Correction & Withdrawal Policies

Cross-Cultural Education Studies is committed to academic integrity, transparency, and the preservation of a reliable scholarly record. To support these principles, we have established the following policies concerning corrections, article withdrawal, retractions, and expressions of concern.

Correction

If authors discover factual errors or inaccuracies in their published article, they should contact the editorial office at cces@zycentre.com as soon as possible. Corrections will be considered under the following circumstances:

The error affects the interpretation, accuracy, or reliability of the published content.
The issue is not a matter of opinion, interpretation, or academic debate.
The correction request is submitted by the corresponding author with consent from all co-authors.

If approved, corrections will be:

Clearly indicated within the article, with the date of the correction noted.
Accompanied by a formal correction notice if the error is significant.
Reflected in the article metadata and updated in all relevant databases.

Minor editorial or formatting corrections that do not alter the scientific or academic meaning may be handled via a footnote without a formal notice.

Withdrawal Policy

Authors may request to withdraw a manuscript before publication. Such requests must meet the following conditions:

The request must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author to cces@zycentre.com, including the reason for withdrawal and confirmation that all co-authors agree.
If the manuscript is already under peer review or production, a detailed justification is required, and the author may be held responsible for any processing costs incurred.
The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief or managing editor.

In cases of ethical misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, falsification), the journal reserves the right to withdraw a manuscript at any stage without author consent.

Retraction

Published articles may be retracted when:

Substantial errors invalidate the findings or conclusions.
Proven cases of plagiarism, redundant publication, authorship manipulation, or other ethical violations.
Authors fail to correct serious issues after notification.

Retraction procedures are guided by COPE Retraction Guidelines and include:

A separate retraction notice titled “Retraction: [Article Title]”.
A “Retracted” watermark applied to the published article PDF.
A permanent record of the article, reason for retraction, and retraction date maintained for transparency.

Please note: Article processing charges (APCs) will not be refunded if an article is retracted due to confirmed misconduct.

Article Removal

In rare and exceptional cases, a published article may be removed from the journal’s online archive. This will only occur when:

The article includes defamatory content, violates personal privacy or legal rights.
A court order or legal obligation requires removal.
The content poses an immediate risk to individuals or public health.

If removal is necessary, a statement will be published in place of the removed article explaining the reason.

Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued when:

There is unresolved or inconclusive evidence of potential misconduct.
An ongoing investigation is delayed or incomplete.
The reliability of the article is under question but cannot yet be definitively confirmed or denied.

All corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern will be made freely accessible and clearly marked to ensure transparency and uphold editorial responsibility.