corrigenda

Corrigenda, the plural form of corrigendum, are formal notices issued to correct errors in previously published works. They are intended to rectify mistakes introduced by authors or, less commonly, by publishers, without retracting the work.

Distinctions among corrigenda and related terms vary by field. In many journals, a corrigendum covers author-originated errors; an erratum covers publisher-originated errors. Some publishers use the terms interchangeably, or reserve one term for certain contexts.

Process: when an error is identified, the author (or editor) drafts a corrigendum that specifies the nature of the error and provides the correct information. The notice is published as a separate item, linked to the original work, and often assigned its own DOI. Online versions of the article are usually updated to reflect the correction, while the original text remains part of the record.

Scope: corrigenda typically address errors in data, figures, tables, author names or affiliations, funding statements, or minor textual mistakes that could affect interpretation. They do not imply misconduct and are distinct from retractions, which remove a work from the record.

Etymology and usage: derived from Latin corrigere, to correct; corrigendum is singular and corrigenda is the plural. The term is widely used in scholarly publishing, including journals, monographs and standards, to preserve the integrity of the literature.

Examples: a unit mislabelled on a figure, a misspelled author name, or an incorrect affiliation.

Impact: corrigenda maintain transparency and accuracy while preserving citations, though significant data errors may prompt further actions, up to retraction.