16.1 Purpose
Rupkatha Books is committed to preserving the accuracy, transparency, integrity, and permanence of the scholarly record. Although every publication undergoes rigorous editorial evaluation and, where applicable, peer review, errors, new evidence, or ethical concerns may occasionally arise after publication. The publisher is committed to correcting the scholarly record in a transparent, proportionate, and permanently documented manner while preserving the historical integrity of published scholarship.
This policy is informed by internationally recognised best practices, including the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and should be read together with the Publication Ethics Policy, Research Integrity Policy, Digital Preservation Policy, and other relevant publisher policies.
16.2 Scope
This policy applies to all publications issued by Rupkatha Books, including books, chapters, supplementary materials, datasets, multimedia resources, and other digital scholarly outputs.
16.3 Guiding Principles
Post-publication updates are governed by the principles of:
- transparency;
- scholarly integrity;
- accountability;
- fairness;
- proportionality;
- due process;
- permanence; and
- preservation of the scholarly record.
Post-publication notices are intended to strengthen—not obscure—the reliability, transparency, and trustworthiness of scholarly communication.
16.4 Minor Corrections
Minor errors that do not affect the scholarly interpretation, findings, conclusions, or usability of a publication may be corrected without issuing a formal correction notice.
Examples include:
- typographical or grammatical errors;
- formatting inconsistencies;
- metadata corrections;
- author affiliation updates;
- minor bibliographic inaccuracies; and
- accessibility improvements.
Where appropriate, such changes shall be documented through internal version control and reflected in updated metadata.
16.5 Errata
An Erratum is issued to correct errors introduced during editorial production or publication.
Examples include:
- typesetting errors;
- layout problems;
- incorrect figure placement;
- publisher-generated citation errors;
- production omissions; and
- metadata errors introduced during publication.
Errata shall remain permanently linked to the Version of Record.
16.6 Corrigenda
A Corrigendum is issued when authors identify significant errors that do not invalidate the principal scholarly contribution.
Examples include:
- factual inaccuracies;
- citation or reference errors;
- omitted acknowledgements;
- numerical inaccuracies;
- descriptive errors; and
- other substantive corrections that do not compromise the overall validity of the publication.
Authors are expected to notify Rupkatha Books promptly upon discovering such errors.
16.7 Addenda
Where additional information enhances the scholarly value of a publication without correcting an error, Rupkatha Books may publish an Addendum.
Examples include:
- newly available evidence;
- methodological clarification;
- supplementary datasets;
- expanded bibliographies;
- multimedia resources;
- appendices; and
- other scholarly additions.
Addenda remain permanently associated with the Version of Record and are clearly identified as post-publication additions.
16.8 Revised Editions
Where substantial scholarly revision is appropriate, Rupkatha Books may publish a revised digital edition.
Revised editions may incorporate:
- updated scholarship;
- expanded chapters;
- corrected interpretations;
- revised references;
- additional appendices;
- enhanced multimedia; and
- new digital scholarly resources.
Where appropriate, revised editions receive updated metadata, edition statements, ISBNs, DOI relationships, and other persistent identifiers.
Earlier editions normally remain part of the permanent scholarly record unless legal or ethical considerations require otherwise.
16.9 Expressions of Concern
Where credible evidence suggests that a publication may contain serious ethical, legal, or scholarly problems that remain under investigation, Rupkatha Books may issue an Expression of Concern.
Such notices may be published where:
- investigations are ongoing;
- evidence remains inconclusive;
- institutional inquiries are pending; or
- readers should be informed while due process is completed.
An Expression of Concern does not constitute a finding of misconduct and should not be interpreted as prejudging the outcome of an investigation.
16.10 Retractions
A Retraction is issued only where a publication is demonstrated to be fundamentally unreliable or to involve serious breaches of scholarly or publication ethics.
Grounds for retraction may include:
- plagiarism;
- fabrication or falsification of research;
- fraudulent data;
- serious methodological defects;
- copyright infringement;
- duplicate publication;
- unethical research practices;
- fraudulent authorship;
- undisclosed conflicts of interest materially affecting the publication; or
- other circumstances that seriously compromise the integrity of the scholarly record.
Retractions are intended to correct the literature rather than to punish authors.
16.11 Editorial Procedure
Before issuing a significant post-publication notice, Rupkatha Books will normally:
- examine the available evidence;
- notify the corresponding author;
- invite a written response;
- consult editors and independent experts where appropriate;
- consider relevant institutional findings where available; and
- reach a reasoned editorial decision.
All parties shall be afforded a fair opportunity to present relevant evidence before a final decision is made.
16.12 Retraction Notices
Retraction notices shall:
- remain permanently accessible;
- identify the affected publication;
- explain the basis for the retraction;
- distinguish, where possible, between honest error and misconduct; and
- remain permanently linked to the original publication, metadata, and persistent identifiers.
Except where prohibited by law or required by compelling ethical considerations, the original publication will normally remain available with a clear indication that it has been retracted.
16.13 Version Control
As a born-digital publisher, Rupkatha Books maintains transparent version control throughout the publication lifecycle.
Version histories may include:
- publication date;
- revision date;
- edition statements;
- descriptions of significant changes;
- relationships between versions;
- DOI relationships; and
- metadata updates.
Readers should always be able to identify the authoritative Version of Record while preserving the publication history of earlier versions.
16.14 Metadata and Persistent Identifiers
Whenever corrections, revised editions, Expressions of Concern, or retractions are issued, Rupkatha Books updates associated metadata and persistent identifier records to ensure that repositories, libraries, discovery services, indexing systems, scholarly databases, and other research infrastructures accurately reflect the current status of the publication.
16.15 Preservation of the Scholarly Record
Rupkatha Books is committed to preserving the continuity, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record.
Except where prohibited by law, publications are not ordinarily removed from public access. Instead, appropriate editorial notices are issued while preserving:
- bibliographic metadata;
- DOI and ISBN records;
- publication history;
- version relationships;
- archival information; and
- citation continuity.
Permanent documentation of scholarly history is regarded as an essential component of responsible digital publishing.
16.16 Appeals
Authors who disagree with a correction, revision, Expression of Concern, or retraction decision may submit a written appeal supported by relevant evidence.
Appeals shall be considered in accordance with the Complaints and Appeals Policy. Decisions of the Editorial Board shall normally be final.
