Corrections policy
In short
Coloscopy.com corrects errors openly. When a page is changed in a way that affects what a reader could reasonably take from it, the change is recorded in a visible note at the foot of that page. Anyone can report a suspected error to corrections@coloscopy.com, and we aim to respond within five working days.
What this page covers
What we consider a correction, the categories we distinguish between, how a correction appears on the page, the difference between a correction and an ordinary editorial update, and the route for raising one. The intent is that nothing of substance changes silently.
What triggers a correction
A correction is made whenever the published page contains an inaccuracy or omission that a reasonable reader, acting on it, might be misled by. The threshold is a practical one rather than a question of taste. We are concerned with what the page says, not how it could have been written more elegantly.
The triggers, in descending order of seriousness, are:
- Clinical-substantive errors. A statement about a procedure, medication, dose, timing, contraindication, or risk that is incorrect, out of date, or misleading. These are the corrections we treat most urgently.
- Factual errors. A wrong number, date, organisation name, jurisdiction, or attribution. A claim that a guideline says one thing when it says another.
- Broken or wrong links. A link that no longer resolves, points to the wrong source, or points to a source that has itself been retracted or superseded.
- Typographical and copy errors. A misspelling, a transposed digit, a stray punctuation mark, or a sentence that fails to parse. These are corrected without ceremony if they do not change the meaning.
How corrections appear
The treatment of a correction depends on its category, because not every change deserves the same prominence.
Clinical-substantive and factual corrections are recorded as a dated note at the foot of the affected page, above the disclaimer. The note states what was wrong, what the page now says, and the date the change was made. The original wording is preserved in the note so that a reader can see what has been altered. We do not silently overwrite a clinical claim.
Link corrections are made inline. A short note records the date and the substitution if the previous source no longer exists or has been superseded. If a guideline cited on the page has been replaced by a newer version, both the new citation and the date of the swap appear on the page.
Typographical and copy corrections are made silently. There is no note, because the meaning has not changed.
Substantial editorial revisions — a section rewritten because the underlying evidence has moved, a new caveat added, an obsolete passage removed — are recorded in the page's revision history rather than as a correction. The distinction is that a correction acknowledges that something previously published was wrong; an editorial update acknowledges that the world has moved on. Both are dated.
How to report a suspected error
Send a message to corrections@coloscopy.com. Where possible, include:
- The URL of the page in question.
- A short quotation of the passage you believe is wrong.
- What you believe is correct, and why — a citation, a current guideline, a personal correction (e.g., a clinician noting that a dose is wrong) all carry weight.
You do not need to be a clinician, a researcher, or a patient with a particular history to write to us. Readers catch errors that nobody on the editorial side would have caught. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, simply say so; we do not publish the names of people who report corrections unless they explicitly ask to be credited.
We aim to acknowledge a corrections message within five working days. Where we agree the page is wrong, we publish the correction promptly. Where we disagree — for instance, where two reasonable interpretations of a guideline coexist — we explain why, and reconsider if you press the point.
What we will not do
We will not retroactively alter a page to remove a correction note once it has been published, except where the correction note itself is wrong. We will not remove a page from the site to obscure that it once said something different; the historical content remains visible through the correction note. We will not change a clinical claim because it is unpopular or because a reader disagrees on principle, only if the claim is, on the evidence available, wrong.
Standards we follow
Our corrections policy is informed by the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) on the correction and retraction of published material, and by general principles of transparent online publishing. We treat clinical claims as we would treat claims in a journal article: visibly correctable, dated, and traceable.
Common worries, briefly addressed
Will my message be public?
No. Correspondence to corrections@coloscopy.com is treated as private. The corrected page records what was changed and when, but does not name the person who reported the issue unless they ask to be credited.
What if I am the clinician who reviewed the original page?
Tell us. A correction request from a previous reviewer, particularly one noting that practice has shifted, is treated with the same seriousness as the original review.
How long does a correction note stay on the page?
Indefinitely. The point of the note is that the change does not vanish from the record.