Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

International Journal of Business and Management (IJBM)
Online ISSN: 2815-9330

1. Purpose and Scope

The International Journal of Business and Management (IJBM) recognises that authors may occasionally need to request the withdrawal of a submitted manuscript. This policy establishes the procedures and conditions for withdrawing manuscripts before and after acceptance and clarifies the responsibilities of authors throughout the publication process.

Manuscript withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing to the IJBM Editorial Office by the corresponding author. Requests should include the manuscript title, manuscript identification number (if available), the reason for withdrawal, and confirmation that all co-authors have been informed and agree to the request.

2. Authorship Responsibility

All authors are responsible for confirming the accuracy of the author list, the order of authorship, and their respective contributions before submission. The corresponding author must ensure that all listed authors have approved the final manuscript and consented to its submission to IJBM.

Any disagreements concerning authorship, manuscript content, or submission must be addressed by the authors before submission. If an authorship dispute arises after submission, the Editorial Office may suspend the editorial process while the matter is clarified.

Authors must comply with IJBM’s publication ethics policies and other applicable editorial requirements.

3. Submission Integrity

A manuscript submitted to IJBM must be original and must not be under consideration for publication by another journal or publisher at the same time. Authors must not submit the same manuscript elsewhere while it remains under consideration by IJBM.

Authors should carefully review their manuscript before submission to ensure that the research, data, analyses, references, and other content are accurate and appropriately presented.

A request to withdraw a manuscript because it has been submitted to, accepted by, or is under consideration at another journal does not exempt authors from complying with this policy.

4. Withdrawal Before Publication

Authors may request withdrawal of their manuscript in writing at any stage before publication, subject to the procedures outlined below.

a. Within 48 hours of submission

Authors may withdraw their manuscript within 48 hours of submission without a withdrawal charge, provided that the manuscript has not already entered substantive editorial or peer-review processing.

b. After 48 hours of submission

Where a withdrawal request is received after the initial 48-hour period, the Editorial Office will assess the manuscript’s processing status and any applicable withdrawal charge under this policy. The authors will be informed of the applicable conditions before payment is requested.

c. After acceptance or during production

Authors requesting withdrawal after acceptance or during copyediting, typesetting, proof preparation, or other production activities must provide a written explanation. The Editorial Office will review the request and confirm the applicable procedure and any charge under this policy.

Withdrawal will not be considered complete until the Editorial Office has confirmed it in writing.

5. Withdrawal Charges

To recover reasonable administrative and processing costs associated with withdrawal requests, IJBM applies the following charge:

• Within 48 hours of submission: No withdrawal charge, subject to Section 4(a).
• After 48 hours of submission: A withdrawal charge of USD 50 may apply where editorial processing or peer review has commenced.
• After acceptance or during production: A withdrawal charge of USD 50 may apply where substantial editorial or production work has been undertaken.

Any applicable charge will be communicated to the corresponding author, together with the reason for its application, before payment is requested.

Withdrawal charges are administrative in nature and do not constitute a publication fee, peer-review fee, or payment for an editorial decision. Payment does not guarantee acceptance, publication, or any particular editorial outcome.

6. Withdrawal Requests After Online Publication

Once an article has been published online, it cannot ordinarily be treated as an unpublished manuscript or removed solely at the authors’ request. Requests concerning published articles will be assessed in accordance with IJBM’s publication ethics, correction, and retraction policies, as applicable.

Where a correction, retraction, or other formal editorial action is warranted, IJBM will follow the relevant procedures and maintain an appropriate publication record. Any such decision will be based on the circumstances of the case and applicable publication ethics principles, rather than on payment of a withdrawal charge.

7. Editorially Initiated Withdrawals

IJBM may decline, return, or withdraw a manuscript from consideration for legitimate editorial or administrative reasons, including:

• The manuscript falls outside the journal’s scope.
• The submission does not meet the journal’s editorial or submission requirements.
• Potential ethical concerns require the manuscript to be stopped or referred for further assessment.
• The manuscript is unsuitable for publication following an editorial assessment.

Editorially initiated withdrawals or decisions to discontinue consideration will not incur a withdrawal charge. Where ethical concerns arise, IJBM may take further action in accordance with its publication ethics policies.

8. Processing and Confirmation

The Editorial Office will acknowledge withdrawal requests and communicate the decision and any applicable requirements to the corresponding author.

Where a withdrawal is approved, IJBM will issue written confirmation to the corresponding author. A formal withdrawal letter may be provided upon request.

Authors must not assume that a manuscript has been withdrawn until written confirmation has been received from the Editorial Office.

9. Policy Compliance

Authors are expected to act in good faith and comply with this policy throughout the submission and publication process. IJBM reserves the right to assess withdrawal requests individually, taking into account the manuscript’s processing stage, the work already undertaken, and applicable publication ethics requirements.

This policy should be read alongside IJBM’s publication ethics, peer-review, corrections, and retractions policies.