Manuscript Withdrawal Policy | Global Scholar Publications

📤 Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

🎯 Purpose of the Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

The purpose of this Manuscript Withdrawal Policy is to establish a fair, transparent, and consistent procedure for authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher when a manuscript needs to be withdrawn from editorial consideration.

Global Scholar Publications applies this policy to:

• protect the integrity of editorial and peer review records;
• prevent duplicate, simultaneous, or multiple-journal submission;
• ensure that all listed authors agree to withdrawal;
• distinguish legitimate withdrawal from unethical publication practices;
• protect editorial and reviewer resources;
• maintain accurate manuscript and publication records;
• protect confidential manuscript and reviewer information;
• provide clarity regarding withdrawal at different stages of publication;
• ensure that ethical concerns are not concealed through withdrawal;
• maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

📘 Meaning of Manuscript Withdrawal

Manuscript withdrawal is the formal removal of a submitted manuscript from further editorial consideration before it becomes a formally published article. Withdrawal may normally be initiated by the authors through a formal request or may occur through an editorial or administrative decision where circumstances require it.

A manuscript may be considered for withdrawal at different stages, including:

• before initial editorial screening;
• during editorial assessment;
• after reviewer assignment;
• during peer review;
• during revision;
• after acceptance but before publication;
• during copyediting, typesetting, or production;
• in exceptional circumstances after online publication, where an appropriate post-publication procedure may instead apply.

⚖️ Withdrawal Is Not the Same as Rejection

Withdrawal means that a manuscript is formally removed from editorial consideration, generally following an author request or an editorial decision arising from a specific circumstance. Rejection is an editorial decision that a manuscript will not be accepted for publication by the journal.

A rejected manuscript does not ordinarily need to be withdrawn because the editorial process has already concluded. Authors may generally submit a rejected manuscript elsewhere, provided that no unresolved ethical investigation or other restriction applies.

⛔ Withdrawal Is Not the Same as Retraction

Retraction primarily applies to an article that has already been formally published and is subsequently found to contain serious errors, unreliable findings, plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research, fabricated or falsified information, or another significant publication-integrity concern.

An unpublished manuscript is normally withdrawn rather than retracted. Once an article has been formally published, the relevant Retraction Policy, Correction Policy, or another applicable post-publication policy may apply.

🌐 Scope of This Policy Across Global Scholar Publications

This Manuscript Withdrawal Policy applies across the journal portfolio published by Global Scholar Publications. Individual journals may have journal-specific editorial procedures, submission systems, or contact arrangements, but the fundamental principles of responsible withdrawal, author agreement, confidentiality, originality, ethical accountability, and protection of the scholarly record remain applicable across the publisher's portfolio.

📚 Journal Portfolio

Authors should identify the specific journal and manuscript when submitting a withdrawal request so that the request can be processed accurately.

👨‍🔬 Author Responsibility Before Submission

Authors are expected to review their manuscript carefully before submission and ensure that the submission is ready for editorial consideration. Before submitting a manuscript to any Global Scholar Publications journal, authors should confirm that:

• all listed authors have approved the manuscript;
• the author list and author order are accurate;
• the manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal;
• the manuscript is original and has not been published elsewhere;
• required ethical approvals and permissions have been obtained;
• data, figures, tables, references, and declarations are accurate;
• institutional, contractual, or legal restrictions do not prevent publication;
• all required disclosures and declarations are complete;
• the manuscript is suitable for editorial and peer review.

Careful preparation before submission reduces avoidable withdrawal requests and prevents unnecessary use of editorial and reviewer resources.

✅ Legitimate Reasons for Manuscript Withdrawal

Global Scholar Publications may consider a withdrawal request when the request is supported by a clear and reasonable explanation. Legitimate circumstances may include:

• discovery of a substantial error affecting the reliability of the manuscript;
• an unresolved authorship dispute;
• submission without the approval of all authors;
• identification of ethical approval, consent, or permission problems;
• institutional, legal, security, or contractual restrictions;
• serious concerns regarding data accuracy or research integrity;
• accidental submission of an incorrect or substantially incomplete manuscript;
• unexpected inability to complete essential revisions;
• discovery of substantial overlap with another publication;
• other circumstances that make continued editorial consideration inappropriate or impractical.

🚫 Inappropriate Reasons or Withdrawal Behaviour

Global Scholar Publications may question or investigate withdrawal requests that appear to be intended to manipulate the editorial process, avoid legitimate peer review, obtain free reviewer feedback, or submit the same manuscript to another journal while it remains under consideration.

Examples of inappropriate withdrawal behaviour include:

• withdrawing solely because another journal appears likely to publish faster;
• submitting the manuscript to another journal before receiving formal withdrawal confirmation;
• withdrawing after acceptance solely to avoid agreed publication responsibilities without a legitimate reason;
• repeatedly submitting and withdrawing manuscripts to obtain editorial or reviewer feedback;
• withdrawing to conceal plagiarism, fabricated data, duplicate submission, or other misconduct;
• attempting to avoid reasonable editorial or revision requirements without substantive justification;
• requesting withdrawal on behalf of co-authors without appropriate authority.

📧 How to Submit a Withdrawal Request

A manuscript withdrawal request should be submitted through the appropriate official communication channel of the journal or publisher. The corresponding author should ordinarily submit the request and provide sufficient information for the manuscript to be identified.

A withdrawal request should include:

• the name of the journal;
• the complete manuscript title;
• the manuscript or submission identification number;
• the name and contact details of the corresponding author;
• a clear explanation of the reason for withdrawal;
• confirmation that all listed authors agree to withdrawal;
• supporting documentation where relevant.

Authors should use the official communication details associated with the journal concerned and should retain copies of the withdrawal request and any correspondence received from the editorial office.

✍️ Agreement of All Authors

A withdrawal request should ordinarily be approved by all listed authors. The corresponding author is responsible for confirming that all co-authors have been informed about the request and agree to withdraw the manuscript.

Where agreement cannot be obtained, Global Scholar Publications or the relevant journal may:

• pause editorial processing;
• request written statements from the authors;
• request evidence of author approval;
• refer the matter to the relevant institution where appropriate;
• delay withdrawal confirmation until the dispute is clarified;
• continue an ethical investigation where necessary.

📥 Withdrawal Before Editorial Screening

A manuscript may generally be withdrawn more easily when the request is received shortly after submission and before editorial screening, reviewer assignment, or substantial administrative processing has begun.

The journal may verify:

• the identity of the corresponding author;
• the manuscript details;
• the agreement of all authors;
• the stated reason for withdrawal;
• whether any duplicate-submission or ethical concern exists.

🔍 Withdrawal During Editorial Screening

Authors may request withdrawal while a manuscript is undergoing initial editorial assessment. Such requests should be submitted promptly and should explain why continued consideration is no longer appropriate.

If editors have already identified plagiarism, duplicate submission, authorship irregularities, fabricated information, falsified data, or another ethical concern, withdrawal does not necessarily end the publisher's responsibility to investigate the matter.

👨‍⚖️ Withdrawal During Peer Review

Withdrawal during peer review affects editors and reviewers who may already have invested considerable time and expertise in evaluating the manuscript. Authors should therefore provide a clear and legitimate explanation for withdrawal.

The relevant journal may consider:

• whether reviewer reports have already been received;
• whether substantial editorial work has already been completed;
• whether the authors intend to submit the manuscript elsewhere;
• whether ethical concerns have been raised;
• whether all authors support the withdrawal.

Reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and confidential editorial records remain part of the journal's internal editorial process. Withdrawal does not transfer ownership or confidentiality rights in those records to the authors.

🔄 Withdrawal During Revision

Authors may request withdrawal after receiving a revision decision. The request should explain why the authors cannot or do not intend to continue with the revision process.

Legitimate circumstances may include:

• discovery of a serious flaw in the research;
• inability to obtain essential supporting data;
• an unresolved authorship or ethical issue;
• institutional restrictions preventing continued publication;
• substantial changes requiring a fundamentally different study.

Simple disagreement with reviewer comments does not automatically make a withdrawal request improper. However, authors must follow the formal withdrawal procedure and wait for written confirmation.

✅ Withdrawal After Acceptance

Withdrawal after acceptance requires additional consideration because the manuscript has completed editorial assessment and peer review, and production activities may already have begun.

An after-acceptance withdrawal request should include:

• a detailed explanation;
• written confirmation from all authors;
• confirmation regarding duplicate or simultaneous publication;
• supporting evidence where ethical, legal, or institutional issues are involved;
• acknowledgement that editorial or production work may already have been completed.

🖥️ Withdrawal During Production

Once a manuscript enters production, formatting, proofreading, metadata preparation, issue assignment, DOI preparation, or other publication activities may already have occurred.

At this stage, the journal or publisher may determine:

• whether publication can still be stopped;
• whether a DOI or article record has already been created;
• whether the manuscript has been assigned to an issue;
• whether article metadata has been transmitted to external services;
• whether a formal withdrawal notice is necessary.

📅 Withdrawal After Online Publication

Once an article has been formally published and made publicly available as part of the scholarly record, it may no longer qualify for ordinary manuscript withdrawal.

Depending on the circumstances, the applicable post-publication action may include:

• a correction;
• an expression of concern;
• a retraction;
• exceptional removal where legal, safety, or other extraordinary circumstances require it.

The official publication record should not ordinarily be removed merely because authors subsequently change their preference regarding publication.

💰 Publication Charges and Manuscript Withdrawal

Publication charges and withdrawal decisions are treated separately from editorial and peer review decisions. A withdrawal request does not automatically create, cancel, or waive a financial obligation.

The applicable outcome may depend on:

• the stage at which withdrawal is requested;
• whether editorial or production services have already been completed;
• whether an invoice has been issued;
• whether the article has been formally published;
• the payment conditions communicated to the authors.

Authors should contact the relevant journal or publisher for clarification regarding manuscript-specific financial matters.

🧾 Withdrawal Confirmation

A withdrawal becomes effective only after the relevant journal or Global Scholar Publications issues formal written confirmation. The confirmation should identify the manuscript and indicate that editorial consideration has ended.

Authors should retain the withdrawal confirmation for their records, particularly before submitting the manuscript to another journal.

🔁 Resubmission of a Withdrawn Manuscript

A withdrawn manuscript may be considered as a new submission where permitted by the relevant journal and where the circumstances leading to the previous withdrawal have been appropriately addressed.

Authors may be required to:

• disclose the previous submission;
• explain the reason for withdrawal;
• provide a revised manuscript where appropriate;
• resolve authorship, ethical, technical, or data concerns;
• complete a new editorial assessment and peer review process.

📚 Use of Reviewer Comments After Withdrawal

Reviewer comments are confidential communications intended for the journal's editorial process. Authors may use constructive feedback to improve their research and manuscript, but withdrawal does not authorise authors to publish, distribute, or disclose confidential reviewer reports or reviewer identities without appropriate permission.

Withdrawal does not authorise disclosure of confidential editorial correspondence, reviewer identities, or internal manuscript records.

🏢 Institutional Withdrawal Requests

An institution, research-integrity office, ethics committee, funder, or authorised representative may contact the relevant journal regarding serious concerns affecting a submitted manuscript.

Global Scholar Publications or the relevant journal may request:

• confirmation of the institution's authority;
• details of the concern;
• supporting documentation;
• information regarding an ongoing investigation;
• clarification of the requested editorial action.

🚨 Withdrawal and Duplicate Submission

Authors must not submit the same or substantially similar manuscript to another journal while it remains under consideration by a journal published by Global Scholar Publications.

When duplicate or simultaneous submission is suspected, the relevant journal may:

• contact the authors for clarification;
• request documentary evidence;
• communicate with another journal where appropriate;
• reject or withdraw the manuscript;
• notify an appropriate institution where necessary;
• restrict future submissions in serious or repeated cases.

A withdrawal request made after simultaneous submission has been identified does not automatically end the publisher's responsibility to assess the ethical concern.

📄 Withdrawal and Plagiarism Concerns

A manuscript containing suspected plagiarism should not simply be removed from the editorial record without appropriate assessment. The relevant journal may investigate the concern under its applicable publication ethics and plagiarism procedures.

The journal may preserve:

• the submitted manuscript;
• similarity or plagiarism reports;
• editorial correspondence;
• author explanations;
• supporting evidence;
• records of institutional communication or referral.

👥 Withdrawal and Authorship Disputes

If authors disagree about withdrawal, author order, contributor eligibility, manuscript ownership, or submission approval, the relevant journal may pause editorial processing and request clarification from the authors or their institution.

Global Scholar Publications does not ordinarily determine legal ownership of research or resolve institutional employment and authorship disputes. Where appropriate, the publisher may rely on a formal determination from the relevant institution or authorised body.

📊 Withdrawal and Data-Integrity Concerns

When a withdrawal request is connected with unreliable, fabricated, falsified, missing, or manipulated data, the relevant journal may request supporting records or institutional clarification.

An investigation may continue when necessary to protect:

• research participants;
• the integrity of peer review;
• other journals and publishers from unreliable or duplicate submissions;
• institutions and research funders;
• the wider scholarly record.

⚠️ Withdrawal Does Not Erase Ethical Responsibility

Withdrawal ends the normal editorial consideration of a manuscript, but it does not erase concerns relating to publication ethics or research integrity.

Such concerns may include:

• plagiarism;
• duplicate or simultaneous submission;
• fabricated or falsified data;
• unethical research;
• fraudulent or inappropriate authorship;
• misrepresentation of approvals or permissions;
• breach of reviewer confidentiality;
• copyright infringement;
• other forms of research or publication misconduct.

Where justified, Global Scholar Publications may continue an ethical inquiry after withdrawal and may communicate with relevant authors, institutions, funders, journals, or responsible authorities.

🗂️ Retention of Withdrawal Records

Global Scholar Publications and its journals may retain manuscript files, editorial correspondence, reviewer reports, withdrawal requests, author confirmations, and records relating to ethical investigations for administrative, legal, scholarly-integrity, quality-control, and audit purposes.

Retention of internal records does not mean that a withdrawn manuscript remains under active editorial consideration or will be published.

🔐 Confidentiality of Withdrawn Manuscripts

Withdrawn manuscripts remain subject to applicable confidentiality requirements. Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff should not use unpublished manuscript content for personal, commercial, academic, competitive, or other unauthorised purposes.

Confidentiality obligations continue after manuscript withdrawal.

📢 Withdrawal Notices

A public withdrawal notice may be necessary when a manuscript or article record has already been posted online, assigned a DOI, included in an issue, or distributed through indexing and metadata services.

Where appropriate, a withdrawal notice may identify:

• the manuscript or article title;
• the authors;
• the relevant journal;
• the reason for withdrawal where disclosure is appropriate;
• the date of withdrawal;
• whether the content should no longer be cited.

Confidential personal, legal, institutional, or investigative information may be omitted where disclosure would be inappropriate.

🚫 Unauthorised Withdrawal Claims

Authors should not publicly state that a manuscript has been withdrawn before receiving formal confirmation from the relevant journal or Global Scholar Publications.

Likewise, an individual co-author should not ordinarily request withdrawal on behalf of the entire author group without appropriate authority and confirmation of the circumstances.

📧 Failure to Respond to Editorial Communication

If authors fail to respond to revision requests, ethical questions, proof corrections, author confirmations, or other essential editorial communication for an extended period, the relevant journal may close or administratively withdraw the manuscript.

Administrative closure may occur when:

• the corresponding author cannot be contacted;
• required revisions remain overdue without adequate explanation;
• essential author confirmation is not provided;
• required documents or declarations are missing;
• publication cannot proceed because necessary information has not been supplied;
• authors effectively abandon the submission process.

🔄 Reopening an Administratively Closed Manuscript

A request to reopen an administratively closed manuscript may be considered at the discretion of the relevant journal.

Authors may need to:

• explain the earlier lack of communication;
• confirm the current author list;
• submit updated files and declarations;
• complete a new editorial assessment;
• accept that new peer review may be required.

📣 Complaints and Appeals

Authors may raise a complaint or appeal regarding a withdrawal-related decision when they believe that:

• the withdrawal request was misunderstood;
• author approval was provided but not properly recognised;
• a procedural error occurred;
• the manuscript was closed incorrectly;
• important ethical, legal, institutional, or documentary evidence was overlooked.

A complaint or appeal should identify the manuscript, explain the concern clearly, and provide relevant supporting documentation. The relevant journal or publisher will review the matter according to its applicable editorial procedures.

🛠️ Enforcement of the Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

The response to a withdrawal request will depend on the stage of processing, reason for withdrawal, author agreement, editorial and production resources already used, publication status, and any associated ethical or research-integrity concerns.

Possible actions may include:

• approving the withdrawal;
• requesting additional author confirmation;
• pausing processing pending clarification;
• administratively closing the manuscript;
• rejecting the manuscript where appropriate;
• continuing an ethical or research-integrity investigation;
• issuing a public withdrawal notice;
• contacting an institution, funder, another journal, or responsible authority;
• restricting future submissions in serious or repeated cases of misconduct.

🌟 Why a Clear Manuscript Withdrawal Policy Matters

A transparent Manuscript Withdrawal Policy helps authors understand how to discontinue editorial consideration responsibly while protecting reviewers, editors, journals, institutions, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

For Global Scholar Publications, a consistent withdrawal framework is particularly important because its journal portfolio covers science and technology, multidisciplinary research, biology and pharmacy, chemistry and pharmacy, life sciences, engineering and technology, medicine, and dentistry. Manuscripts in these fields may involve multiple authors, institutions, research participants, confidential information, proprietary data, software, intellectual property, clinical or laboratory information, and complex ethical or contractual obligations.

This policy helps Global Scholar Publications:

• provide a formal and transparent withdrawal procedure;
• confirm agreement among all authors;
• prevent simultaneous and duplicate submission;
• protect reviewer and editorial resources;
• preserve confidential manuscript records;
• address ethical concerns that remain after withdrawal;
• distinguish withdrawal from rejection and retraction;
• maintain accurate editorial and publication records;
• protect the integrity of the scholarly publishing process.

🔗 Related Global Scholar Publications Editorial and Publishing Policies

Authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, and other stakeholders are encouraged to review the publisher's related editorial and publishing policies for a complete understanding of manuscript submission, publication ethics, authorship, originality, peer review, corrections, retractions, and post-publication accountability.

📚 Manuscript Submission and Author Guidelines

🚀 Submit Your Manuscript Responsibly to Global Scholar Publications