Abstract: Disclosed is a method and a system for error detection and correction in which codewords are made up of data and two groups of check symbols. The first group of check symbols is generated by a correction verification code, which verifies error correction; and, the second group of check symbols is generated by an interleaved Reed-Solomon code with symbols from the Galois field GF(2.sup.8), which serves for error correction.The correction verification code is cyclic with a generator polynomialg.sub.v (x)=x.sup.2 +1over the field GF(2.sup.8).The Reed-Solomon code has a formg.sub.0 (x)=x.sup.4 +.alpha..sup.54 x.sup.3 +.alpha..sup.9 x.sup.2 +.alpha..sup.54 x+1,where .alpha. is a primitive element of the field GF(2.sup.8), generated by a polynomialp(x)=x.sup.8 +x.sup.6 +x.sup.5 +.sup.4 +1.The error correction system decoder uses the first root x.sub.1 of an error location polynomial.sigma.(x)=x.sup.2 +.sigma..sub.1 x+.sigma..sub.2to calculate the second root x.sub.2 of the polynominal.