Withdrawal of Manuscript
TINOMBALA: Journal of Language Education and Social Sciences recognizes that authors may, in exceptional circumstances, need to withdraw a manuscript during the editorial or peer-review process. Withdrawal requests must be handled transparently and in accordance with the journal's publication-ethics principles.
1. Withdrawal Before Acceptance
Authors may request withdrawal of a submitted manuscript before an editorial decision has been made by submitting a formal written request to the editorial office. The request should include the manuscript title, submission information, and a clear explanation of the reason for withdrawal.
Withdrawal requests are subject to editorial review and approval. Authors should not submit the same manuscript to another journal while the withdrawal request is still being considered.
2. Withdrawal After Peer Review or Acceptance
Withdrawal after substantial editorial or peer-review work has been completed is strongly discouraged because the process requires considerable time and professional resources from editors and reviewers.
Authors requesting withdrawal after peer review or acceptance should provide a clear and legitimate reason. The Editor-in-Chief will assess the circumstances and determine whether the withdrawal can be approved.
Where an author withdraws a manuscript after acceptance without a legitimate reason, or where the withdrawal is intended to circumvent the journal's editorial process or publication policies, the journal may take appropriate administrative action. Such action may include temporarily restricting future submissions from the author(s), particularly where repeated or demonstrably abusive withdrawal practices occur.
Any such action will be proportionate to the circumstances and will not prevent authors from submitting work to other journals.
3. Manuscripts Already Published
A published article cannot be withdrawn from the scholarly record. Once an article has been formally published, any substantive error, ethical concern, or confirmed case of publication misconduct must be addressed through the appropriate editorial mechanism.
Depending on the circumstances, the journal may issue:
- a correction or erratum for significant errors that do not invalidate the article's overall findings;
- an expression of concern where serious concerns require further investigation; or
- a retraction where the validity, integrity, or ethical basis of the published work is substantially compromised.
Retractions and other post-publication notices will remain part of the scholarly record and will be clearly linked to the affected article.
4. Editorial Authority
All manuscript withdrawal requests are subject to editorial approval. The Editor-in-Chief has final authority to determine whether a withdrawal is appropriate and what action, if any, should be taken in accordance with the journal's policies and principles of publication ethics.
The journal reserves the right to reject withdrawal requests where doing so is necessary to protect the integrity of the editorial and scholarly record.
