research or lacks required ethical approval or informed consent.
• Copyright, confidentiality, privacy, or legal requirements were seriously violated.
• Peer review or the editorial process was manipulated.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest materially affected the research, interpretation, review, or publication process.

Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction

Investigation Procedure

Allegations of misconduct or requests for retraction will be examined through the following procedure:

1. The Editorial Office conducts an initial assessment of the allegation, available evidence, and relevance to the published article.
2. The corresponding author and, where appropriate, all co-authors are informed of the concern and invited to provide clarification, supporting records, raw data, or other relevant documentation.
3. Reviewers, Editorial Board members, independent experts, institutions, ethics committees, or other relevant authorities may be consulted when necessary.
4. The investigation is conducted confidentially and without presuming misconduct before the available evidence has been evaluated.
5. Authors are given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the concerns and supporting evidence.
6. When authors cannot be contacted or fail to respond, the investigation may proceed based on the available information.
7. The Editor makes the final decision after considering the evidence, responses, expert advice, and applicable journal policies.

Retraction Procedure

When retraction is determined to be necessary, IJELS will take the following actions:

• Publish a formal notice titled “Retraction: [Article Title]”.
• Clearly explain the reason or reasons for the retraction.
• Identify who initiated or agreed to the retraction when appropriate.
• Link the retraction notice to the original article and link the original article to the retraction notice.
• Retain the original article on the journal website to preserve the scholarly and publication record.
• Mark the article clearly as Retracted on the article landing page, abstract page, metadata, and PDF file.
• Apply a visible “Retracted” watermark to every page of the article PDF.
• Include the retraction notice in the relevant journal issue and table of contents where appropriate.
• Preserve the DOI and bibliographic record of the original article.
• Notify relevant abstracting, indexing, preservation, and discovery services whenever technically and administratively possible.

Content of the Retraction Notice

A retraction notice should:

• Be clearly identified as a retraction.
• Include the title, author names, publication details, and DOI of the affected article.
• State the reason for retraction clearly and objectively.
• Distinguish between honest error and confirmed misconduct where possible.
• Avoid defamatory, speculative, or unsupported statements.
• Remain freely accessible as part of the permanent scholarly record.

Partial Retraction

Partial retraction will generally be avoided because it may create ambiguity regarding the validity of the remaining content. When only a limited part of an article is affected and the principal findings remain reliable, the journal may issue a correction instead of retracting the complete article.

Author-Initiated Retraction

Authors may request retraction when they discover serious errors or ethical concerns that invalidate the reliability of their published work. Such requests must include a detailed explanation and supporting evidence. The final decision remains subject to editorial assessment and journal policy.

Article Removal

Complete removal of a published article is reserved for exceptional circumstances, such as a valid legal order, serious privacy violation, substantial risk of harm, or content that is unlawful to retain. When removal is necessary, the article record will normally remain available with an explanation of why the content was removed.

Appeals

Authors may appeal a retraction decision by submitting a reasoned explanation and relevant supporting evidence to the Editorial Office. Appeals will be assessed independently and may involve consultation with Editorial Board members, external experts, or relevant institutions. Submission of an appeal does not automatically suspend or reverse the retraction decision.

Preservation of the Scholarly Record

Retracted articles are not ordinarily deleted. The original article, retraction notice, DOI, publication metadata, and related links are maintained to preserve transparency and ensure that readers can understand the publication history and status of the work.