Version of Record and Arab Journal for Security Studies (AJSS) Corrections Policy

In an effort to better serve our researchers, librarians, and others in the academic community, AJSS believes clarity in the publishing record is a critical component of information distribution. Recognizing a published article as a finalized “Version of Record” establishes the expectation that it can be relied upon as accurate, complete, and citable. AJSS defines this Version of Record as the article paginated in a volume and issue or the initial article publication for open access journals (Open Access journals do not publish any additional versions such as paginated issue/volume versions).

Corrections prior to the Version of Record

Because articles can be read and cited as soon as they are published (including Online First publication), any changes thereafter could potentially impact those who read and cited the earlier version. AJSS provides authors with an opportunity to review article proofs prior to publication with the express goal of ensuring accuracy of the content. Publishing an erratum or corrigendum increases the likelihood readers will find out about the change and also explains the specifics of the change.

When an article is published Online First but not yet published in an issue, limited corrections may be made at the discretion of the journal.

Version of Record

When an article is published in an issue (or an Open Access article is first published), it is considered the Version of Record. AJSS is committed to preserving the integrity and transparency of the Version of Record. If a significant error is discovered, AJSS may publish an erratum or corrigendum notice to alert all readers.

AJSS takes issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism and other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. In the rare cases where a breach of publication ethics or copyright infringement are discovered, AJSS reserves the right to take appropriate action to correct the academic record, including but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum; publishing an expression of concern linked to the article; retracting the article and publishing an accompanying retraction notice; or removing an article for legal reasons and replacing the removed article with a notice.

AJSS’s Crossmark Policy

Building upon our commitment of a reliable Version of Record and our Corrections policy, as outlined above, AJSS also participates in the Crossmark program. This program allows readers to quickly and easily access the status of a piece of published content, including updates, corrections, and retractions, as well as provide valuable article metadata.

On AJSS you will now see the Crossmark icon, as shown below, both on HTML and PDF versions of our articles. Clicking on the icon makes a pop-up box appear that shows the reader the current status of the article (for example, up-to-date, updates available, or retracted), as well as also displaying any additional information or metadata AJSS has supplied to Crossmark.

Learn more about Crossmark, a multi-publisher initiative from Crossref, at https://www.crossref.org/services/crossmark/.

AJSS content

The AJSS content that will have the CrossMark icon is restricted to current and future journal content and limited to specific publication types (see below) and only on content hosted by official AJSS websites. 

Publication Types

Article Type	Short Description
Original Article	Full-length research reports of an original study, carried out prospectively or retrospectively, by an individual researcher or the collaboration of a group of researchers, reporting knowledge about a topic important to the security studies
Review Article	Detailed review of specific subject, backed up by full reference list and exploring all aspects of subject
Letter to the Editor	Letters may discuss previously published material or commentaries in the Arab Journal of Security Studies (AJSS). Letters commenting on the published material are shared with the original authors to give them an opportunity to respond.
Book Review	Review of a book or other publication of interest to the scientific community in the fields of security studies. These articles provide a description of the book being reviewed, the strengths and weaknesses of the book, and the intended audience.
Conference Proceedings	Conference Proceedings are a compilation of research papers presented at a scientific meeting, symposium, or conference and are produced from the manuscripts received from authors.
Case Study	Investigative case studies and reports describe how practitioners are dealing with emerging challenges in the field. Also, case studies establish meaningful forum between practitioners and researchers with useful solutions in various fields of digital security and forensics. It includes all kinds of practical applications, which covers principles, projects, missions, techniques, tools, methods, processes etc.
Technical Notes	A description of a technical aspect of a field or issue, a report on a procedure or method, or a validation of techniques or methodologies. Technical Notes are usually shorter than Original Articles.
Field Report	The field reports analyze social phenomenon or observed place or event and provide data to identify and classify shared themes in relation to the research problem.
Theoretical Article	A theoretical research paper focuses on developing, analyzing, or evaluating theoretical frameworks within a specific field of security studies. Unlike experimental research, it does not rely on empirical data but contributes to the theoretical analysis of a particular subject. These papers extensively review existing literature, propose or refine theoretical frameworks, and engage in critical analysis to identify gaps or inconsistencies.