Manuscript Withdrawal
Minang Bioscience Journal (MBJ) recognizes that authors may occasionally need to withdraw a manuscript during the editorial or peer review process. However, manuscript withdrawal must be handled responsibly to protect the integrity of the editorial process and the interests of authors, reviewers, editors, and the journal.
1. Withdrawal Before Peer Review
Authors may request withdrawal of their manuscript before the peer review process begins by submitting a formal withdrawal request to the Editor. The request should include the manuscript title, manuscript identification number, corresponding author, and a clear reason for withdrawal.
The withdrawal request will be reviewed and confirmed by the Editor.
2. Withdrawal During Peer Review
Authors who wish to withdraw a manuscript while it is undergoing peer review must provide a valid reason and submit a formal request to the Editor.
Withdrawal during peer review should only be made for legitimate reasons. Authors are strongly discouraged from withdrawing a manuscript simply because the review process takes longer than expected or because the reviewers' comments are not favorable.
3. Withdrawal After Acceptance
Once a manuscript has been formally accepted for publication, withdrawal is generally not permitted except in exceptional circumstances.
If an author requests withdrawal after acceptance, the Editor will evaluate the request based on the circumstances and may require a reasonable explanation from the authors.
4. Withdrawal After Publication
Once an article has been published online as part of the journal's official scholarly record, it cannot normally be withdrawn. In cases involving serious errors, ethical violations, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other significant problems, the journal may consider correction, retraction, or removal in accordance with its publication ethics policies.
5. Multiple or Duplicate Submission
Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. If MBJ discovers that a manuscript has been submitted or published elsewhere during the review process, the manuscript may be rejected or withdrawn from consideration.
Repeated or deliberate duplicate submissions may be treated as a violation of publication ethics.
6. Withdrawal Procedure
To request manuscript withdrawal, the corresponding author should submit a formal request to the Editor through the journal's official communication channel. The request should include:
- Manuscript title;
- Manuscript ID or submission number;
- Names of all authors;
- Name and contact details of the corresponding author;
- Reason for withdrawal; and
- Confirmation that all authors agree to the withdrawal.
The Editor may request confirmation from the co-authors when necessary.
7. Withdrawal Due to Editorial or Ethical Reasons
MBJ reserves the right to withdraw or discontinue consideration of a manuscript when serious ethical, legal, or editorial concerns are identified. Such concerns may include plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, duplicate submission, authorship disputes, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or other forms of publication misconduct.
Any such action will be handled fairly and in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.
8. Consequences of Improper Withdrawal
Authors should not withdraw a manuscript without notifying the journal or after significant editorial and peer review resources have already been invested without a legitimate reason.
In cases of unreasonable or repeated withdrawal, the journal may take appropriate editorial action, including restricting future submissions from the authors for a specified period when justified.
9. Final Decision
The Editor has the authority to make the final decision regarding manuscript withdrawal. All withdrawal requests will be handled confidentially, fairly, and consistently with the principles of academic integrity and responsible scholarly publishing.
