No additions or changes of authorship are permitted after accepting the manuscript.

After publishing a manuscript, mistakes or errors, independent of their nature or origin, which do not constitute misconduct, are corrected using an erratum. The Eclética Química publishes errata, corrections, or retractions as soon as possible.

Any additions or modifications to the accepted text should only be made before the manuscript is published and only if approved by the Associate Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the journal.

After the manuscript has been accepted, the Editor will only consider additions and changes to the text in exceptional circumstances. The publication will be suspended until the changes are processed.

The published article in which the misconduct is identified remains indexed in the Eclética Química database as retracted. It cannot be unpublished.

Retracting articles and issuing an expression of concern
(COPE’s retraction guidelines, Comment, vol. 374 (2009) 1876-1877).

Institutions, publishers, editors, authors, reviewers, and the broader scientific community must be committed to upholding good research practices, transparent publication processes, and scientific integrity, and to ensuring transparency in all actions related to the production, dissemination, and application of knowledge. This presupposes the investigation of any misconduct, the immediate correction of honest errors, and a thorough investigation by legally constituted committees to ensure that the correct decision is made with serenity and respect for those involved, as well as adherence to ethical principles.

The decision must be disclosed calmly, transparently, and clearly, explaining the reasons behind it and its consequences.

Retracting publications
If it is recognized that a significant inaccuracy, misleading statement, or distorted narrative has been published, it must be promptly corrected with due prominence. If, after proper investigation, an item is revealed to be fraudulent, the publication must be retracted.

An article can be retracted in one or more of the following situations:

• When there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either because of a major error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error) or because of fabrication (e.g., of data) or falsification (e.g., image manipulation).
• When the article constitutes plagiarism.
• The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper attribution to previous sources or disclosure to the editor, permission to republish, or justification (i.e., cases of redundant publication).
• When it contains material or data without authorization for use.
• Copyright has been infringed, or there is some other serious legal issue (e.g., libel, privacy).
• With reports on unethical research.
• It has been published solely based on a compromised or manipulated peer review process.
• The authors did not disclose a conflict of interest that, according to the Editor-in-Chief's viewpoint, would have unduly affected the work interpretation or infringed the journal and peer review rules.

A publication will be retracted after an investigation by the Eclética Química Committee, with knowledge/participation of the Editorial Board of Scientific Journals (EBSJ – Conselho Editorial de Publicações Científicas – CEPC) of UNESP, and with the legal support of the university, concludes that it is a case of misconduct. The Eclética Química Committee will be composed of 5 members: the Editor-in-Chief, an Associate Editor, a member of the Editorial Advisory Board, a member of EBSJ and a lawyer from the university's legal team.

Issuing an expression of concern

An expression of concern can evolve into a retraction of a publication analysis.

The Editor-in-Chief should consider issuing an expression of concern if:

• Some denouncements or suspicions of misconduct are received about the manuscript or authors from Associate Editors, Reviewers, or anybody.
• There is inconclusive evidence of research or publication misconduct by the authors.
• There is evidence that the results are unreliable, and the authors’ institution will not investigate the case.
• The Editor believes that an investigation into alleged misconduct related to the publication either has not been, or would not be, fair and impartial, or conclusive.
• An investigation is underway, but a judgment will not be available for a considerable time.