Withdrawal Policy

1. Introduction

Agricultural and Biotechnological Reflections (ABR) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the academic publishing process. While we encourage authors to carefully consider their submissions before submitting a manuscript, we understand that circumstances may arise where authors may wish to withdraw their manuscripts during the publication process. This Withdrawal Policy provides a clear framework for handling manuscript withdrawals.

2. Conditions for Manuscript Withdrawal

Authors may request to withdraw their manuscript from consideration at any point during the submission and review process. However, withdrawal requests will only be accepted under the following conditions:

  • Before Peer Review: Authors may withdraw their manuscript at any time before it is sent for peer review. There are no penalties for withdrawal at this stage.
  • After Peer Review but Before Final Decision: If a manuscript has completed the peer review process, authors may still request withdrawal. However, the request should be submitted promptly, and the reasons for withdrawal should be provided. The manuscript will be removed from further consideration, but no refund of any article processing charges (APC) will be provided.
  • After Acceptance: Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication and article processing fees have been paid, withdrawal requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If withdrawal is granted after acceptance, no refund will be issued. If the manuscript has already been scheduled for publication or is in the production phase, withdrawal may not be allowed.
  • Post-Publication: Once the article is published online or in print, the manuscript cannot be withdrawn. In cases where there are serious ethical concerns (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication), the article will be retracted rather than withdrawn. The retraction process will follow established protocols and will be communicated to readers.

3. Withdrawal Request Procedure

To request a withdrawal, authors must:

  1. Submit a Written Request: Authors must submit a formal written request to the editorial office at [editor@agribioreflect.com].
    • The request must include:
      • The title of the manuscript.
      • The submission ID or reference number.
      • The reason for the withdrawal request.
      • Any supporting documentation (if applicable).
  2. Acknowledge Consequences: Authors will be informed of the potential consequences of withdrawing the manuscript, including the inability to resubmit the manuscript to ABR in the future (if applicable).
  3. Confirmation of Withdrawal: After receiving the request, ABR will acknowledge the withdrawal within 5 business days and confirm the action taken. The manuscript will be officially removed from the review or publication process upon confirmation.

4. Refund Policy for Withdrawn Manuscripts

  • Before Peer Review: If the manuscript is withdrawn before the peer review process begins, the author will be eligible for a full refund of any article processing charges (APC) paid.
  • After Peer Review: If the manuscript has completed the peer review process, the APC is non-refundable, and the manuscript will be withdrawn from consideration without refund.
  • After Acceptance: If the manuscript is withdrawn after acceptance and payment of the APC, no refund will be provided.
  • Post-Publication: After publication, no refunds or withdrawals will be allowed, except in cases where retraction is necessary due to serious issues like ethical violations.

5. Ethical Considerations for Withdrawal

If the reason for withdrawal involves ethical concerns, such as:

  • Plagiarism or improper citation practices
  • Data manipulation or falsification
  • Conflict of interest that was not disclosed

The editorial team may take additional steps to address the situation. In such cases, the manuscript will be retracted rather than withdrawn, and an official notice of retraction will be published. The retraction notice will include the reason for the retraction and will be communicated to all relevant parties.

7. Communication and Timeliness

  • Response Time: The editorial team will respond to withdrawal requests within 5–7 business days.
  • Confirmation: Authors will receive confirmation of the withdrawal request along with any next steps in the process.

8. Future Submissions

If an author withdraws a manuscript after it has been accepted or published, the author may be restricted from submitting future manuscripts to ABR. This decision will be made on a case-by-case basis and based on the reason for withdrawal. Repeat withdrawals or violations of publishing ethics may result in a permanent ban from submitting to the journal.

9. Policy Review

This Withdrawal Policy will be reviewed periodically and updated to reflect best practices and evolving standards in academic publishing. Authors will be notified of any changes to this policy.