Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

Antmind Review: Journal of Sharia and Legal Ethics

1. General Principles

Antmind Review: Journal of Sharia and Legal Ethics recognizes that authors may occasionally need to withdraw a manuscript after submission due to legitimate academic, ethical, administrative, or personal circumstances.

The journal is committed to handling manuscript withdrawal requests fairly, transparently, and responsibly while respecting authors' rights and safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly publishing process.

Authors are encouraged to consider their submissions carefully and to communicate promptly with the Editorial Office if withdrawal becomes necessary.

This policy applies to manuscripts that have been submitted to the journal but have not yet been formally published.

2. Withdrawal Before Peer Review

Authors may request the withdrawal of a manuscript before it enters the external peer-review process.

The corresponding author must submit a written request to the Editorial Office identifying the manuscript and briefly explaining the reason for withdrawal.

Where no unresolved authorship dispute or publication-integrity concern exists, the Editorial Office will process the request and provide written confirmation.

No withdrawal fee or administrative penalty will be imposed.

3. Withdrawal During Peer Review

Authors may request withdrawal while their manuscript is undergoing peer review.

Because the review process involves substantial professional contributions from editors and independent reviewers, authors are encouraged to provide a reasonable explanation for their decision.

The corresponding author must submit a formal written request containing:

  • The manuscript title and submission identification number;

  • The full names of the authors;

  • The reason for the withdrawal request;

  • Confirmation that all co-authors have been informed and agree to the request.

The Editorial Office may seek additional clarification where necessary, particularly where authorship disagreements or potential publication-ethics concerns are identified.

Where withdrawal is confirmed, the journal will discontinue editorial processing, inform the relevant handling editor and reviewers, and update the manuscript's status in the editorial management system.

No withdrawal fee will be charged.

4. Withdrawal During Revision

Authors may request withdrawal while preparing a revised manuscript in response to editorial or reviewer comments.

Requests must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author and must identify the manuscript and the reason for withdrawal.

The handling editor will coordinate with the Editorial Office to close the submission appropriately and inform the authors of the outcome.

A request to withdraw does not automatically constitute research misconduct.

No financial penalty will apply to withdrawals made during the revision stage.

5. Withdrawal After Acceptance but Before Publication

Withdrawal after formal manuscript acceptance is strongly discouraged because the journal may already have committed editorial and production resources to preparing the article for publication.

Nevertheless, the journal recognizes that legitimate circumstances may arise, including the identification of major errors, unresolved authorship concerns, research-integrity issues, or other substantial reasons that make publication inappropriate.

The corresponding author must submit a written request explaining the circumstances and confirming the agreement of all co-authors.

The Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the relevant editorial personnel where appropriate, will evaluate the request fairly and communicate the decision in writing.

If withdrawal is confirmed before formal online publication, the manuscript will be removed from the active publication workflow.

No withdrawal fee will be imposed.

Where an APC has already been paid, the corresponding author will be entitled to a full refund in accordance with the journal's Author Fees and Article Processing Charges Policy.

6. Withdrawal Requested by the Journal

The journal may discontinue consideration of an unpublished manuscript where substantial problems are identified, including:

  • Plagiarism or substantial unattributed textual overlap;

  • Duplicate or simultaneous submission to another journal;

  • Fabrication or falsification of research data;

  • Materially inaccurate authorship or affiliation information;

  • Serious research-ethics violations;

  • Failure to provide essential ethical approval or research documentation when required;

  • Other circumstances that compromise scholarly integrity.

Such decisions will be documented and handled through the journal's established editorial and publication-ethics procedures.

Where an allegation of misconduct requires further examination, the journal may conduct an appropriate investigation and provide the authors with an opportunity to respond.

Administrative closure, editorial rejection, and author-requested withdrawal shall be distinguished in the journal's internal records.

7. Withdrawal and Publication Misconduct

A legitimate withdrawal request does not, by itself, constitute unethical publishing conduct.

However, the journal may investigate evidence suggesting that a withdrawal request is associated with duplicate submission, undisclosed prior publication, authorship manipulation, research misconduct, or an attempt to circumvent an ongoing ethical investigation.

A withdrawal request does not prevent the journal from completing a proportionate investigation into credible publication-integrity concerns.

Any necessary actions will be handled fairly, with due consideration of the evidence and the authors' opportunity to respond, in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics Policy and relevant COPE guidance.

The journal will not impose automatic submission bans, collective penalties, or monetary sanctions solely because an author has requested withdrawal.

8. Withdrawal Fees

Antmind Review does not charge authors any fee for withdrawing an unpublished manuscript.

This applies to withdrawals requested during initial editorial screening, peer review, revision, and post-acceptance production before publication.

No administrative fine, processing fee, or financial penalty will be imposed for manuscript withdrawal.

The journal's manuscript withdrawal procedures are separate from its Article Processing Charge (APC) arrangements.

9. Withdrawal Procedure

All withdrawal requests must be submitted by the corresponding author through the journal's official Editorial Office.

Requests should include the manuscript title, submission identification number, author details, a clear explanation of the request, and confirmation of co-author agreement.

Editorial Office
Antmind Review: Journal of Sharia and Legal Ethics
Email: antmindjsle@gmail.com

Upon receipt, the Editorial Office will acknowledge the request, review any relevant administrative or ethical concerns, and communicate the withdrawal outcome in writing.

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to another journal while it remains under active consideration by Antmind Review.

The manuscript will be considered formally withdrawn once written confirmation has been issued by the Editorial Office.

10. Published Articles: Corrections, Retractions, and Removal

Once an article has been formally published online, including publication as an online-first article, it becomes part of the scholarly record and is no longer subject to ordinary manuscript withdrawal procedures.

Post-publication concerns will instead be addressed through the journal's established publication-integrity mechanisms, which may include:

  • Publication of a correction or erratum;

  • Publication of an expression of concern;

  • Retraction of an article where appropriate;

  • Removal of published content only in exceptional circumstances involving legal obligations, privacy, safety, or other compelling grounds.

Retraction does not ordinarily mean that the published article is erased from the scholarly record. The journal will preserve the bibliographic record and provide an appropriate public notice explaining the action.

All such decisions will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and Retraction Policies, with reference to applicable COPE guidance.

11. Policy Review and Implementation

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for overseeing the fair application of this policy, supported by the Editorial Office and relevant members of the Editorial Board.

The journal may review and update this policy to reflect developments in international publication ethics and scholarly publishing standards.

Any material policy revisions will be published transparently on the journal website.

12. Reference Standards

This policy has been developed with reference to: