Retraction Policy

The Davao Research Journal (DRJ) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and credibility of the scholarly record. The journal reserves the right to retract published articles that are found to contain serious violations of publication ethics or research integrity, in accordance with the guidelines and best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Grounds for retraction may include, but are not limited to:

• Plagiarism or substantial unattributed content overlap;
• Fabricated, falsified, or manipulated data and results;
• Duplicate or redundant publication;
• Unethical research practices;
• Unauthorized use of data or intellectual property;
• Fake authorship, fictitious reviewer identities, or fraudulent submission practices; and
• Significant errors that invalidate the findings or conclusions of the article.

All allegations of research or publication misconduct will be carefully evaluated by the Editorial Team through a fair, objective, and confidential investigation process. The journal may request explanations, supporting documents, raw data, ethical clearances, or institutional verification from the authors when necessary. If sufficient evidence of misconduct or major ethical violations is established, the journal may issue a formal retraction, correction, expression of concern, or removal of the article, depending on the severity and nature of the case. Retraction notices will remain publicly accessible to preserve the transparency and integrity of the scholarly record.