A significant correction has been issued regarding the authorship and author identifiers for a recently published article in Frontiers in Psychology, specifically within the Environmental Psychology section. The article, titled "Mapping meanings: methodological innovations to restore memories of place in a public park in Santiago de Chile," originally published on April 7, 2026, under Volume 17, experienced an error in the sequence of its author list and the omission of crucial ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) information for several contributing researchers. This correction aims to rectify these administrative oversights, ensuring accurate attribution and accessibility for the scholarly work.

Rectification of Authorial Order and Identification

The initial publication of the article presented the author list in the following sequence: Luis Valenzuela, Ana Rosenbluth, Martín Nilo, Teresa Ropert, and Michelle Bernardino. This ordering has now been officially corrected. The accurate and revised author list, reflecting the intended sequence of contributions and recognition, is now Teresa Ropert, Ana Rosenbluth, Martín Nilo, Luis Valenzuela, and Michelle Bernardino. This adjustment is critical for academic integrity, as author order can often signify varying levels of contribution or leadership within a research project.

Furthermore, the original article was found to be missing ORCID identifiers for several of its authors. ORCID is a persistent digital identifier that uniquely identifies researchers and distinguishes them from all other researchers. It is an essential tool for ensuring that research outputs are correctly attributed to their authors and for facilitating discoverability and citation tracking. The corrected publication now includes the following ORCID information for each author:

These additions ensure that each author’s research profile is clearly and unambiguously linked to this specific publication, thereby enhancing the transparency and traceability of their academic contributions. The journal’s editorial team has confirmed that the original version of the article has been updated to reflect these essential corrections.

Background of the Research and Methodological Innovations

The research itself, as indicated by its title and keywords, delves into the intersection of environmental psychology and critical cartography, focusing on "mapping meanings" and employing "methodological innovations to restore memories of place." The keywords further specify the application of "geo-indexicality," "place-assemblage," and the utilization of "qualitative methods" and "visual methods." This suggests a study that goes beyond conventional geographical mapping to explore the subjective and collective interpretations of space, particularly within a public park in Santiago, Chile.

The core of the research likely involves understanding how individuals and communities imbue public spaces with meaning, how these meanings are shaped by memory and experience, and how such understanding can be effectively captured and represented. The emphasis on "restoring memories of place" implies a potential concern with the erosion of historical or personal connections to urban environments, perhaps due to gentrification, urban development, or the passage of time. The use of critical cartography suggests an approach that questions traditional power structures embedded in mapping and seeks to offer alternative perspectives that prioritize lived experiences.

Environmental psychology, as a discipline, investigates the interplay between individuals and their surroundings, examining how physical environments affect human behavior, cognition, and well-being. In this context, the study likely explores how the psychological significance of a park’s features, historical narratives, and personal associations contribute to its overall meaning and utility for its users.

The methodological innovations mentioned are particularly noteworthy. Qualitative and visual methods often involve techniques such as interviews, focus groups, participatory mapping, photo-elicitation, and narrative analysis. These approaches are well-suited for capturing the nuanced and often intangible aspects of human experience in relation to place. The concept of "geo-indexicality" could refer to the way geographical locations are indexed or tagged with specific meanings, memories, or cultural significance, while "place-assemblage" might describe the complex and dynamic configuration of social, cultural, material, and emotional elements that constitute a place.

Chronology of the Publication and Correction Process

The article’s timeline, as indicated in the metadata, is as follows:

  • Received: March 18, 2026
  • Revised: March 23, 2026
  • Accepted: March 24, 2026
  • Published: April 7, 2026

This indicates a relatively swift peer-review and publication process. The correction itself was issued on April 7, 2026, the same day as the original publication, suggesting that the errors were identified and rectified very shortly after the article went live. This rapid response from the journal’s editorial office underscores a commitment to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of published research.

The fact that the correction was issued on the publication date itself suggests a procedural oversight rather than a significant discovery of error post-publication. It is common in academic publishing for minor administrative details like author order or missing identifiers to be flagged and corrected during the final stages of production or immediately after. The "Publisher’s note" further clarifies that "All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers." This is a standard disclaimer, but in the context of a correction, it reinforces the focus of the update on the article’s metadata rather than its substantive scientific claims.

Supporting Data and Context from the Research Area

While the correction notice does not provide details about the specific findings of the research, the subject matter—memories of place in a public park in Santiago de Chile—places it within a broader academic discourse on urban studies, memory, and the psychological impact of urban environments.

Santiago, as a major Latin American capital, has undergone significant urban development and transformation, particularly in recent decades. Public parks in such cities often serve as crucial social, cultural, and ecological spaces, but they can also be sites where historical memories are contested or reconfigured. Research on memory and place in urban contexts often highlights the role of public spaces in maintaining collective identity and historical consciousness. For instance, studies have explored how the design, management, and cultural narratives associated with parks can either reinforce or erase the memories of past events or communities.

The keywords suggest that the research might be engaging with theories of critical urbanism, which examine how urban spaces are shaped by power relations and social inequalities. Critical cartography, in this vein, would likely seek to challenge dominant representations of urban space and foreground marginalized perspectives.

The methodological approach of "restoring memories of place" could be particularly relevant in Santiago, where periods of political upheaval and rapid urban change may have impacted the collective memory associated with certain locations. Understanding how residents perceive and interact with their local parks, and how these perceptions are linked to historical experiences, can provide valuable insights for urban planning and heritage preservation.

Publisher’s Response and Editorial Standards

The issuance of this correction by Frontiers in Psychology demonstrates adherence to established editorial standards that prioritize accuracy and transparency. The journal’s commitment to providing the correct author list and complete ORCID identifiers is crucial for the academic record. The "Publisher’s note" and "Disclaimer" sections are standard components of academic articles, intended to clarify the scope of responsibility and the nature of the claims made within the research.

The prompt correction, especially on the day of publication, suggests an efficient internal workflow for rectifying errors. This is a positive indicator of the journal’s operational diligence. The open-access nature of the publication, under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, further ensures that the corrected information is freely available and can be widely disseminated, allowing other researchers and interested parties to access the accurate details of the article.

Broader Implications and Future Research

This correction, while administrative in nature, has several implications for the research community and the specific field of environmental psychology:

  • Academic Integrity: Ensuring accurate author attribution is fundamental to academic integrity. Correcting the author order rectifies any potential misrepresentation of individual contributions. The inclusion of ORCID IDs enhances the discoverability and citation accuracy of the work, supporting the principle of proper attribution.
  • Research Reproducibility and Traceability: ORCID IDs are vital for linking researchers to their published work, facilitating citation tracking, and supporting the principles of reproducible research. The addition of these identifiers makes it easier for other researchers to find and cite this work accurately.
  • Understanding of Place and Memory: The underlying research on mapping meanings and restoring memories of place in a public park has the potential to contribute significantly to our understanding of how individuals connect with their urban environments. The methodological innovations employed could offer new tools for researchers in urban studies, environmental psychology, and cultural geography.
  • Urban Planning and Heritage: Findings from such research can inform urban planning policies, heritage conservation efforts, and community engagement initiatives. By understanding the "meanings" attached to public spaces, urban planners can design and manage these areas in ways that are more sensitive to the lived experiences and historical narratives of the communities they serve.

The corrected article, with its accurate author list and comprehensive ORCID identifiers, is now better positioned to contribute to ongoing scholarly discussions. Future research building upon this work will benefit from the clear and correct attribution of its authors. The study’s focus on methodological innovation in understanding place-based memories also offers a valuable template for similar investigations in diverse urban settings worldwide. The journal’s swift action ensures that the academic community can engage with this research with the confidence of accurate authorial information.

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