Withdrawal Policy

Innovations in Science, Technology, and Society (ISTS) recognizes that authors may sometimes need to withdraw a manuscript after submission. However, manuscript withdrawal disrupts the editorial workflow and wastes valuable time and resources. Therefore, ISTS has established the following policy to ensure fairness and transparency in handling withdrawal requests.

1. Acceptable Reasons for Withdrawal

Authors may request withdrawal under legitimate circumstances, such as:

  • Discovery of significant errors in data, analysis, or conclusions.

  • Unintentional submission to multiple journals.

  • Ethical concerns regarding authorship, conflicts of interest, or research conduct.

  • Other unforeseen circumstances that justify halting the review or publication process.

2. Withdrawal Stages and Conditions

  1. Before Peer Review

    • Authors may withdraw the manuscript without penalty if the withdrawal request is made before the peer review process begins.

    • No withdrawal fee will be charged in this stage.

  2. During Peer Review

    • Withdrawal is discouraged once peer review has started, as significant editorial and reviewer time has already been invested.

    • If withdrawal is essential at this stage, authors must provide a written explanation, and a withdrawal fee may apply to cover processing costs.

  3. After Acceptance but Before Publication

    • Withdrawal after acceptance is strongly discouraged.

    • Such withdrawals will require a formal written statement signed by all authors.

    • A withdrawal fee will be charged to cover production costs already incurred.

  4. After Online Publication

    • Once an article has been published online, withdrawal is no longer possible.

    • In cases involving ethical issues or errors, the journal will follow COPE guidelines for issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions.

3. Procedure for Withdrawal

  • The corresponding author must submit a formal Withdrawal Request to the editorial office by email, including:

    • Manuscript ID and title.

    • Reason for withdrawal.

    • Signed agreement from all co-authors approving the withdrawal.

  • The editorial office will confirm the withdrawal decision in writing.

4. Ethical Considerations

  • Repeated or unjustified withdrawals by the same author may lead to sanctions, including refusal of future submissions.

  • Withdrawal to submit the same work to another journal without disclosure is considered unethical and may be reported to the authors’ institution.