Mispublication

Mispublication refers to the act or instance of publishing information in a way that is inappropriate, incorrect, or unauthorized. It encompasses publishing content that was not intended for public release, releasing an incorrect or draft version, or distributing material without the rights holder’s permission. In scholarly and legal contexts, mispublication may involve publishing a document that should remain confidential, or issuing a corrected version without properly replacing the original.

Contexts include academic publishing, where mispublication can mean the wrong manuscript version appears in the literature, or duplicate and redundant publication; in journalism, publishing content that was embargoed or incorrectly sourced; in government or corporate settings, release of confidential or embargoed documents; and in digital repositories, misrouting or mislabeling files.

Causes are varied: editorial or production errors, mislabeling of versions, automated workflow failures, lack of rights clearance, or deliberate breaches of policy. Distinctions are often made between inadvertent mispublication and intentional mispublication, the latter being a form of policy violation or misinformation if the content is misleading.

Impacts include confusion among readers, copyright and licensing problems, reputational damage to publishers and authors, and potential legal consequences. Remedies emphasize prompt withdrawal or correction, issuing errata, replacing with the correct version, and, when necessary, retractions or publicly documented notices to prevent ongoing dissemination.

See also: retraction, erratum, corrigendum, copyright infringement, redundant publication, version control.