Crossmark policy.

Crossmark is a service run by Crossref, the organization that registers JoST's DOIs. Each JoST paper page shows a Crossmark button. Clicking it shows whether the paper is current, or whether it has been corrected, updated or retracted, along with other information about the paper.

The button reflects what JoST has registered with Crossref, so it stays accurate even when a reader has an old downloaded copy of the paper.

The Journal of Systems Thinking, published by the Academy of Systems Thinking, commits to keeping the content it publishes accurate and to telling readers when a published paper changes. JoST does not delete the record. When a paper is changed or retracted, the earlier version stays readable and the change is noted openly.

Editors check every submission against the journal's published standards before it is published. Peer review then happens in the open, on the published paper, with each review signed and linked to the reviewer's verified ORCID iD. The full process is described in the journal's policies.

Authors must submit original work, cite their sources, and disclose conflicts of interest, funding and substantial use of AI tools. The research integrity policy sets out what is expected of authors and reviewers.

Authors may revise a published paper in response to peer review or to fix an error. Each revision is published as a new version with a short public note on what changed, after an editor checks it. Every earlier version stays readable, and each review shows which version it reviewed.

When a change affects a paper's results, conclusions or credit, JoST registers it with Crossref, so the Crossmark button shows it.

A paper may be retracted if its findings are unreliable, if it breaks the journal's integrity rules (for example, through plagiarism, duplicate publication or undisclosed conflicts), or if it was published in error.

A retracted paper stays public. It carries a dated retraction notice that gives the reason for the retraction. There are no anonymous retractions and no silent removals. The retraction is registered with Crossref, so the Crossmark button shows it.

Anyone who finds an error or has a concern about a published paper can write to the editors at hub@jost.science. Please include the paper's title or DOI and describe the problem. The editors will respond, and any resulting correction or retraction will be recorded openly, as described above.