RETRACTED: Laboratory evaluation of rheological behavior of binder and performance of stone matrix asphalt (SMA) mixtures containing zycotherm nanotechnology, sasobit, and rheofalt warm mixture additives

Abstract

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal ( https://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy ). This article has been retracted at the request of Editor-in-Chief An investigation identified violations of the journal’s policies on authorship and conflict of interest related to the submission and review of this paper. Authorship changes were made after submission. Five authors were added to the paper at the revision stage (Danial Nasr, Rezvan Babagoli, Amir Hossein Pakshir, Navid Norouzi, Siamak Davoudinezhad). These changes were made without validation or authorisation. This breached the journal's policy on authorship. Additionally, acceptance of the article was partly based upon the positive advice of a reviewer who was linked with three of the authors (Alireza Ameli, Navid Norouzi, Rezvan Babagoli). One of the Authors responded to requests for clarification on these points, but those explanations did not satisfactorily address the concerns. As such and due to the nature of the irregularities uncovered, the Editor has lost confidence in the validity/integrity and findings of the article and decided to retract the article. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers. The Authors do not agree with the decision to retract the paper and dispute the grounds for it.