Withdrawal Policy

The Social and Management Sciences Research Journal (SMSRJ) is committed to maintaining high academic integrity and transparency in its publication process. The Withdrawal Policy provides clear guidelines for authors who wish to withdraw their submitted manuscripts or published articles.

1. Manuscript Withdrawal Before Peer Review:

• Authors may request to withdraw their manuscript from consideration at any time before the peer review process begins, without any penalties.

• Requests for withdrawal must be made in writing to the editorial office. The reason for withdrawal should be provided, and the withdrawal request will be processed promptly.

2. Manuscript Withdrawal After Peer Review:

• If a manuscript has undergone peer review but has not yet been accepted for publication, authors may still request to withdraw the manuscript. However, the following conditions apply:

  • If the manuscript has received peer review feedback, the authors must provide a clear reason for the withdrawal.

  • Withdrawal requests after peer review will be processed based on the stage of review, and the editorial team may consider the reasons for the request before approving the withdrawal.

3. Manuscript Withdrawal After Acceptance:

• Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, authors may still request to withdraw their article before the final publication. However, a formal request must be submitted, and reasons for withdrawal must be provided.

• If the manuscript has already been typeset or the issue has been scheduled for publication, authors may be subject to a fee to cover the administrative costs incurred during the production process.

4. Post-Publication Withdrawal or Retraction:

• After an article has been published (either in an online-first format or in a print issue), it can only be retracted under specific circumstances, including:

  • Ethical Issues: If ethical violations are identified (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication, or ethical misconduct).

  • Errors and Corrections: If significant errors are identified that impact the validity or interpretation of the research, authors may request a retraction or correction.

  • Retraction requests must be supported by sufficient evidence and will be reviewed by the editorial board. The journal will issue a public retraction notice, and the article will be removed or marked with a retraction notice in the online archive.

5. Author Responsibilities for Withdrawal:

• Authors who wish to withdraw their manuscript must formally notify the editorial office by email or through the submission system. Verbal or informal requests will not be processed.

• Authors must confirm in writing that they have not submitted the manuscript to any other journal while the withdrawal request is being processed.

• Authors must ensure that their withdrawal request is submitted in a timely manner to avoid any delays in the publication process or any unnecessary work for the editorial team.

6. Impact on Author's Future Submissions:

• Authors who withdraw a manuscript after it has entered the peer review or production stage may be considered for future submissions under a more careful review process, especially if the withdrawal is deemed to be for non-academic reasons or if it affects the journal’s reputation.

7. Refund Policy for Withdrawn Manuscripts:

• If a manuscript is withdrawn before payment of the Article Processing Charge (APC), no charges will be levied.

• If a manuscript is withdrawn after the APC has been paid and the article has entered the production or publication stage, the APC will not be refunded, as the journal has already incurred costs for the review and production processes.

8. Communication of Withdrawal Decisions:

• Once the withdrawal request has been reviewed and processed, the authors will be notified in writing of the final decision.

• If a manuscript is formally withdrawn, the record will be updated in the journal’s submission system to reflect the withdrawal, and no further processing will occur.