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Errata, Retraction, Duplicate Publication and Comment Policy for MEDLINE Fact Sheet Fact Sheet Errata , Retraction, Duplicate Publication and Comment Policy for MEDLINE The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has a longstanding tradition of providing access to information in the biomedical literature through quality programs and services. One of the ways NLM assists users is to add subsequent notices of errata, retractions, republications, duplicate publications, and comments (including updates) to citations of articles indexed and available in the Library's online MEDLINE database. Users who search MEDLINE will_be_informed if they retrieve a citation for an article that has subsequently been_retracted, an article that has_been found to duplicate another article, an article in which a substantive error has_been_noted, an article that has_been_corrected and republished, or an article that has_been_discussed specifically in another article, including an update of the original article. NLM links the existing citations to subsequently published errata, retraction notices, comments, and similar announcements. Through a combination of additions to MEDLINE citations, NLM attempts to draw the user's attention to changes in an article's status , to the official notification of such a change, or to published comments concerning the article. These added elements may consist_of an additional field and/or a Publication Type (PT). Errata Published changes or emendations to earlier articles, frequently referred to as corrections or corrigenda, are_considered by NLM to be errata, regardless of the nature or origin of the error. That_is, NLM does not differentiate between errors that originated in the publication process and errors of logic or methodology, because journal editors do not make this distinction consistently or clearly. Since 1987, when a publisher, editor, or author has_published a labeled, citable erratum to an article that was_cited in the MEDLINE database, NLM has_amended the citation of the article with a bibliographic reference_to the erratum notice, in_order_to alert users and refer them to the source of the revised information. The reference_to a published erratum notice is in the form of a notification that appears above the article title in the Abstract or Citation formats of Pubmed. In the MEDLINE format, this information appears in the EIN (Erratum in) field . Although errors may occur in any part_of the published article, NLM will add the corrected information to the citation if the erroneous data were_incorporated in the original MEDLINE citation. That_is, if the error occurred in the article's authorship, title, or abstract, NLM will retain the original citation, if it affects retrieval, but will add the revised data to provide the correct information . If an author's_name was_misspelled, the corrected name is_inserted in the appropriate order and the original misspelling is_moved to the end of the author list. Thus, a user who wishes to follow_up_on all_of the authors from the journal issue will_be able to retrieve on the misspelled name as_well. The notice about the correction will show both the incorrect spelling of the name and the corrected form. If, however, the error occurred in a portion of the article that_is not included in the MEDLINE citation, such_as the text, graphs, or tables, only a reference_to the published erratum notice will_be_added to the MEDLINE citation. Brief errata notices are_indexed not generally as independent articles. Some substantive articles or letters may, however, comprise published errata. If so, these items will_be_indexed with the Publication Type PUBLISHED ERRATUM. For those citations having a publication date of 2002 forward, a link will refer back to the citation for the original article. That link appears above the article title in the Abstract or Citation formats of Pubmed while in the MEDLINE format the information appears in the EFR (Erratum for) field. It is NLM's policy that errata will_be_acknowledged only_if they are_printed in a citable form; that_is, an erratum notice must appear on a numbered page in an issue of the journal that originally published the article. Error notices that are_inserted unbound into a journal issue or"tipped"will_not be_considered part_of the permanent bibliographic record. An erratum notice pertaining to a portion of a journal that exists in online format only must be readily discernable in the table_of_contents of a subsequent issue. NLM does not make changes in the database in response to letters from authors or editors, unless such letters indicate that a substantive published erratum is forthcoming. Errata Examples Dosage correction-Note that"corrected"appears twice in the fourth sentence of the abstract, immediately after the dosages that were_corrected. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 1998 Nov; 13 (6): 263-7 Erratum in: Int Clin Psychopharmacol 1999 Mar; 14 (2): 138 Cardiac side_effects of two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in middle-aged and elderly depressed patients. Strik JJ, Honig A, Lousberg R, Cheriex EC , Van Praag HM. Department of Psychiatry, Maastricht University Hospital, The_netherlands. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIS) are the'new'drugs of first choice for the treatment of depression in the older patient. Systematic studies on the effects of SSRIS on cardiac function are scarce, despite the high prevalence of cardiac disorders in the older depressed patient. This_is a study which systematically assessed cardiac function by echocardiography in middle-aged and elderly depressed patients treated with SSRI. In a double-blind randomized trial, 20 patients were_assigned to receive fluvoxamine 100 mg/day corrected or fluoxetine 20 mg/day corrected for 6 weeks. Cardiac function was_assessed by left_ventricle ejection fraction, aortic flow integral and early or passive/late or active mitral inflow, and electrocardiography. Neither SSRI significantly affected cardiac function. Compared with patients without a history of myocardial_infarction and/or hypertension, patients with such a history showed a significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction. Despite our small study sample, these data indicate that both fluoxetine and fluvoxamine do not affect cardiac function adversely. Publication Types: Clinical Trial Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 9861576 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Author name correction Blood_cells Mol Dis 2000 Dec; 26 (6): 567-71 Erratum in: Blood_cells Mol Dis 2001 Jan-Feb; 27 (1): 351. Volach B corrected to Wolach B A new exon 9 glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase mutation (G6pd"Rehovot")in a Jewish Ethiopian family with variable phenotypes. Iancovici-Kidon M, Sthoeger D, Abrahamov A, Wolach B, Beutler E , Gelbart T, Barak Y, Volach B. Department of Pediatrics, Kaplan Medical_center, Rehovot 76100, Israel. PMID: 11112389 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE An indexed published erratum and its corresponding correction Am J Med Genet 2000 Aug 14; 93 (4): 342 The_devil of the one letter code and the Ehlers-danlos_syndrome: corrigendum. Steinmann B, Giunta C. Publication Types: Published Erratum PMID: 10946364 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Corresponding correction Am J Med Genet 2000 Jan 3; 90 (1): 72-9 Erratum in: Am J Med Genet 2000 Aug 14; 93 (4): 342 Compound heterozygosity for a disease-causing G1489e correction of G1489d and disease-modifying G530s substitution in COL5A1 of a patient with the classical type of Ehlers-danlos_syndrome: an explanation of intrafamilial variability? Giunta C, Steinmann B. Division of Metabolic and Molecular Diseases, Zurich University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. PMID: 10602121 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Retractions Articles may_be_retracted or withdrawn by their authors, academic or institutional sponsor, editor, or publisher, because_of pervasive error or unsubstantiated or irreproducible data. For_example, an article's conclusions may_have been_based upon faulty logic or computation, its data may_have been_obtained by accident from a contaminated cell line or through poor instrumentation, or it may_have been_derived from falsified or fabricated data. NLM does not differentiate between articles that are_retracted because_of honest error and those that are_retracted because_of scientific misconduct or plagiarism. If the notification in the journal is_labeled as a retraction or withdrawal, NLM will index it as a retraction. It is NLM's policy that a retraction will_be_indexed as a retraction only_if it clearly states that the article in_question is being_retracted or withdrawn, and is_signed by an author of the retracted paper or author's legal counsel; by the head of the department, dean, or director of the laboratory where the paper was_produced; or by the journal editor. In_addition, the retraction must be_labeled and published in citable form; that_is, the retraction must appear on a numbered page in an issue of the journal that published the retracted article. NLM does not simply expunge the citation of a retracted article from its indexes or databases, but rather links the original to the notice of retraction, by adding a Retraction statement after the source of the retracted article on the Pubmed Summary display. The bibliographic reference for the retraction notice also appears above the title in the Abstract and Citation formats in Pubmed. In the MEDLINE format, it appears in the RIN (Retraction in) field. The MEDLINE record of each retracted article will_be_given an additional Publication Type of RETRACTED PUBLICATION (PT) as_well. NLM makes a reciprocal linkage between the retraction statement and the retracted article. That_is, the retraction statement is_indexed as RETRACTION OF PUBLICATION (PT. The bibliographic reference (s) for the article (s) being_retracted appear above the title in the Abstract and Citations formats in Pubmed. In the MEDLINE format, they appear in the ROF (Retraction of) field. Retraction Example Retraction of publication N Engl J Med 2001 Jul 5; 345 (1): 64 Retraction of: Brugger W, Heimfeld S, Berenson RJ, Mertelsmann R, Kanz L. N Engl J Med. 1995 Aug 3; 333 (5): 283-7. Retraction: reconstitution of hematopoiesis after high-dose chemotherapy by autologous progenitor cells generated ex vivo. Kanz L, Brugger W. Publication Types: Retraction of Publication PMID: 11439953 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Retracted publication N Engl J Med 1995 Aug 3; 333 (5): 283-7 Retraction in: Kanz L, Brugger W. N Engl J Med. 2001 Jul 5; 345 (1): 64. Comment in: N Engl J Med. 1995 Aug 3; 333 (5): 315-6. N Engl J Med. 1996 Jan 25; 334 (4): 271-2. Reconstitution of hematopoiesis after high-dose chemotherapy by autologous progenitor cells generated ex vivo. Brugger W, Heimfeld S, Berenson RJ, Mertelsmann R, Kanz L. Albert-Ludwigs University Medical_center, Department of Hematology/Oncology , Freiburg, Germany. Publication Types: Clinical Trial Clinical Trial, Phase I Clinical Trial, Phase II Retracted Publication PMID: 7541111 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Corrected and Republished Articles On_occasion, a journal may correct or amplify an earlier article by republishing it in its entirety, generally to rectify an editorial or printing error in the original article. NLM adds a link above the title in the Abstract or Citation format of the Pubmed citation of the original article, referring the user to the corrected and republished version. The replacement will_be_indexed with an additional Publication Type of CORRECTED AND REPUBLISHED ARTICLE (PT) and will_have a link to the original source of the article. In the MEDLINE format, the correction information appears in the RPI (Corrected and republished in) field and the correction from appears in the RPF (Corrected and republished from) field. Corrected and Republished Example Corrected and republished J Comp Neurol 2000 Nov 6; 427 (1): 461-80 Corrected and republished from: J Comp Neurol. 2000 Jun 12; 421 (4): 461-80. Formation of cadherin-expressing brain nuclei in diencephalic alar plate divisions. Yoon MS, Puelles L, Redies C. Institute of Anatomy, University Hospital Essen, Germany Publication Types: Corrected and Republished Article PMID: 11183875 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Original J Comp Neurol 2000 Jun 12; 421 (4): 461-80 Corrected and republished in: J Comp Neurol. 2000 Nov 6; 427 (1): 461-80. Formation of cadherin-expressing brain nuclei in diencephalic alar plate divisions. Yoon MS, Puelles L, Redies C. Institute of Anatomy, University Hospital Essen, Germany. PMID: 10842209 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Duplicate Publications NLM identifies an article that substantially duplicates another article without acknowledgment by assigning both articles the Publication Type DUPLICATE PUBLICATION (PT. In_general, such articles have one or more authors in_common and a substantial amount of duplicated text. Duplication may occur intentionally, to achieve wider dissemination of an article such_as a policy statement, or inadvertently, through multiple submission of a manuscript to different journals. Unlike other Publication Types described in_this fact sheet, DUPLICATE PUBLICATION may_be_added with or without a formal notification from authors or journal editors. In the indexing process, indexers sometimes recognize duplicate or very similar publications. If inspection of the potentially duplicative articles indicates a substantial amount of overlap, the PT will_be_added. NLM does not however, routinely examine articles for originality. Duplicate Example 1 Cesk Slov Oftalmol 1999 Nov; 55 (6): 372-6 Use of citation indexes and impact factors Article in Czech Pitterova K. Knihovna AV CR, Praha. Publication Types: Duplicate Publication PMID: 10677906 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE 2 Cesk Patol 1999 Oct; 35 (4): 144-6 Use of science citation indexes and impact factors Article in Czech Pitterova K. Knihovna AV CR, Praha. Publication Types: Duplicate Publication PMID: 10677915 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Comments Comments are substantive articles or letters that challenge, refute, support, or expand upon another article or letter. Among the types of articles that will_be_considered comments are: invited comments on an earlier article, letters to the editor that were_inspired by a previous article, articles that update previous articles, and announcements or notices that serve as quasi retractions. A mere mention of one or more articles in the text or references of another article does not constitute a comment. The commenting article must, instead, have_been_written primarily for the purpose of making a comment-that_is, of drawing the reader's attention to the referent article. Each commenting citation is_indexed with the Publication Type of COMMENT. Beginning in 1989, NLM has_created bibliographic linkages in MEDLINE between commenting articles and the article or articles to which they refer. The comment linkage has two components in MEDLINE: an identifying phrase above the title of each of the pair of citations in the Pubmed Abstract and Citation formats, and a data field in the Pubmed MEDLINE format (abbreviated CIN for Comment in and CON for Comment on) containing the bibliographic source of either the citing or cited article. Specifically, the commenting article citation will_have the CON field containing the source of the referent article while the article being_commented upon will_have the CIN field containing the source of the commenting article. The comments fields will_be_repeated to identify the location of as_many comments about an article as are_published. Published comments are_linked to referent articles only_if they are_printed in citable form; that_is, on a numbered page in a journal issue. In_general, NLM limits linkages to comments that were_published in the same journal as the article to which they refer. Furthermore, the referent article must have_been_indexed for MEDLINE; that_is, it must have_met the scope and format requirements for selection in_the_first_place. The commenting article is_indexed independently; that_is, it may or may_not be_indexed with the same medical subject headings as the article to which it refers, depending upon its contents. One exception to the general policy on comments concerns journals that largely contain analytical evaluations of published original studies. For such journals, comment linkages are_made to other journal titles and, prior to 2002, the comment was only on the citation to the original paper (a separate citation for the analysis itself was_created not). Comment Example Comment on article in same journal Am J Med 2001 May; 110 (7): 589-90 Comment on: Am J Med. 2001 May; 110 (7): 515-9. The dark side of deep venous_thrombosis: the failure of anticoagulation. Horne MK 3rd. Publication Types: Comment Editorial PMID: 11343675 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Comment in article in same journal Am J Med 2001 May; 110 (7): 515-9 Comment in: Am J Med. 2001 May; 110 (7): 589-90. Does the location of thrombosis determine the risk of disease recurrence in patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis? Douketis JD, Crowther MA, Foster GA, Ginsberg JS. Department of Medicine, Mcmaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. jdouket@fhs. mcmaster. ca PMID: 11343664 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Comment in article to another journal Ann Intern Med 1999 Jun 15; 130 (12): 963-70 Comment in: ACP J Club. 1999 Nov-Dec; 131 (3): 77 Relation of consumption of Vitamin_e, Vitamin_c, and carotenoids to risk for stroke among men in the United_states. Ascherio A, Rimm EB, Hernan MA, Giovannucci E , Kawachi I, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public_health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. alberto. ascherio@channing. harvard. edu PMID: 10383366 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Author Responses to Comments Frequently, the author of an article being_commented upon has_been_invited to supply a response to the comment. Such author responses are_indexed not as separate items; instead, the comment is_cited with pagination that includes the reply often indicated as"discussion.""The link to the original citation provides an appropriate reference for the author of the original item. Although such replies are_indexed not separately for MEDLINE, any substantive discussion provided in the response is_considered when subject headings are_assigned to the commenting citation. Author Response to Comment Example NLM includes an author's response to a comment as part_of the pagination of the comment citation as seen in_this Pubmed Summary format: Copur MS, Ledakis P, Bolton M, Norvell M, Muhvic J. Is anastrozole superior to tamoxifen as first-line therapy for advanced breast_cancer? J Clin Oncol. 2001 May_1; 19 (9): 2578; discussion 2580-2. No abstract available. PMID: 11331343 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Authors who prefer to cite their replies as a separate item may add the note"Included with Pubmed PMID###after the bibliographic citation to their response. Authors are_encouraged to follow the following format: Nabholtz JM, Bonneterre J, Buzdar A, Robertson JF, Thurlimann B, Steinberg M, Webster A, von Euler M. Is anastrozole superior to tamoxifen as first-line therapy for advanced breast_cancer? Reply to Copur MS, et_al. letter J Clin Oncol. 2001 May_1; 19 (9): 2580-2. Included with Pubmed PMID 11331343. Updated Articles Articles that update previous articles are_linked using a_pair_of elements called"Update of"and"Update in.""This kind_of updating has_occurred primarily in journals that are_published solely online; NLM began to distinguish the updates with articles published in 2001 forward. Like the more generic comment fields, this update commentary appears above the title of each pair of citations in the Pubmed Abstract and Citation formats. In the Pubmed MEDLINE format, this information appears in the UOF (Update of) or UIN (Update in) fields that signal the bibliographic source of either the updating or updated article, respectively. Update Example Update of Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000;(4): CD000337 Update of: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000;(2): ) CD000337. Conservative versus operative treatment for hip fractures. Parker MJ, Handoll HH, Bhargara A. Orthopaedics and Trauma, Peterborough Hospital NHS Trust, Thorpe Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK, PE3 6da. mjparker@globalnet. co. uk Publication Types: Review Review, Academic PMID: 11034683 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Update in Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000;(2): CD000337 Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000;(4): ) CD000337. Conservative versus operative treatment for extracapsular hip fractures. Parker MJ, Handoll HH. Orthopaedic Department, Peterborough District Hospital, Thorpe Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK, PE3 6da. mjparker@globalnet. co. uk Publication Types: Review Review, Academic PMID: 10796345 Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE Index Medicus The errata, retraction, corrected and republished article, duplicate publication, and comment Publication Types and linkages are more likely to be_applied to citations in the online database MEDLINE than in the monthly Index Medicus. If, however, the erratum, retraction, republication notice, or comment, is_published and NLM makes the link before printing the monthly Index Medicus, then the amended citation will appear in Index Medicus. Citations to earlier articles which subsequently have_been_corrected or retracted, or which recently have_been the subject of commentary are_reprinted not in Index Medicus for the purpose of adding the linkage. For further information about errata, retractions, corrected and republished articles, duplicate publications, and comments in MEDLINE, please contact: Head, Index Section National Library of Medicine Bethesda, Maryland 20894 Phone: 301-496-3262 Fax: 301-402-2433 email: james_marcetich@nlm. nih. gov A complete list of NLM Fact Sheets is available at: Alphabetical list: http://www. nlm. nih. gov/pubs/factsheets/factsheets. html Subject list: http://www. nlm. nih. gov/pubs/factsheets/factsubj. html Or write to: FACT SHEETS Office of Communications and Public Liaison National Library of Medicine 8600 Rockville Pike Bethesda , Maryland 20894 Phone:( 301) 496-6308 Fax:( 301) 496-4450 email: publicinfo@nlm. nih. gov U_s. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 National_institutes_of_health, Department_of_health & Human Services Copyright, Privacy, Accessibility Last updated: 06 March 2002