Withdrawal Policy
E-ISSN: 2640-2874 · Procedures and fee schedule for withdrawal, retraction, removal, and replacement
Purpose and Editorial Responsibility
The publisher and editor are solely responsible for deciding which submissions are published, guided by editorial principles and legal requirements (e.g., libel, copyright, plagiarism). The academic archive functions as a permanent historical record of scholarly exchange; previously published articles are not altered where practicable. Only in rare, exceptional circumstances will an article be withdrawn or deleted; when that occurs, all versions are preserved within the official HSPI archives.
Scope and Standards
This policy reflects current best practice in scholarly publishing. As standards evolve, APCR will revisit and refine these procedures in consultation with the academic and library communities to support harmonized, industry-wide approaches.
Withdrawal of the Article (In Press)
“Withdrawal” applies to Articles in Press (accepted but not yet formally published) when errors are identified or ethical issues arise (e.g., multiple submission, false authorship claims, plagiarism, fraudulent data use). During the journal’s review window of 21 working days, authors must refrain from submitting the same work elsewhere; if they do, this withdrawal policy no longer applies.
Articles in Press that, in the editors’ view, contain substantive errors, are accidental duplicates, or violate publishing ethics will be withdrawn in line with this policy.
Withdrawal Fee Schedule
Where withdrawal is initiated after editorial work has commenced, a fee applies to cover processing efforts already incurred:
| Stage of Processing | Charge (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Before plagiarism screening | $0 | No fee prior to similarity checks. |
| After plagiarism check but before peer review | $349 | Administrative and editorial setup costs. |
| After peer review | $549 | Reviewer coordination and evaluation costs. |
| At final proof stage | $749 | Production, typesetting, and proof management completed. |
Invoices are issued to the corresponding author. Payment is required before the withdrawal notice is finalized on the article page.
Retraction of Article
Retraction is reserved for serious professional or research ethics violations (e.g., redundant publication, deceptive claims, authorship/copyright disputes, plagiarism, unethical data exploitation). Infrequently, retraction may also address substantive procedural errors identified after expert review. Retractions are linked to the affected article and clearly labeled in the record.
Removal of Article
In very limited circumstances—such as defamatory content, infringement of legal rights, court orders, or situations where maintaining access could pose a significant health risk—an article may be removed from public view. In such cases, a screen indicating removal for legal reasons replaces the content while retaining core metadata (title and authors).
Replacement of Article
When a published article contains errors that could pose a major health risk if left uncorrected, authors may request replacement with a revised version. Replacement follows retraction procedures, ensuring transparent linkage and traceability between versions.
Good Practice and Communication
- Use withdrawal for Articles in Press; use retraction for published items with serious issues.
- Preserve the scholarly record by retaining metadata and linking notices to the version of record.
- Ensure all co-authors consent to withdrawal/retraction actions and reasons are documented.
- Direct queries through the editorial office for coordinated, auditable handling.
Contact the Editorial Office
For withdrawal, retraction, removal, or replacement requests and billing questions, contact: