Withdrawal Policy

The Journal of Community Medicine and Health Sciences (JCMHS) is committed to maintaining accuracy, transparency, and integrity in all its publications. This Withdrawal Policy defines the principles and procedures for handling corrections, retractions, replacements, and withdrawals in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) guidelines.

1. Purpose

This policy establishes consistent procedures for addressing issues that arise before or after publication, including errors, ethical violations, or author requests for withdrawal. It helps preserve the scholarly record and protect the reputation of both authors and the journal.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all submissions and published articles in JCMHS, including original research, reviews, short communications, editorials, and case studies. It covers:

• Corrections (Errata and Corrigenda)
• Retractions (Due to ethical or scientific issues)
• Article Replacement (Corrected republication)
• Article Withdrawal (Before publication or online release)

3. General Principles

JCMHS adheres to the following principles when correcting or retracting publications:

• Transparency — changes are clearly stated and publicly accessible.
• Accountability — authors, editors, and publishers share responsibility for accuracy.
• Traceability — retracted or corrected versions remain linked to the original DOI.
• Integrity — actions are taken promptly and based on verifiable evidence.

4. Article Corrections (Errata and Corrigenda)

Corrections are issued for minor errors that do not affect the overall conclusions or scientific integrity of an article. Examples include typographical errors, mislabelled figures, or incorrect author affiliations.

• Erratum: Issued for publisher or production-related errors.
• Corrigendum: Issued for author-reported factual or data errors.

Corrections are published in the next available issue and linked to the original article with a new DOI.

5. Article Retractions

Retraction is considered a serious action reserved for publications with major ethical or scientific flaws that invalidate findings. Retractions are conducted following COPE’s Retraction Guidelines and may occur in the following cases:

• Evidence of data fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
• Redundant publication (duplicate submission or overlapping data).
• Violation of ethical standards (lack of consent, animal misuse, etc.).
• Undisclosed conflict of interest affecting objectivity.
• Author or third-party request substantiated by clear evidence.

5.1 Retraction Process

1. Investigation initiated by editors or upon credible notification.
2. Authors are informed and invited to provide a written explanation.
3. Editorial board reviews the evidence following COPE flowcharts.
4. Decision communicated to authors and made public via a retraction notice.

5.2 Retraction Notice

The retraction notice:

• Is linked to the retracted article and its DOI.
• Clearly states the reasons for retraction and who initiated it.
• Remains permanently available for transparency.
• Does not remove the original article but marks it as “Retracted.”

6. Article Replacement

Article replacement occurs when a published article contains significant but unintentional errors that require corrected republication while preserving the original DOI for citation continuity. The corrected version is clearly marked as “Updated/Corrected Version” and includes a notice explaining the changes.

7. Article Withdrawal (Pre-Publication)

Authors may request to withdraw a manuscript during the peer-review or pre-publication stage by submitting a formal written request to the editorial office. However, withdrawal is subject to editorial approval based on the following principles:

• Withdrawal requests are accepted only if valid reasons are provided (e.g., methodological error, duplicate submission, ethical conflict).
• Once accepted for publication, withdrawal is permitted only under exceptional circumstances.
• Authors are discouraged from unethical withdrawal to submit elsewhere (“simultaneous submission”).

7.1 Withdrawal After Acceptance

If an article is withdrawn after acceptance but before online posting, the editorial team will retain the manuscript record. Any subsequent resubmission must go through a new review process. In some cases, a withdrawal fee may apply to cover processing costs.

8. Withdrawal Charges

Withdrawal charges are applied to cover technical and administrative costs incurred during the review and pre-publication stages. Charges vary depending on the stage of processing:

9. Post-Publication Withdrawal

Post-publication withdrawal is extremely rare and may occur only under legal or ethical circumstances, such as:

• Defamation, copyright infringement, or privacy violation.
• Court orders requiring article removal.
• Severe data or ethical misconduct confirmed after publication.

In such cases, the article is replaced with a “Withdrawal Notice” explaining the reason for removal and retaining metadata for recordkeeping.

10. Publisher’s Role

Peertechz Publications Pvt. Ltd. ensures all withdrawal and retraction processes follow best practices by:

• Maintaining permanent online records of corrections and retractions.
• Ensuring transparency by linking notices to original DOIs.
• Informing indexing databases (CrossRef, DOAJ, Google Scholar) of changes.
• Following COPE guidelines and legal compliance requirements.

11. Author-Initiated Withdrawal Procedure

Authors requesting withdrawal must send a signed statement including:

• Article title, manuscript ID, and corresponding author’s name.
• Reason for withdrawal and confirmation of institutional awareness.
• Declaration that the manuscript will not be submitted elsewhere until withdrawal approval is confirmed.

Requests should be emailed to [email protected]. The editor will respond within 7 business days.

12. Correction and Retraction Transparency

All correction or retraction notices are freely accessible and linked to both the HTML and PDF versions of the article. Metadata clearly reflect the current status, ensuring readers can distinguish original, corrected, or retracted content.

13. Legal and Ethical Considerations

Withdrawal or removal decisions may be influenced by copyright, defamation, or national regulations. The publisher will comply with valid legal requirements while maintaining transparency and accountability to the research community.

14. Permanent Availability and Indexing

All corrected, replaced, or retracted versions remain permanently archived in Portico and LOCKSS. The original DOI remains active but links to the latest version or retraction notice to prevent citation confusion.

15. Policy on Retraction Authorship

Authors involved in retracted works remain listed as original authors unless the retraction notice states otherwise. Retraction authorship is limited to those responsible for initiating or acknowledging the correction.

16. Policy Review and Updates

This Withdrawal Policy is reviewed annually to reflect evolving ethical standards and COPE/ICMJE recommendations. Updates are posted publicly on the journal’s website to ensure full transparency.

“Integrity in science requires courage to correct mistakes. At JCMHS, we view corrections and retractions not as failures but as commitments to ethical truth.”