Retraction notice to “A novel competitive exact approach to solve assembly line balancing problems based on lexicographic order of vectors” [Heliyon 9 (2023) e13925] (Heliyon (2023) 9(3), (S2405844023011325), (10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13925))

Abstract

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier policy on article withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor. Post-publication, an investigation conducted on behalf of the journal by Elsevier's Research Integrity & Publishing Ethics team discovered substantial changes in authorship during the submission process of this paper. During revision, Shifu Xu, Seyed Mahdi Shavarani, Mazyar Ghadiri Nejad, and Bela Vizvari were added to the author list without adequate explanation. The Editor does not have confidence that all of the stated authors of the article qualify for authorship and has therefore lost confidence in the validity/integrity of the article and made the decision to retract. The authors disagree with retraction and dispute the grounds for it. © 2025 The Author(s)