Withdrawal Policy

1. Purpose
This policy outlines the circumstances and procedures under which authors may withdraw a submitted or published manuscript from the International Journal of Research & Social Sciences (IJRSS). The journal values ethical publication practices and discourages unethical withdrawal behavior.

2. Withdrawal Before Peer Review
Authors may request to withdraw their manuscript before it enters the peer review process without incurring any penalty. Such requests must be made in writing by the corresponding author via email, providing clear justification for the withdrawal.

3. Withdrawal During or After Peer Review
If a manuscript is under active review, withdrawal requests will only be considered in justifiable cases, such as:

• Serious errors in the manuscript

• Ethical concerns

• Conflicts of interest

The following conditions must be met for approval:

• A formal written request from the corresponding author

• Signed consent from all co-authors

• A valid and clearly stated reason for withdrawal

Unethical withdrawal after peer review, such as withdrawing to submit the same manuscript to another journal without prior notice, will be considered academic misconduct.

4. Withdrawal of Accepted Manuscripts
Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, withdrawal is strongly discouraged. However, in exceptional cases (e.g., critical errors, legal or ethical concerns), the editorial board may consider withdrawal. If the withdrawal is approved:

• A formal withdrawal statement may be published

• Authors may be blacklisted from future submissions, depending on the nature of the request

5. Withdrawal of Published Articles (Post-Publication)
The withdrawal of a published article is treated as a retraction. This may occur in cases such as:

• Proven plagiarism or duplicate publication

• Major scientific errors or falsified data

• Legal infringements or ethical violations

In such cases, the journal will follow the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines. A retraction notice will be published online, explaining the reasons for the retraction, and the article will be marked as "Retracted."

6. Author Misconduct and Blacklisting
Unethical withdrawal practices, such as:

• Not responding to editorial requests after peer review

• Withdrawing to submit the same manuscript elsewhere without notification

may result in:

• A temporary or permanent ban from submitting to IJRSS

• Notification to the author’s institution or funding agency, if necessary