Withdrawal Policy

1. Purpose

This policy outlines the conditions under which authors may request manuscript withdrawal and the journal's procedures for handling such requests. Withdrawals are permitted only under exceptional circumstances to protect the scholarly record and prevent abuse of editorial resources.

2. Stages Where Withdrawal is Permitted

Submission Stage

Withdrawal Allowed?

Conditions

Pre-review (screening/editorial assessment)

Yes

No questions asked; authors may withdraw freely.

Under peer review

Case-by-case

Valid academic reason required (e.g., duplicate submission discovered, ethical concerns identified).

Post-acceptance, pre-publication

No

Article enters production; withdrawal disrupts workflow and incurs costs.

Post-publication

No

Equivalent to retraction; handled via formal retraction policy.

3. Valid Reasons for Withdrawal

Authors may request withdrawal only for:

  • Discovery of duplicate submission elsewhere.
  • Ethical violations identified (e.g., lack of ethics approval, patient consent issues).
  • Significant errors in authorship (e.g., missing co-author consent).
  • Data integrity concerns identified post-submission.

Invalid reasons (will be denied):

  • Desire to submit elsewhere for faster publication.
  • Unhappiness with reviewer comments.
  • Changes in funding or institutional priorities.

4. Withdrawal Request Procedure

  1. Submit written request to editorajmrhs@gmail.com with manuscript ID and detailed justification.
  2. Editor reviews request within 7 business days.
  3. If approved:
    • Manuscript removed from system.
    • Authors barred from submitting to A‑JMRHS for 12 months.
    • Administrative fee may apply for post-review withdrawals (to recover editorial costs).
  4. If denied: Authors notified with reasons; manuscript proceeds to next stage.

5. Consequences of Unauthorized Withdrawal

  • Repeated withdrawal requests or attempts to bypass review may result in:
    • Permanent blacklisting from A‑JMRHS.
    • Notification to authors' institutions and funding agencies.
    • Reporting to indexing services and COPE if systematic abuse suspected.

6. Post-Acceptance and Post-Publication

  • Manuscripts accepted for publication cannot be withdrawn. Authors may request corrections via errata.
  • Published articles follow the Retraction Policy. Voluntary withdrawal post-publication is treated as retraction with cause.

7. Editorial Rights

  • Editors reserve the right to reject withdrawal requests that:
    • Waste reviewer/editor time.
    • Suggest gaming of the peer-review system.
    • Violate publication ethics or journal policies.

8. Transparency

All approved withdrawals are logged internally. The journal may publish notices of significant withdrawals (anonymized) to maintain transparency with readers and indexers.

Contact: editorajmrhs3@gmail.com