Corrections for Nutrition
This page explains how factual problems, source changes and substantive updates should be handled on this CAB Direct information site. The aim is to correct the site without rewriting the historical record or misrepresenting the status of an underlying publication.
These rules should be read together with the site's /editorial-policy/ and /how-we-rate-evidence/.
What this page covers
A correction is needed when information published on this site is materially inaccurate, attributed to the wrong source, based on incorrect metadata, or no longer reflects a documented correction, retraction or replacement of the underlying source.
Not every change is a correction. Some changes simply bring a page up to date, improve wording, repair a link or add newly available evidence without showing that the earlier text was factually wrong.
|
Type |
When it applies |
Editorial treatment |
|---|---|---|
|
Factual correction |
A statement on the site is contradicted by a reliable source or was transcribed, calculated or interpreted incorrectly. |
Check the relevant evidence and correct the site text. A substantive change should preserve enough context for readers to understand what changed. |
|
Metadata correction |
A name, title, date, affiliation, publication detail, identifier, conference detail or URL is wrong. |
Verify the metadata against the responsible publisher, institution, DOI record, CABI record or other authoritative source before changing it. |
|
Update |
New information becomes available but the earlier wording was not necessarily incorrect when published. |
Update the page without describing the earlier version as an error unless the evidence shows that it was one. |
|
Source correction or retraction |
The publisher or record owner corrects, retracts, replaces or otherwise changes the status of an underlying source. |
Reflect the documented source status on the information page and direct readers to the responsible publisher or record owner. |
|
Editorial clarification |
Wording could cause a reasonable reader to misunderstand the scope, certainty or provenance of a claim. |
Clarify the language while preserving the distinction between the source evidence and the site's own explanation. |
How a correction is checked
When a possible error is identified, the relevant claim should be checked against the strongest available source for that specific point. The appropriate source may be an original publication, an official publisher record, a DOI record, a CABI Digital Library record, an institutional page or another primary source.
The correction should address the claim that is actually supported or contradicted by the evidence. A database record can verify bibliographic or indexing information, but it should not be treated as proof that every scientific conclusion in the underlying publication is correct.
If reliable sources disagree, the disagreement should be made visible when it materially affects the page. The site should not invent a reconciliation or silently select the version that is most convenient.
Corrections to underlying publications
This site does not alter original journal articles, books, conference papers, database records or other source documents. When a publisher, journal or record owner issues a correction, retraction or replacement, the information page should describe that documented change and link readers to the responsible source when a verified URL is available.
CABI's published journal-selection criteria for CAB Abstracts and Global Health specifically consider whether a journal makes publishing practices such as corrections and retractions evident. This is a criterion used in source selection; it does not mean that CABI itself performs a new peer review of every item represented in its databases.
Historical records and corrected evidence
Historical records should remain identifiable as historical records. If later evidence changes the accepted interpretation of an older work, the information page should explain that later context rather than rewriting the older source as though it originally contained the newer conclusion.
Likewise, a correction to this site does not itself change an official CABI record or a third-party publication. Responsibility for correcting those source materials remains with the publisher, database owner or institution that controls the original record.
What to include in a correction request
A useful correction request identifies the exact material in question and provides enough evidence for the issue to be checked. When reporting a possible error, include:
the page URL or page title;
the exact statement, table entry or metadata field that may be wrong;
a short explanation of the problem;
the source that supports the correction, preferably the primary or official source;
the relevant publication date, DOI, record identifier or other reference when available.
Do not send passwords, account credentials, sensitive personal information or unrelated private data with a correction request.
Where to send a correction
The project materials supplied for this site do not identify a separate verified corrections inbox. For that reason, this page does not invent a dedicated email address or claim a response time that has not been confirmed.
For the verified contact routes currently available, see /contacts/. If the issue concerns an official CABI publication or CABI Digital Library record rather than this information site, use the relevant official CABI contact listed there.
What a correction does not imply
A corrected page does not automatically invalidate the underlying publication.
A retracted or corrected source should not be described more strongly than the publisher or record owner describes it.
An update is not automatically evidence that the earlier page contained an error.
Indexing in a CABI database is not, by itself, a guarantee that every claim in the indexed publication is correct.
A site correction does not modify a third-party article, book, conference paper or official database record.