CrossMark Policy

CrossMark Policy

The National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, transparency, and completeness of the scholarly record. NJHS will use CrossMark, a service provided by Crossref, to provide readers with a standardized mechanism for checking the current status of published content and identifying significant post-publication updates.

CrossMark enables readers to determine whether an article has been subject to a correction, retraction, withdrawal, expression of concern, or another editorially significant update after publication.

CrossMark Update Policy

This page serves as the CrossMark Update Policy of the National Journal of Health Sciences.

NJHS publishes scholarly articles with persistent Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) registered with Crossref. The DOI assigned to this CrossMark Update Policy will be registered with Crossref and associated with the metadata of NJHS content participating in CrossMark.

NJHS will maintain the published scholarly record and will deposit appropriate post-publication update information with Crossref when a significant change to published content occurs.

The CrossMark service provides readers with information about the current status of an article. CrossMark itself does not determine whether an article should be corrected, retracted, withdrawn, or otherwise amended. Such decisions are made by NJHS in accordance with its editorial policies and applicable publication-ethics standards.

Post-Publication Updates

An article may require an update after publication when an issue is identified that affects the accuracy, interpretation, attribution, integrity, or publication status of the work.

Depending on the circumstances, National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) may issue or register the following types of post-publication updates:

• Correction
• Corrigendum
• Erratum
• Addendum
• Clarification
• Expression of Concern
• Retraction
• Partial Retraction
• Withdrawal
• Removal
• New Version
• New Edition

The appropriate type of update will be determined according to the circumstances of the case and the relevant NJHS editorial and publication-ethics policies.

Minor typographical, formatting, or production errors that do not affect the meaning, interpretation, attribution, or bibliographic integrity of an article may be corrected without being treated as a substantive CrossMark update.

Corrections

When a published article requires a substantive correction, National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) will publish a clearly identified correction notice describing the correction and will link the notice to the affected article and its DOI. Where applicable, the correction and its relationship to the original article will be registered with Crossref so that the update can be identified through CrossMark. NJHS will not silently alter a published article in a manner that conceals a substantive post-publication correction. Detailed procedures for corrections are provided in the NJHS Corrections to Published Work Policy.

Retractions

When an article meets the criteria for retraction, National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) will publish a clearly identified retraction notice and establish an appropriate link between the retraction notice and the original article. The original article will remain part of the scholarly record where appropriate, but its retracted status will be clearly indicated. NJHS will deposit the appropriate retraction metadata with Crossref so that the article’s status can be identified through CrossMark and other scholarly metadata services. Retractions are handled in accordance with the NJHS Retraction Policy and applicable publication-ethics standards.

Expressions of Concern

Where there are substantial concerns regarding the reliability, integrity, or status of a published article but the available evidence is insufficient to justify immediate correction or retraction, National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) may publish an Expression of Concern.

An Expression of Concern will be clearly identified and linked to the affected article. Where applicable, the update will be registered with Crossref so that it can be identified through CrossMark.

Withdrawals and Other Post-Publication Actions

Where circumstances warrant withdrawal or another editorially significant post-publication action, National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) will publish an appropriate notice and maintain a transparent link between the notice and the affected publication.

NJHS will follow applicable Crossref metadata requirements when registering such updates. Removal of published content will be considered only in exceptional circumstances where removal is justified by applicable ethical, legal, or publishing considerations. Where content is removed or withdrawn, NJHS will maintain an appropriate record or notice explaining the action whenever possible.

Preservation of the Scholarly Record

National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) is committed to preserving the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record. For substantive post-publication changes, NJHS will normally publish a separate correction, retraction, expression of concern, withdrawal, or other appropriate notice rather than silently replacing or altering the original publication. Where a separate update document is published, it will be assigned a DOI where appropriate and linked to the DOI of the affected work. The original publication will not normally be deleted solely because it has subsequently been corrected or retracted. The publication history and status will remain discoverable to readers.

CrossMark Implementation

National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) will implement CrossMark in accordance with the requirements and technical guidelines of Crossref. For eligible NJHS content, the CrossMark button will be made available with the digital publication, including the HTML article/abstract page and full-text PDF, where applicable. The CrossMark button will provide readers with access to the CrossMark information associated with the article and its DOI, allowing them to check whether a significant post-publication update has been recorded. NJHS will use the Crossref-provided CrossMark functionality and will not modify the CrossMark logo or functionality except as permitted by Crossref. CrossMark will be implemented for current published content rather than only for articles that have already received a post-publication update. NJHS may also extend CrossMark implementation to previously published content.

Crossref Metadata

National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) will include the DOI of this CrossMark Update Policy in the relevant Crossref metadata for participating content. When a significant post-publication update occurs, NJHS will deposit the appropriate update metadata with Crossref and establish the relevant relationship between the updated work and the original publication. NJHS will maintain the accuracy of its Crossref metadata and will update relevant records following substantive post-publication changes. Crossref metadata will be used to identify the appropriate type of update and the relationship between the update and the affected publication.

Editorial and Publication-Ethics Standards

National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) manages corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, withdrawals, and other post-publication matters in accordance with its applicable editorial policies and recognized publication-ethics principles.

NJHS follows relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), as applicable.

This CrossMark Policy should be read together with the relevant NJHS editorial policies, including the Corrections to Published Work Policy, Retraction Policy, and other applicable publication-ethics policies.

Reporting Concerns

Readers, authors, reviewers, and other interested parties may report concerns regarding the accuracy, integrity, authorship, ethics, or publication status of an National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) article to the journal. NJHS will assess reported concerns in accordance with its editorial procedures and applicable publication-ethics standards. Where an investigation establishes that a published article requires a post-publication action, NJHS will take the appropriate editorial action and update the relevant scholarly metadata.

Policy Maintenance

National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) will review this CrossMark Policy periodically and update it when necessary to reflect changes in Crossref requirements, publication-ethics standards, or NJHS editorial procedures. The DOI assigned to this CrossMark Update Policy will provide a persistent reference to the policy and will be registered with Crossref in accordance with CrossMark requirements.