Manuscript Withdrawal & Refund Policy
Purpose of this policy
The purpose of this policy is to outline how ISRN Journals manages manuscript withdrawal (before publication), retraction (after publication), and APC refund. This policy ensures that there is integrity in the publication process while being clear with authors regarding administrative and editorial management outcomes.
Definitions: withdrawal vs retraction
Withdrawal: A withdrawal happens when a manuscript is removed from consideration before publication (e.g., in the screening process, review process, or after acceptance before online publication).
Retraction: A retraction happens after publication when there are serious issues regarding unreliable results, unethical research practices, plagiarism, or duplicate publication.
Author-initiated withdrawal (pre-publication)
Authors may withdraw a manuscript by sending a message to the editorial office of the journal with the manuscript ID number, title, and reason for withdrawal. ISRN Journals supports withdrawal in cases where there are timely and transparent withdrawal requests. However, it is important to note that withdrawal is not used to avoid editorial outcomes or to submit to other journals simultaneously.
Withdrawal stages and APC refund outcomes
ISRN Journals follows these rules: (APC = USD 100, charged after acceptance)
- Before peer review begins: If an APC has not been paid, the paper can be withdrawn without incurring any charge. If an APC was paid in error before acceptance, ISRN Journals can, in certain cases, offer a refund after deducting unavoidable charges that the payment gateway might have levied.
- After peer review has begun: If substantial editorial and reviewer work has been put in, the APC (if paid) is not subject to any refund, as review and evaluation are part of the peer review process.
- After acceptance: If an APC has been paid after acceptance, it is not subject to any refund, as acceptance indicates that the editorial and review management process is complete.
- After publication online: “Withdrawal” requests are not entertained, and changes are carried out in accordance with the corrections and retractions policy.
Retraction of an article is carried out in the interest of correcting the academic record in instances where the research findings are not reliable or where there are instances of violation of integrity in research. Reasons that warrant retraction include (but are not limited to) instances of plagiarism, duplicate publication, significant errors that undermine the research conclusions, unethical research practices, fabrication and falsification of data, and serious instances of conflict of interest that were not disclosed.
Retraction notices and transparency
When an article is retracted, ISRN Journals will provide a retraction notice that is clear and transparent about the reason for the retraction in an unbiased and non-defamatory manner. The original article may remain published with a “Retracted” watermark or prominent notice, unless there are specific legal or safety concerns.
APC refunds and retraction
If an article is retracted due to author misconduct or serious integrity concerns, the APC will not be refundable. If the retraction is due to a publisher mistake or an extraordinary circumstance directly attributable to the journal, ISRN Journals may offer remedies on a case-by-case basis.
Letters of confirmation
After completing the withdrawal request process, ISRN Journals may provide a confirmation letter stating that the manuscript is no longer under consideration, which the authors may need for future submission.