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		<title>Post-publication responsibilities</title>
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							<p>Authorship responsibilities do not end with publication. Within reason, authors are expected to respond to questions about their publications and to supply more information to help others understand the research reported. You should be prepared to answer questions and take responsibility for the work reported if you are listed as an author on a paper.</p>
							
							<h3>Requests for more information or materials</h3>
							
							<p>If you receive little or no response to your publication, you should not be surprised. More material is published every year than researchers could possibly read. As a result, many articles are read quickly or not read at all. However, if you do get a request for more information or materials, you should keep in mind the following do's and don'ts:</p>
							
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									<p>You <strong>should</strong>: </p>
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										<li>Treat all requests the same regardless of the position of the person making the request</li>
										<li>Respond in a timely manner</li>
										<li>Provide complete and accurate information</li>
										<li>Ask for reimbursement if there are costs involved in providing materials.</li>
									</ul>
									<p>You <strong>should not</strong>:</p>
									<ul>
										<li>Ignore requests from new researchers and competitors</li>
										<li>Share preliminary information and unpublished results</li>
										<li>Share protected information, such as human participant data or information.</li>
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							<p>While most requests will likely be routine enquiries from colleagues who want to know more about your research, there are times when the requests will be more complex and call for a second opinion or even institutional approval. For example, what would you do in the following situations?</p>
							
							<instructional-text><p>Consider the situations posed below and choose the answer that you think represents the best course of action in each scenario.</p></instructional-text>
							<instructional-text-accessible><p>Consider the situations posed in the following activity and choose the answers that you think represent the best course of action.</p></instructional-text-accessible>
							
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										<mcq-question><p>What would you do if a member of an action-oriented group submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request (see the "Additional information" pod) for the data used for a series of charts in your publication?</p></mcq-question>
										<mcq-options>
											<mcq-option incorrect>
												<mcq-answer>Share the data in the same way you would share it with a colleague in your field</mcq-answer>
												<mcq-feedback><p>In this case, it is best to check with a university research officer, especially if your work is publicly funded and therefore owned by your university. FOI requests must be responded to properly and are the responsibility of your university. It is best not to make any decisions on your own in these cases.</p></mcq-feedback>
											</mcq-option>
											<mcq-option incorrect>
												<mcq-answer>Ignore the FOI request to avoid having your data be misused in a public debate</mcq-answer>
												<mcq-feedback><p>In this case, it is best to check with a university research officer, especially if your work is publicly funded and therefore owned by your university. FOI requests must be responded to properly and are the responsibility of your university. It is best not to make any decisions on your own in these cases.</p></mcq-feedback>
											</mcq-option>
											<mcq-option correct>
												<mcq-answer>Check with a university research officer to get advice on what to do</mcq-answer>
												<mcq-feedback><p>In this case, it is best to check with a university research officer, especially if your work is publicly funded and therefore owned by your university. FOI requests must be responded to properly and are the responsibility of your university. It is best not to make any decisions on your own in these cases.</p></mcq-feedback>
											</mcq-option>
										</mcq-options>
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									<mcq>
										<mcq-question><p>What would you do if a reporter asked for more information about the human participants that were included in your research study?</p></mcq-question>
										<mcq-options>
											<mcq-option incorrect>
												<mcq-answer>Provide the information requested</mcq-answer>
												<mcq-feedback><p>In this case, it is probably wise to check with a university research officer. The need to protect the identity or private information of participants usually prohibits the sharing of any information other than what was included in your publication. However, an exception might be made if the request came from a law enforcement official or regulatory agency looking into an issue of public concern (rather than a reporter or other private individual). It is, therefore, best to get advice whenever anyone requests your data, instead of making this decision on your own.</p></mcq-feedback>
											</mcq-option>
											<mcq-option correct>
												<mcq-answer>Check with a university research officer to get advice on what to do</mcq-answer>
												<mcq-feedback><p>In this case, it is probably wise to check with a university research officer. The need to protect the identity or private information of participants usually prohibits the sharing of any information other than what was included in your publication. However, an exception might be made if the request came from a law enforcement official or regulatory agency looking into an issue of public concern (rather than a reporter or other private individual). It is, therefore, best to get advice whenever anyone requests your data, instead of making this decision on your own.</p></mcq-feedback>
											</mcq-option>
											<mcq-option incorrect>
												<mcq-answer>Reject the request based on the need to protect the identity of the participants</mcq-answer>
												<mcq-feedback><p>In this case, it is probably wise to check with a university research officer. The need to protect the identity or private information of participants usually prohibits the sharing of any information other than what was included in your publication. However, an exception might be made if the request came from a law enforcement official or regulatory agency looking into an issue of public concern (rather than a reporter or other private individual). It is, therefore, best to get advice whenever anyone requests your data, instead of making this decision on your own.</p></mcq-feedback>
											</mcq-option>
										</mcq-options>
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									<mcq>
										<mcq-question><p>What would you do if you realised you did not have enough reagent (or some other material) to share with other research groups, with whom you had previously agreed to share the reagent/material?</p></mcq-question>
										<mcq-options>
											<mcq-option correct>
												<mcq-answer>Ask your university for advice (and possibly funding) to help with fulfilling the requests </mcq-answer>
												<mcq-feedback><p>In this case, it is probably wise to seek advice (and possibly funding) from your university to meet the requests. You should try to meet all requests, as long as they are reasonable and within the scope of what you promised. You should definitely not use funds from another grant to meet the requests. When submitting a grant request, you should make sure to include the costs of meeting post-publication responsibilities.</p></mcq-feedback>
											</mcq-option>
											<mcq-option incorrect>
												<mcq-answer>Provide the reagent or other materials on a first-come, first-served basis</mcq-answer>
												<mcq-feedback><p>In this case, it is probably wise to seek advice (and possibly funding) from your university to meet the requests. You should try to meet all requests, as long as they are reasonable and within the scope of what you promised. You should definitely not use funds from another grant to meet the requests. When submitting a grant request, you should make sure to include the costs of meeting post-publication responsibilities.</p></mcq-feedback>
											</mcq-option>
											<mcq-option incorrect>
												<mcq-answer>Use research funds from another grant to generate the reagent or other materials required</mcq-answer>
												<mcq-feedback><p>In this case, it is probably wise to seek advice (and possibly funding) from your university to meet the requests. You should try to meet all requests, as long as they are reasonable and within the scope of what you promised. You should definitely not use funds from another grant to meet the requests. When submitting a grant request, you should make sure to include the costs of meeting post-publication responsibilities.</p></mcq-feedback>
											</mcq-option>
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										<p>In the UK, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives anyone a right to request certain types of data from public authorities (which include publicly funded universities and research institutions). The rules for what can and can't be requested are quite complex. For more information, see the website of the <a href="https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/official-information/" target="_blank">Information Commissioner's Office</a>.</p>
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							<p>Beyond straightforward requests for further information, you might be called upon to defend your publication. Many journals have a comments section: if someone comments on your publication in a way that misrepresents it, and you feel you need to reply, you should ensure that your response focuses on the main points under discussion and avoids personal attacks. You should also get permission from your co-authors before publishing a response.</p>
							
							<h3>Corrections</h3>

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										<p>In the UK, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives anyone a right to request certain types of data from public authorities (which include publicly funded universities and research institutions). The rules for what can and can't be requested are quite complex. For more information, see the website of the <a href="https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/official-information/" target="_blank">Information Commissioner's Office</a>.</p>
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							<p>Researchers sometimes find themselves having to respond to errors that somehow made their way into the final publication. These should be addressed quickly and honestly, alongside the editor.</p>
							<p>COPE has guidelines for how to approach correcting a paper, but there are no formal rules outlining the process for providing corrections to research literature. Generally, corrections are made in one of three ways.</p>
							
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										<p>See the <a href="https://publicationethics.org/postpublication" target="_blank">website of the Committee on Publication Ethics</a> for further information on how to approach the corrections process.</p>
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							<instructional-text class="non-interactive-swap-out"><p>Click on each segment surrounding the magnifying glass to learn more about the different ways in which an article can be corrected.</p></instructional-text>
							<instructional-text-accessible class="non-interactive-swap-in"><p>Continue on to learn more about the different ways in which an article can be corrected.</p></instructional-text-accessible>
						
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								<div class="hotspot-1"><labelled-graphic-hotspot location="123,12" variant="label" label="Expression of concern" placement="bottom" heading="Expression of concern" content="As an expression of concern, the editor adds a note in their journal to let the readers know that <strong>concerns have been raised</strong> about a particular article. <br><br> It often takes time to verify concerns. If the research reported is widely used as the basis for other research or public decisions, the expression of concern provides advance warning to anyone who reads the article."></labelled-graphic-hotspot></div>
								<div class="hotspot-2"><labelled-graphic-hotspot location="268,26" variant="label" label="Erratum/correction" placement="left" heading="Erratum/correction" content="An erratum/correction is a brief note regarding a published article, which is either included in a subsequent issue of the journal (for a hard copy) or attached to the article itself (for a digital copy). The erratum/correction is used to notify readers of a <strong>confirmed error</strong> that needs to be corrected. Errata generally concern errors made by the publisher, while corrections usually refer to errors made by the author."></labelled-graphic-hotspot></div>
								<div class="hotspot-3"><labelled-graphic-hotspot location="368,136" variant="label" label="Retraction" placement="left" heading="Retraction" content="Retraction is the <strong>complete withdrawal</strong> of a publication. Once retracted, an article is no longer considered a published article and should not be used or cited. Retraction notices are generally attached to the retracted article and mentioned in major indexes. Articles are retracted when they are seriously flawed, either as a result of an inadvertent (but uncorrectable) error or deliberate research misconduct."></labelled-graphic-hotspot></div>
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								<h4>Expression of concern</h4>
								<p>As an expression of concern, the editor adds a note in their journal to let the readers know that <strong>concerns have been raised</strong> about a particular article.</p>
								<p>It often takes time to verify concerns. If the research reported is widely used as the basis for other research or public decisions, the expression of concern provides advance warning to anyone who reads the article.</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Erratum/correction</h4>
								<p>An erratum/correction is a brief note regarding a published article, which is either included in a subsequent issue of the journal (for a hard copy) or attached to the article itself (for a digital copy). The erratum/correction is used to notify readers of a <strong>confirmed error</strong> that needs to be corrected. Errata generally concern errors made by the publisher, while corrections usually refer to errors made by the author.</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Retraction</h4>
								<p>Retraction is the <strong>complete withdrawal</strong> of a publication. Once retracted, an article is no longer considered a published article and should not be used or cited. Retraction notices are generally attached to the retracted article and mentioned in major indexes. Articles are retracted when they are seriously flawed, either as a result of an inadvertent (but uncorrectable) error or deliberate research misconduct.</p>
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							<p>These corrective measures are important tools for ensuring the reliability of the research literature, but they are far from perfect. The corrections process can also be controversial. For example, discredited and even retracted articles on important topics such as climate change and the risks posed by vaccinations continue to be cited.</p>
							
							<h3>Summary</h3>
							
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							<p>You should take care to address all of the post-publication responsibilities that can potentially arise. However, as long as you have met your planning, conducting, interpreting and publication responsibilities, in accordance with your institutional policies, you should not have to worry about your publication being corrected or retracted.</p>
							
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										<p>For examples of the different ways in which articles are corrected, as well as discussion of some of the controversies surrounding corrections, see <a href="http://retractionwatch.com/" target="_blank">Retraction Watch</a>.</p>
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