Pages - VIII.3.5 Post-publication corrections

10 Every effort should be made to minimize the need for corrections to WHO publications after they been published, i.e deposited in the Institutional Repository for Information Sharing (IRIS; see section VIII.5.1), distributed in print format and/or made available through the WHO website. All WHO publications should be planned and developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders, cleared through the appropriate channels (see section VIII.1.4) and edited in accordance with WHO policy and house style. Adequate time should also be allowed for all stages of the publishing process, including proofreading of the final laid-out file.

20 If a technical error is identified after a WHO document has been published, a post-publication correction is required and a corrigendum should be issued. Technical errors include factual inaccuracies; incorrect values in the text and/or tables; names that have been omitted or incorrectly spelled; and incorrect affiliations in the acknowledgements section or other lists of contributors. A corrigendum should be inserted in the PDF of the document, in all its instances including the print version and translations. immediately after the copyright page as part of the preliminary pages.

30 If scientific misconduct is alleged such as plagiarism (see section VIII.7.2), or concerns are raised about the conduct or integrity of work published by WHO, appropriate action should be taken, which may include the retraction of the publication (see section VIII.7.4).

40 A corrigendum should not be issued for editorial or typographical errors, unless they change the intended meaning of the technical content.

50 The contents of any publication should be accurate at the time of publication. A corrigendum should not be issued if there have been changes since publication, for example, when new data or evidence have appeared. In such cases, the publication may be updated with a new edition.

60 At WHO headquarters, all requests to replace files of publications in IRIS with a version that includes a corrigendum should be directed to the Office of the Publisher (WHO Press) for advice on the action to be taken. In regional offices, all such requests should be addressed to the publishing office concerned.

70 If a corrigendum is warranted, the text for this should be drafted by the technical unit concerned in consultation with the Office of the Publisher at headquarters or the regional publishing office concerned, using the related template. The template includes the title of the publication, the date of the correction, the identifiers and changes made. If the changes are extensive or include corrections to health or economic estimates, or statements concerning health financing (see section VIII.2.8), corrections to non-standard maps (see section VIII.2.9) or corrections to statements concerning politically or legally sensitive issues (see section VIII.2.6), the executive clearance process should be repeated (see section VIII.1.4). In all other cases, the changes should be approved by the unit head concerned, as well as the director.

80 At WHO headquarters, the PDF containing the corrigendum should be entered into TULIP, validated by Office of the Publisher staff, and used to replace the original PDF in IRIS (see section VIII.5.1). In regional offices, the files should be validated and published following the procedures in place in the office concerned. All translated versions must be checked for the errors identified in the original language version. The same procedures apply when the error also requires correction in translated versions.

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VIII.3.5 Post-publication corrections