Withdrawal Policy

At Al-Bayyinaẗ. البينة, we strive to maintain the highest ethical standards in publishing. To ensure the integrity of the journal and the research community, we have established a clear and transparent withdrawal policy for manuscripts submitted and accepted for publication. This policy outlines the circumstances and procedures under which a manuscript may be withdrawn from consideration or publication.

1. Withdrawal Before Acceptance:

• Author-Initiated Withdrawal:

  • Authors may request to withdraw their manuscript from the journal at any time before it has been accepted for publication. Such requests should be made in writing to the editorial team and should include a clear reason for the withdrawal.

  • Once the manuscript is withdrawn, it will no longer be under consideration, and the submission process will be terminated.

• Consequences of Withdrawal:

  • The manuscript will be removed from the review process and any ongoing editorial workflow.

  • If the manuscript has already been sent out for peer review, the editorial team will notify the reviewers that the paper has been withdrawn.

  • If the paper has been uploaded to the journal's submission system, it will be deleted and no longer accessible.

2. Withdrawal After Acceptance but Before Publication:

• Author-Initiated Withdrawal:

  • If the manuscript has been accepted for publication but not yet published (i.e., in the final stages of production), authors may request to withdraw the manuscript.

  • The request for withdrawal must be made in writing and should include a valid reason. The authors are expected to communicate promptly with the editorial team regarding this request.

• Editorial Team Review:

  • Upon receiving the request, the editorial team will review the circumstances of the withdrawal. The manuscript will be removed from the production process, and the authors will be informed about the status of their withdrawal request.

  • If the paper has already been scheduled for publication, withdrawal may be more difficult and subject to additional considerations, including whether the issue has already been printed or made publicly available.

• Consequences of Withdrawal:

  • Once a manuscript is withdrawn at this stage, it will no longer be included in the journal’s upcoming issues.

  • The manuscript will be removed from the publication queue, and any associated editorial work (typesetting, proofs) will be halted.

3. Withdrawal After Publication:

• Post-Publication Withdrawal Request:

  • Withdrawal requests after publication are generally not accepted, as the content has already been made publicly available. However, in cases of significant ethical issues such as scientific misconduct, errors in data, or violations of ethical standards, authors may request a retraction or correction.

• Retraction or Correction:

  • If a manuscript needs to be retracted due to ethical concerns or serious errors, the journal will issue a retraction notice, and the article will be formally removed from the online version of the journal.

  • A formal statement explaining the reason for retraction will be published, and the article will be labeled as retracted in the article's metadata.

• Procedures for Withdrawal After Publication:

  • If the withdrawal request involves a correction or an error in the published manuscript, authors should immediately notify the editorial team with a detailed explanation of the issue.

  • A decision will be made based on the seriousness of the issue. If a correction or retraction is deemed necessary, the appropriate action will be taken, and a statement will be issued publicly.

4. Reasons for Withdrawal:

Accepted Reasons for Withdrawal Include:

• Author Error: Authors realize a major error or omission in the manuscript after submission.

• Duplicate Submission: If the manuscript has been simultaneously submitted to another journal.

• Conflicts of Interest: If an undisclosed conflict of interest is discovered after submission or acceptance.

• Ethical Issues: If ethical issues arise regarding data integrity, plagiarism, or authorship.

• Unforeseen Circumstances: If the author(s) experience unforeseen personal, academic, or professional issues preventing them from continuing with the manuscript publication.

5. Author Responsibilities:

• Timeliness of Withdrawal Request:

  • Authors are responsible for communicating any intention to withdraw their manuscript as early as possible in the submission process to prevent unnecessary work for the editorial team and reviewers.

• Transparent Reasoning:

  • Authors are expected to provide a clear, honest, and transparent explanation for withdrawing their manuscript. This ensures that the process is handled appropriately and that any ethical or professional issues are addressed.

• Consequences of Improper Withdrawal:

  • If an author withdraws a manuscript without proper justification or repeatedly withdraws manuscripts without valid reasons, this may impact the author’s standing with the journal and could result in a restriction on future submissions.

6. Editor-Initiated Withdrawal:

In some cases, the editorial team may decide to withdraw a manuscript from the review or publication process. This may happen if:

• Ethical Concerns: If the manuscript is found to contain ethical violations, such as plagiarism or falsification of data, after submission or during the review process.

• Failure to Meet Standards: If the manuscript fails to meet the journal’s quality standards, despite revisions or multiple review rounds.

• Failure to Respond to Reviewers or Editors: If the author fails to address reviewer or editor comments in a timely manner or does not respond to repeated communication requests.

In these instances, the editorial team will notify the authors of the decision and provide a detailed explanation. The authors may appeal the decision, but the final decision rests with the editorial team.

7. Final Notes:

• Non-Refundable Fees: Please note that any fees paid for publication (e.g., article processing charges) are non-refundable once the article has entered the final stages of production, unless the withdrawal is due to journal error or mismanagement.

• Transparency and Integrity: This policy is in place to ensure transparency, integrity, and fairness in the publishing process. By maintaining a clear and structured withdrawal policy, Al-Bayyinaẗ. البينة ensures that all parties involved in the manuscript review and publication process are treated with respect.