Article with drawal

BM-Publisher · Applicable to all BM-Publisher journals, including the Advanced Journal of Biomedicine & Medicine (AJBM).

BM-Publisher upholds the integrity of the scholarly record and follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding article withdrawal, correction, and retraction. This policy defines the circumstances under which articles may be withdrawn, corrected, or retracted and the procedures followed to ensure transparency and academic accountability.

1. General Principles

  • Withdrawal or retraction of articles is a serious action taken only under exceptional circumstances.
  • BM-Publisher follows COPE Retraction Guidelines (2019) and ensures that all decisions are transparent and evidence-based.
  • The scholarly record must remain complete and trustworthy; withdrawn or retracted content is retained with clear labeling.

2. Withdrawal Before Publication

  • Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript during initial review or pre-peer-review stage for valid reasons (e.g., error in data, duplicate submission, change in authorship).
  • A written request, signed by all authors, must be sent to the journal’s editorial office via email.
  • No fees apply to withdrawals made before peer review begins.

3. Withdrawal After Acceptance

  • Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, withdrawal is not normally permitted because significant editorial and production work has been completed.
  • Requests for withdrawal at this stage must include:
    • A detailed written explanation approved by all co-authors;
    • Confirmation that the work has not been submitted elsewhere;
    • Editorial board approval.
  • If the manuscript has entered production, a processing or withdrawal fee may be applied to cover incurred costs.

4. Retraction After Publication

  • Published articles are retracted only in cases of confirmed scientific misconduct (data fabrication, plagiarism, unethical research) or serious error invalidating the results.
  • Retractions are issued in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines and are approved by the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher.
  • The retracted article remains accessible with a visible “RETRACTED” watermark and a linked retraction notice explaining the reason.

5. Corrections and Expressions of Concern

  • Minor errors (typographical or factual) that do not affect the scientific validity of the article will be corrected by a “Correction” notice.
  • If concerns are raised but evidence is inconclusive, an Expression of Concern may be issued while an investigation is ongoing.
  • All corrections and expressions of concern are linked to the original article for transparency.

6. Ethical Grounds for Withdrawal

  • Plagiarism or duplicate publication.
  • Violation of ethical research standards (e.g., lack of informed consent, animal welfare breaches).
  • Copyright infringement or legal disputes regarding data ownership.
  • Fraudulent authorship or manipulation of peer review.
  • Requests by legal authorities or institutional investigations confirming misconduct.

7. Withdrawal Procedure

  • Author submits a written withdrawal request to the Editor-in-Chief stating clear reasons.
  • The editorial office reviews the request, verifies authorship consent, and consults with the editorial board.
  • Once approved, the article will be marked as “Withdrawn” in all online versions with the date and reason for withdrawal.
  • Metadata (DOI, title, authors) remain visible in the archive to preserve the scholarly record.

8. Withdrawal Fee Policy

  • Withdrawals before peer review: No fee.
  • Withdrawals after peer review but before acceptance: No fee, provided a valid reason is given.
  • Withdrawals after acceptance or during production: A withdrawal fee may apply (typically 20–30% of the APC) to compensate for editorial processing and typesetting costs.
  • No withdrawal is permitted after the article has been published online as the Version of Record.

9. Preservation of the Scholarly Record

  • Withdrawn and retracted articles remain permanently accessible on the journal’s website with clear labeling to ensure transparency.
  • All withdrawal and retraction notices include the article’s DOI and remain indexed in Crossref and archiving services (CLOCKSS, Portico, LOCKSS).
  • Complete bibliographic metadata are retained to maintain the continuity of citation records.

© 2025 BM-Publisher Ltd. This policy follows COPE guidelines for Retraction, Correction, and Withdrawal (2019) and is reviewed annually for compliance with international publishing ethics standards.