CrossMark Policy

CrossMark Policy

IJTRM is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, reliability, and transparency of the scholarly content it publishes, including after an article has been formally published. The journal recognizes that the scholarly record may occasionally require corrections, updates, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions. The CrossMark Policy enables readers to verify the current status of a published article and identify whether any post-publication changes have been made.

What Is CrossMark?

CrossMark is a service provided by Crossref that helps readers identify whether the version of an article they are viewing is the current and authoritative version of record. By clicking the CrossMark logo displayed on a published article, readers can access information about the article's publication status and determine whether it has been updated, corrected, withdrawn, or retracted after its original publication.

The CrossMark system supports transparency in scholarly communication by allowing publishers to communicate important post-publication changes directly to readers and researchers.

Why CrossMark Matters

Scholarly research does not always remain unchanged after publication. Errors may occasionally be discovered, supplementary information may need clarification, or significant ethical or scientific concerns may arise after an article has been published.

CrossMark provides readers, researchers, librarians, institutions, and citing authors with a reliable mechanism for confirming that they are consulting the most current and authoritative version of a published article rather than an outdated, corrected, or superseded version.

Our Commitment to Article Updates

IJTRM is committed to updating the scholarly record promptly and transparently whenever a published article requires modification. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, the journal may issue one or more of the following notices:

  • Corrections: Minor factual, typographical, formatting, or data-related corrections that do not materially affect the principal findings, interpretation, or conclusions of the article.
  • Erratum: A formal notice issued when an error was introduced during the editorial, production, typesetting, or publication process.
  • Corrigendum: A formal correction issued when an error originating from the author(s) requires clarification or amendment while leaving the overall scientific conclusions substantially unchanged.
  • Retraction: A formal notice issued when serious concerns such as plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, unethical research practices, duplicate publication, major methodological errors, or other significant problems undermine the reliability or validity of the published work.
  • Expression of Concern: A temporary notice that may be published when serious questions have been raised regarding an article but an investigation has not yet been completed.
  • Withdrawal: In exceptional circumstances, an article may be withdrawn prior to final publication or in accordance with the journal's withdrawal policy and applicable publishing standards.

How Readers Can Verify Article Status

Readers may click the CrossMark logo displayed on the article webpage or within the published document, where available. The CrossMark record may provide information including:

  • Current publication status
  • Original publication date
  • Article title and publication details
  • DOI information
  • Corrections or updates
  • Retraction status, where applicable
  • Expressions of concern or other post-publication notices

Readers are encouraged to check the CrossMark record before citing or relying upon an article, particularly where the publication may have been subject to post-publication updates.

Preservation of the Scholarly Record

Where an article is corrected, updated, or retracted, IJTRM aims to preserve the original scholarly record while clearly linking all relevant notices to the affected publication. Published content will not ordinarily be silently altered or removed. Any substantive post-publication changes will be documented transparently.

Reporting a Concern

Readers, authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other interested parties who identify a possible error, ethical concern, data discrepancy, authorship issue, plagiarism concern, or other problem in a published article are encouraged to contact the IJTRM Editorial Office.

All concerns will be reviewed carefully and, where necessary, investigated in accordance with recognized scholarly publishing and publication ethics practices. Depending on the outcome of the review, appropriate action may include issuing a correction, erratum, corrigendum, expression of concern, retraction, or other formal notice.

Policy Review

This CrossMark Policy may be updated periodically to reflect developments in Crossref services, scholarly publishing standards, publication ethics, and post-publication record management. The most current version of this policy will be made available on the official IJTRM website.