An erratum corrects errors made by the publisher or printer, while a corrigendum corrects errors made by the author(s) in the original manuscript.
Publisher vs. Author Responsibility
Erratum addresses mistakes introduced during the publication process that were not present in the author's submitted manuscript. These typically include typographical errors, formatting problems, incorrect figure placement, or wrong page numbers that occurred during typesetting, printing, or online posting. The publisher takes responsibility for these corrections and issues the erratum notice.
Corrigendum fixes errors that existed in the author's original work—mistakes in data, calculations, methodology descriptions, citations, or conclusions that the authors themselves made before submission. Authors identify these errors (often after publication when readers point them out) and submit a correction request. The journal then publishes the corrigendum with the authors' names attached.
Practical Implications for Researchers
Both corrections appear as separate notices in the journal, typically linked to the original article. They become part of the permanent scientific record and should be cited alongside the original paper when referencing affected information.
The distinction matters for three reasons:
- Accountability: Corrigenda may raise questions about research rigor, while errata reflect production issues outside the authors' control
- Citation tracking: Some databases index corrections separately, so checking for errata or corrigenda ensures you're working with accurate information
- Reputation: Multiple corrigenda from the same research group might signal quality control concerns
Modern Usage Note
Many journals now use "correction" as a catch-all term regardless of who made the error, though traditional biomedical and scientific publishers still maintain the erratum/corrigendum distinction. When searching literature databases, try both terms plus "correction" to find all amendments to a paper. Scholar Search automatically surfaces these correction notices when you retrieve a paper, helping you avoid citing outdated or erroneous information from the original publication.
Always check for corrections before citing older papers, especially for numerical data, methodological details, or conclusions that seem inconsistent with later research.
