GCRI · Registry

Berichtigung und Versionierung

Every published record will one day need to change: a typing error, a revised figure, a withdrawn claim, a new release of a dataset. What matters is whether the change is visible, linked and propagated, or silent. This page sets out how corrections, retractions and new versions are recorded, why superseded assertions keep circulating after they are corrected, and what editors and stewards need to run a correction route that readers can follow.

01Arbeitsfläche

Wie die Arbeit abläuft.

System · rund um dieses ThemaBeispielhaft

Interoperability console

Correction and versioning · Crosswalk · Profile v3

Test suite runningGCRI · Registry

Field mappings

BezeichneridcopyBestanden
evidence_labelquality.labelenum mapBestanden
licencerights.licenceSPDX idAmbiguous
versionversionsemverBestanden

Konformität

Required fields93 of 100 requiredControlled terms90 of 95 requiredRound trip81 of 95 required
Interoperability console: the screen’s structure, terms and states for Correction and versioning.Beispielnamen und beispielhafte Werte; ein Entwurf, kein Eintrag und kein Live-System.

Abb.Interoperability console: example names and illustrative values, not a record or a live system.

02Die Frage

Correction and versioning: how the risk develops.

Superseded assertions and correction routes. The dossier below sets out how the risk develops, what is measured, where the data come from, how it is modelled and who decides.

Mechanismus

Silent edits

A value is overwritten in place without a version change or a notice. Anyone who downloaded or cited the earlier state now holds a record that no longer matches the source, and nothing tells them so.

Mechanismus

Corrections stop at the source

A notice is issued where the record lives, but copies in aggregators, indexes, reference managers and derived datasets are not updated. The superseded assertion keeps circulating downstream and is cited as current.

Mechanismus

Version forks

Preprint, accepted manuscript and version of record, or successive dataset releases, are registered without relations between them. Citations split across versions, and a correction made to one never reaches the others.

Mechanismus

Reliance compounds

Corrected or retracted findings feed systematic reviews, models, guidelines and funding cases. Each reuse builds on the flawed assertion, so the cost of a late correction grows with every layer that came to depend on it.

03Methoden und Evidenz

How correction and versioning is modelled, measured and tested.

Das Modell, seine Annahmen, seine Daten und seine Unsicherheit in der Form, in der eine Wissenschaftlerin oder ein Ingenieur sie prüfen würde. Die Strukturen folgen veröffentlichten Methoden. Die dargestellten Werte sind illustrativ, keine Befunde.

Datensätze und Herkunft

The data classes behind correction and versioning and what is recorded about each before it is used.

DatenklasseHerkunft erfasstAuflösung angegebenLizenz geprüft
Satellitenbilder, optisch und RadarSensor, Verarbeitungsstufe, AufnahmedatumPixelgröße und Wiederholratepro Szene
Reanalysen und KlimamodellausgabenModell, Experiment, Member, VersionGitter und Zeitschrittje Veröffentlichung
In-situ-Sensoren und PegelStation, Instrument, KalibrierprotokollMesspunkt und Abtastrateje Netz
Exposition von Bevölkerung und AnlagenMethode, Jahrgang, EingangsquellenZellgröße und Einheitje Veröffentlichung
Grenzen und ReferenzgeografieHersteller, Ausgabe, DatumSkalaje Ausgabe
Herkunftskette
W3C-PROV-Eintrag von der Quelle zur Abbildung
Grundsätze
FAIR: auffindbar, zugänglich, interoperabel, wiederverwendbar
Lücken
als fehlend angezeigt, nie stillschweigend ergänzt
Datenklassen und die für jede erfassten Herkunftsfelder; ein Datensatz wird erst dann namentlich aufgeführt, wenn seine Lizenz die Nutzung zulässt.
FAIR-Leitprinzipien · GO FAIR und FORCE11W3C PROV · World Wide Web ConsortiumHinweise zur einheitlichen Behandlung von Unsicherheiten · IPCCCEOS Analysis Ready Data · Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
04In the five domains

Corrections in one domain must reach every product that used the data.

05Indikatoren

Was gemessen wird und wie gut.

Jeder Indikator trägt seine Einheit, seinen Rhythmus, die Art der zugrunde liegenden Quelle und die Evidenzkennzeichnung, die ein Wert tragen würde. Es werden keine Werte gezeigt: Ein Programm liefert sie unter seiner eigenen Autorität.

IndikatorEinheitTaktQuellentypKennzeichnung
Herausgegebene Korrekturencount by type per periodmonatlichCorrection trailBEOBACHTET
Time from report to correction noticeTageper caseCase recordsBEOBACHTET
Content changes without a version incrementAnzahlwöchentlichContent hash comparisonBEOBACHTET
Version chain completenessshare of versions linked to a predecessormonatlichRelation metadataBEOBACHTET
Retracted items linked to their noticeshare of retracted itemsmonatlichCrossmark and retraction recordsBEOBACHTET
Superseded records still cited as currentcount of citing worksvierteljährlichCitation graphGESCHÄTZT
Corrections reflected by downstream aggregatorsshare of sampled aggregatorsvierteljährlichAggregator samplingGESCHÄTZT
06Quellen

Woher die Evidenz stammt.

Benannte öffentliche Datensätze und institutionelle Aufzeichnungen, jeweils mit ihrer Lizenzklasse. Quellen auf Vereinbarungsbasis werden nur zu ihren Bedingungen genutzt und niemals weiterveröffentlicht.

QuelleWas es liefertLizenzklasse
Retraction Watch DatabaseRecords of retractions, corrections and expressions of concern across publishersOpen, distributed by Crossref
CrossmarkPublisher-deposited update status linking corrections and retractions to the original workOpen metadata via Crossref
Crossref and DataCite relation metadataRelations such as is new version of, is previous version of and is obsoleted byOpen metadata; CC0 for DataCite
PubPeerPost-publication comments that often surface errors before formal noticesPublic comments under site terms
Internet Archive Wayback Machine via MementoTime-stamped captures showing what a page said at a given momentFree access under archive terms
Software HeritageArchived source code with intrinsic identifiers for every versionOpen archive, terms per content licence
07Entscheidungen

Wer entscheidet und wozu die Evidenz dient.

Registry prepares evidence. The decisions below are taken by the authorities named, under their own rules, and never by the platform.

Wer entscheidetDie FrageEvidenz, der diese Seite dient
Journal editors and publishersWhether an error warrants a correction, an expression of concern or a retractionCOPE guidance, the nature of the error, and the citing and derived works that relied on it
Data stewards and repository managersWhether a change is a correction to the same version or a new versionThe versioning policy, the extent of the change and the identifiers already cited
Research integrity officesWhether a pattern of corrections signals possible misconduct needing investigationCorrection history across records by the same contributors, with dates and stated reasons
Systematic reviewers and guideline panelsWhether included evidence must be re-examined after a correctionRetraction and correction status of every included item at the review date

Ergebnisse, die dieses Thema hervorbringt

  • Correction trails showing each change, its type, author, date and reason
  • Version chains linking every release to its predecessor and successor
  • Notices for superseded assertions kept visible beside the corrected record
  • A published correction route stating whom to contact and how a report is handled
08Kernfragen

What experts ask about corrections.

  • When is a change a correction, an update or a replacement, and how should each be labelled?
  • How can a correction reach citations, copies and derived records?
  • What must be kept of a superseded version so that past decisions can be understood?
  • Who may initiate, review and approve a correction?
  • How is a correction itself corrected?
09Mechanismen

Why uncorrected errors persist.

Studies of retracted research have long shown that flawed papers continue to be cited after retraction, largely because readers meet them through copies, summaries and reference lists that never learn of the change. The same happens with datasets, dashboards and programme descriptions. Silent edits make it worse: when a page changes without notice, readers cannot know that what they cited is no longer what the page says.

Good practice therefore treats records as append-only. A correction creates a new version that points to the one it supersedes, states what changed and why, and is announced through a notice that downstream Systeme can detect. Publishing communities have developed shared guidance for retractions and corrections, and versioned identifiers let citations point to a specific state. The Registry’s procedure is described on corrections and version history.

10Methoden und Grenzen

How versioning works in practice.

  1. 01

    Version chains

    Each version records its predecessor and successor, so the full history can be followed.

  2. 02

    Typed changes

    A change is labelled as a correction, an update, a supersession or a withdrawal, each with a reason.

  3. 03

    Change notices

    Machine-readable notices let copies elsewhere update, a feature discussed under registry interoperability.

  4. 04

    Grenzen

    No registry can recall copies it does not control. Notices help only Systeme that read them, and some errors are found too late to change decisions already taken. Correcting a record does not correct the reasoning others built on it.

11Methoden

Wie es untersucht wird und was die Methoden nicht sagen können.

  1. Datentechnik, Interoperabilität und DatenverantwortungSchemavalidiertes Einlesen · Abgleich persistenter Identifikatoren · Erfassung der Herkunftskette in PipelinesHier angewandt
  2. Cybersicherheit und KryptografieManipulationssichere Änderungshistorie · Signierte Exporte und Freigaben · Bedrohungsmodellierung der BearbeitungswegeHier angewandt
  3. Digitale Identität und öffentliche digitale SystemeAuthentifizierung und Befugnis des Ausstellers · Eindeutige Zuordnung von Beitragenden durch die Person selbstHier angewandt
12Where this page’s references

Where this page’s references lead.

Die Gremien und Dokumente, vor deren Hintergrund diese Seite gelesen wird. Status und Ausgaben ändern sich; jeder Link führt zur herausgebenden Stelle.

13Fragen

Fragen und Antworten.

What is the difference between a correction and a new version?
A correction fixes an error in the same work and is announced with a notice. A new version is a deliberate update, registered with its own identifier and linked to the version it replaces.
Are retracted records deleted?
No. Under COPE guidance a retracted item stays available and clearly marked, so readers can see what was withdrawn and why. Removal is reserved for narrow legal or safety grounds, and a notice remains.
How can I tell if a record I cited has changed?
Check its version chain and correction trail, or its Crossmark status where one exists. A content hash on the record shows whether its bytes differ from the copy you hold.
Why do retracted findings keep being cited?
Notices do not reach every copy, reference manager or derived dataset, and citing authors may not check status. Carrying corrections in metadata, not only on web pages, narrows that gap.
Will an earlier version disappear after a correction?
No. It remains available, marked as superseded, unless rights or the law require it to be withdrawn, in which case a notice remains.
Can anyone request a correction?
Yes. Requests go through corrections and version history and are reviewed by the record’s owner.
Is a withdrawal the same as a correction?
No. A withdrawal removes a record from public view and leaves a notice; a correction replaces content with a new version. See rights and disclosure.
BerichteBeitragen

Evidenz von dieser Seite aus beitragen.

Berichte is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.

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