Article Withdrawal Policy
Purpose of the Policy
The Journal of Leadership, Ethics, Governance, and Sustainable Innovation (JLEGSI) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record. This Article Withdrawal Policy outlines the circumstances under which a submitted or published article may be withdrawn, as well as the procedures followed by the journal in such cases.
This policy is informed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and applies to all manuscripts submitted to or published by JLEGSI.
Definition of Article Withdrawal
Article withdrawal refers to the removal of a manuscript from the editorial process or from the journal platform before or after publication under specific, justified circumstances. Withdrawal is distinct from retraction or correction and is applied only in limited situations where removal is necessary to uphold ethical publishing standards.
Withdrawal Prior to Publication
Withdrawal by Authors
Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before acceptance under the following conditions:
- Discovery of significant errors in data, analysis, or interpretation
- Ethical concerns identified by the authors (e.g. lack of ethics approval)
- Duplicate submission identified by the authors prior to review
- Authorship disputes that cannot be resolved in a timely manner
Procedure:
- The corresponding author must submit a formal written request to the Chief Editor, stating clear reasons for withdrawal.
- All co-authors must confirm their agreement with the withdrawal request in writing.
- Withdrawal requests made after peer review has commenced may be declined at the discretion of the editorial board, particularly where significant editorial or reviewer resources have already been invested.
Withdrawal by the Journal (Pre-publication)
The journal reserves the right to withdraw a manuscript during editorial screening or peer review if:
- Plagiarism, data fabrication, or falsification is detected
- The manuscript violates ethical research standards
- The manuscript is found to be under review or published elsewhere
- Serious breaches of authorship or conflict-of-interest disclosure occur
In such cases, authors will be notified in writing with reasons for the decision.
Withdrawal After Acceptance but Before Publication
In exceptional circumstances, an article may be withdrawn after acceptance but before publication if:
- Serious ethical violations are identified post-acceptance
- Legal issues arise (e.g. copyright infringement, defamation risk)
- Fundamental methodological or data integrity concerns are confirmed
The decision to withdraw at this stage rests with the Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the editorial board.
Withdrawal After Publication
Conditions for Post-Publication Withdrawal
Post-publication withdrawal is rare and will only occur where:
- The article poses a serious legal, ethical, or reputational risk
- The findings are demonstrably unreliable due to misconduct or critical error
- The article was published in error (e.g. duplicate publication)
Where possible, JLEGSI prefers retraction or correction over withdrawal in order to preserve the scholarly record.
Withdrawal Notice
If an article is withdrawn after publication:
- The article will not be removed entirely from the public record
- A withdrawal notice will replace the article content
- The notice will clearly state:
- That the article has been withdrawn
- The reason for withdrawal (where legally and ethically permissible)
- The date of withdrawal
- The original DOI (if assigned) will remain active and linked to the withdrawal notice
Consequences of Unethical Withdrawal Requests
Withdrawal requests submitted for unethical reasons, including but not limited to:
- Attempting to submit the manuscript to another journal simultaneously
- Disagreement with reviewer feedback after peer review
- Pressure from third parties to suppress findings
may result in:
- Rejection of the manuscript
- Notification to the authors’ institutions where appropriate
- Restrictions on future submissions to JLEGSI
Editorial Discretion and Appeals
All withdrawal decisions are made with due consideration of ethical standards and editorial fairness. Authors who disagree with a withdrawal decision may submit a formal appeal to the Editor-in-Chief, providing supporting documentation. The decision following an appeal is final.
Policy Review
This policy is reviewed periodically to ensure continued alignment with international best practices in scholarly publishing, including COPE and DOAJ standards.
Contact
All withdrawal-related correspondence must be directed to the Chief Editor via the official JLEGSI editorial office.