The journal “Transplantation and Artificial Organs” follows COPE guidelines and applies retraction procedures in cases of serious publication ethics violations.

Grounds for retraction:

• plagiarism
• data fabrication or falsification
• major errors affecting conclusions
• duplicate publication
• copyright violations
• undisclosed conflicts of interest
• ethical misconduct

Procedure:

1. Initiation (editorial board, authors, or third parties)
2. Investigation (including expert review if needed)
3. Editorial decision

Retraction process:

• the article remains online
• marked as “Retracted”
• reason for retraction is clearly stated
• metadata are updated

Alternatives:

• correction
• erratum
• expression of concern