PLOS ONE published a correction stating that an incomplete, earlier version of the protocol article was released in error. The publisher apologized and republished the corrected article on October 12, 2026. The correction notice itself carries a separate PLOS ONE citation and was published October 23, 2026. Readers are advised to download the corrected article to ensure they consult the accurate protocol text rather than the earlier, uncorrected version.
The article at the center of this notice is the protocol titled "A scoping review of photovoice studies concerning greenspaces and their impacts on health: Protocol." The correction notice makes clear which files represent the originally published, uncorrected material and which file is the republished, corrected manuscript. The journal provided direct DOI links for both supporting files so that researchers can compare versions if required.
Two supporting files accompany the correction notice. S1 File is labeled as the originally published, uncorrected article. S2 File is labeled as the republished, corrected article. Both files are accessible through the DOIs supplied in the notice; the correction text lists these persistent links explicitly for reference and download.
The publisher’s instruction is unambiguous: download the republished, corrected article to view the correct version. The correction page hosts both versions for transparency, allowing readers to examine what content changed between the uncorrected and corrected publications. The notice does not describe the specific edits or differences between the two files beyond stating that the earlier version was incomplete and that the corrected version should be used going forward.
The correction notice reproduces the original protocol citation for clarity. The study authors are listed as Ejike CM, Ramos R, Ketema C, Waller M, Glahn K, Abubakar A, et al., and the protocol appeared in PLoS One 2026;21(8):e0355059. The notice also provides a PubMed identifier for the original protocol (pmid:42550811) and a DOI for the correction notice (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361454).
By including the citation and indexing details, the journal ensures that database records and references can be updated and reconciled. The correction record functions as the formal archival notice that links the originally posted content to the corrected, authoritative version now available.
The publisher apologized for the error and explicitly asked readers to download the corrected article. The correction notice is published under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original authors and source are credited. Both the uncorrected and corrected articles are made available on the article page for transparency and reference.
The notice does not enumerate the specific editorial or production steps that led to the incomplete publication. Nor does it provide a line-by-line account of changes between S1 File and S2 File; readers who require that level of detail must compare the two PDFs themselves using the DOI links supplied in the notice. The journal’s republication on October 12, 2026, and the correction notice dated October 23, 2026, together form the public record for this amendment.
Limitations and outstanding items
The correction notice documents the republication event and provides file-level access, but it does not report the precise nature of the omissions in the originally published version. The publisher did not enumerate which sections, if any, were affected or whether substantive methodological elements were altered. Readers seeking to confirm the integrity of the protocol should download S2 File (the republished, corrected article) and, if necessary, compare it directly with S1 File (the originally published, uncorrected article) using the provided DOIs.
For citation and indexing purposes, researchers should reference the republished protocol and the correction notice as listed on the article page. The article page contains the DOI links to both S1 and S2 supporting files and the correction DOI; consult those records when updating bibliographies, systematic review registries, or database entries.
The publisher’s correction and the availability of both versions address transparency, but the notice leaves unanswered which editorial controls will change to prevent recurrence. Readers who require clarification beyond what the notice supplies should contact the journal through its article page or consult the corrected PDF available for download.