International Journal of Psychology and Strategic Communication (IJPSC)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61030/ijpsc.crossmark

The International Journal of Psychology and Strategic Communication (IJPSC) is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, and long-term reliability of the scholarly record. This Update Policy defines the journal’s procedures for post-publication corrections, ethical oversight, content traceability, and link permanence.

Editorial Process and Quality Assurance

All submissions undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process. Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise. The editorial board makes final publication decisions based on reviewer reports, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal scope.

IJPSC adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff are required to uphold principles of fairness, confidentiality, transparency, and impartiality throughout the editorial process.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted work is original and properly referenced. The journal strictly prohibits plagiarism, redundant publication, data fabrication, and misrepresentation of research findings.

Authors must:

• Properly cite all sources and prior work
• Disclose funding sources and potential conflicts of interest
• Comply with applicable ethical standards for research involving human or animal subjects, including informed consent and data protection requirements

Manuscripts found to violate these standards may be rejected, corrected, or retracted in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Reporting Ethical Concerns

Concerns regarding published or submitted content may be directed to the editorial office at:

editor@ijpsc.org

All reports are treated confidentially and assessed in accordance with COPE-recommended procedures.

Post-Publication Updates and Retractions

IJPSC distinguishes between the following types of post-publication changes:

• Erratum – Correction of publisher-introduced errors (e.g., formatting, typographical issues)
• Corrigendum – Author-initiated corrections that do not affect the study’s conclusions
• Addendum – Supplementary information added after publication
• Retraction – Removal of reliability due to major errors or ethical violations
• Expression of Concern – Temporary notice issued while investigations are ongoing

All post-publication updates are assigned unique DOIs and are permanently linked to the original article via Crossmark infrastructure.

Handling of Updated and Retracted Content

IJPSC ensures that all post-publication changes are documented transparently and permanently traceable.

• Updated articles remain publicly accessible with clear indication of revisions
• Retracted articles remain available for the scholarly record but are clearly marked as RETRACTED
• No corrections or retractions are implemented without explicit documentation
• All changes are timestamped and reflected in Crossref metadata

This ensures integrity of the academic record while preserving transparency.

Link Persistence and Long-Term Accessibility

IJPSC is committed to maintaining persistent and reliable access to published content. The journal employs permanent identifiers, stable URLs, and long-term preservation mechanisms to ensure continued discoverability and accessibility.

The journal implements:

• DOI-based permanent identification
• Redirect and version-control mechanisms
• Metadata preservation via Crossref

These measures ensure that citations, references, and external links remain valid over time, even in the event of system or infrastructure changes.

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Crossmark Verification System

IJPSC participates in the Crossmark initiative, providing readers with a reliable mechanism to verify the current status of published content.

The Crossmark icon indicates whether an article has been:

• Updated
• Corrected
• Retracted
• Subject to an expression of concern

It also provides access to key publication metadata, including:

• Peer review status: All research articles undergo double-blind peer review
• License information: Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), where applicable
• Funding disclosure: Research may be supported by the Anneliese and Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Waldemar Wittmann Foundation
• Ethical compliance: All publications follow IJPSC’s Code of Ethics and COPE guidelines

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Transparency and Accountability

This framework ensures full transparency in post-publication handling and reinforces the reliability of the scholarly record. IJPSC is committed to maintaining high standards of accountability across all stages of publication, from submission to long-term archiving.

For additional information about this policy or any editorial matter, please contact:

IJPSC Editorial Team
editor@ijpsc.org
https://ijpsc.org/update-policy