Post-Publication Amendments and Retractions

The journal is strictly committed to safeguarding the integrity, validity, and preservation of the scholarly record for research published in the fields of media and communication. All post-publication updates comply with international institutional accreditation standards and the core practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Should any action be required regarding a manuscript after its electronic publication, it will be managed in accordance with the explicit policies outlined below:

  1. Retraction with Replacement for Severe, Inadvertent Errors

The journal provides the option of "Retraction with Replacement" only under exceptional circumstances and subject to rigorous criteria to maintain scientific integrity:

  1. Criteria for Accepting Replacement Requests: This procedure applies exclusively if the author(s) or the editorial board detect a severe, structural, or statistical error that was committed in good faith and completely inadvertently (such as a fundamental flaw in content analysis formulas or audience measurement metrics). Furthermore, this error must be significant enough to alter the study's overall conclusions without compromising data authenticity or the baseline originality of the research.
  2. Verification and Peer-Review Procedures: Prior to approving a replacement request, the editorial board and the Editor-in-Chief will conduct a comprehensive, thoroughly documented consultation with the author(s). The revised manuscript will then be forwarded to at least three independent peer reviewers to verify the structural updates and evaluate its incremental scholarly value.
  3. Digital Execution Mechanism (Prohibition of Silent Replacement): Once a replacement is approved, the original paper will never be silently removed, deleted, or overwritten. Instead, the process is executed as follows:
    • The updated research is published as a new document version and linked directly to the original URL.
    • The original version remains accessible within the journal's digital repository to preserve historical transparency, permanently overlaid with a clear watermark indicating it is a "Retracted and Replaced Version."
    • A formal Replacement Notice is published alongside the text and indexed across databases, outlining in detail the specific corrections made.
  1. Permanent Manuscript Retraction
  • Grounds for Full Retraction: A full retraction represents the ultimate measure implemented to correct the scholarly record. It is applied exclusively when the overall reliability of the findings or empirical data is fundamentally compromised, whether due to major inadvertent scientific errors or intentional research misconduct (such as data fabrication, plagiarism, or compromised peer review).
  • Digital Archiving and Watermarking: In adherence to permanent digital archiving standards (such as Crossmark), the journal's policy dictates that a retracted manuscript will never be physically removed or deleted from the website or electronic databases; it remains in the public domain to safeguard academic history.
  • Metadata and Labeling Management: A prominent, large watermark bearing the word "RETRACTED" will be visibly overlaid across all pages of the article's PDF file and webpage. Additionally, the manuscript’s title within the electronic metadata will be updated with a clear retraction prefix to ensure transparency and prevent future citations.
  • Open-Access Retraction Notice: A dedicated, freely accessible retraction notice will be published online, detailing the precise justifications for the retraction and identifying the parties who requested or recommended the action.

III. Authorship Amendments

  • Stringent Conditions for Modification: Any request to modify author names, their order of appearance, or institutional affiliations after a manuscript has been accepted or published is subject to exceptionally strict protocols. The journal requires a formal, written petition signed by all original and proposed co-authors, declaring their full consensus and providing a compelling, well-founded justification that details the exact contribution of any added or removed member.

Combating Unethical Publishing Practices: Every authorship amendment request undergoes rigorous vetting and scrutiny by the editorial board to actively counter unethical publishing practices, such as honorary, gift, or ghost authorship, thereby safeguarding the intellectual property and legitimate rights of the actual contributors