Policy on Post-Review Retraction of Manuscripts

Policy on Post-Review Retraction of Manuscripts

At the Journal of Women and Child Health, we uphold the highest ethical standards in publishing, aligned with the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and international indexing agencies. This policy outlines the protocol for managing retraction requests submitted after the review process has commenced. Authors are strongly encouraged to read and understand this policy before submitting their manuscript.

Scope of the Policy

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Women and Child Health that are under peer review. It aims to:

  1. Maintain the integrity of the peer-review process.
  2. Prevent unethical practices, such as simultaneous submissions or unjustified retractions.
  3. Protect the interests of reviewers, editors, and other authors.

Policy Guidelines

1. Non-Retraction Policy During Review Process

Once the review process has started, authors are not permitted to retract their submission unless under exceptional circumstances, such as:

  • Identification of a significant ethical issue (e.g., data fabrication, plagiarism).
  • Discovery of fundamental errors in the manuscript that compromise its validity.

2. Submission Terms and Author Agreement

By submitting a manuscript, all authors agree to the following:

  • The submission cannot be withdrawn or retracted during or after the review process, except in cases approved by the Editorial Board.
  • The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors are aware of and adhere to this policy.

3. Handling Retraction Requests

If a retraction request is received, the following steps will be taken:

  1. Initial Review:

    • The Editorial Board will request a written explanation from the corresponding author, detailing the reason for the retraction.
    • The board will assess whether the reason aligns with ethical or valid grounds.

  2. Decision on Retraction:

    • If the retraction is due to ethical concerns (e.g., plagiarism, duplicate submission), the request may be approved. However, appropriate penalties will be applied (see Section 4).
    • If the retraction request is deemed unjustified (e.g., submission to another journal, lack of interest in publication), it will be denied, and the review process will continue.

  3. Communication:

    • The Editorial Board will inform the authors in writing about the decision.
    • If the retraction request is approved, the decision will be documented, and the manuscript will be removed from the review queue.

4. Penalties for Unethical Retraction

Unjustified retraction after the review process will result in the following actions:

  1. Blacklisting of Authors:

    • All listed authors, including the corresponding author, will be blacklisted and barred from submitting to the Journal of Women and Child Health in the future.

  2. Financial Penalties:

    • Authors will remain liable to pay the full submission charges and any applicable post-acceptance fees, regardless of the manuscript’s retraction.

  3. Indexing Notification:

    • If the retraction involves ethical violations, the case may be reported to indexing agencies, institutions, and other journals.

5. Appeals Process

Authors who disagree with the Editorial Board’s decision may submit an appeal in writing. The appeal will be reviewed by an independent ethics committee, and the decision of this committee will be final.

Important Notes for Authors

  • Retractions disrupt the publishing process and waste the efforts of editors and reviewers. As such, authors are encouraged to carefully review their work prior to submission.
  • Manuscripts that violate ethical guidelines (e.g., simultaneous submission, data manipulation) may be subject to retraction at any stage, and the authors may face additional penalties as outlined in our Ethics and Misconduct Policy.

Contact Information

For queries regarding this policy or submission issues, please contact the Editorial Office.

This policy is effective from 19th January 2025 and applies to all submissions received after this date.