Withdrawal of Manuscripts

Journal of Pharmacy and Halal Studies (JPHS) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of the scholarly record. Manuscript withdrawal is therefore considered an exceptional action because it may consume significant editorial and peer-review resources.

1) Definitions and Scope

Withdrawal (pre-publication): removal of a submitted manuscript from editorial consideration before final publication. A record of the submission may remain in the journal’s system for administrative and integrity purposes.
Post-publication changes: once an article is published, JPHS does not “withdraw” it on request; any necessary actions are handled through established scholarly mechanisms such as corrections, retractions, or (rarely) removal under strict conditions.

2) General Principles

Authors are expected to submit manuscripts only when the work is ready for peer review and is not under consideration elsewhere.
Withdrawal requests must be made formally and promptly, with a clear and specific justification.
Authors must not assume a manuscript has been withdrawn unless and until they receive written confirmation from the editorial office.
Withdrawal must not be used to justify or conceal unethical practices (e.g., duplicate or simultaneous submissions).

3) When JPHS May Consider a Withdrawal Request

JPHS may consider withdrawal only for compelling and verifiable reasons, including (but not limited to):

Discovery of major scientific or methodological errors that invalidate results or conclusions.
Identification of research ethics or regulatory compliance issues (e.g., missing ethics approval, inappropriate handling of human/animal research, or other serious compliance gaps).
Credible concerns about data integrity, plagiarism, fabrication/falsification, image manipulation, or other forms of publication misconduct.
Serious authorship disputes that cannot be resolved by the authors and institutions in a timely manner.
Situations involving potential public health or patient safety risks, where immediate editorial action is required.

4) How to Request Withdrawal

The corresponding author must submit a formal withdrawal request to the editorial office. The request should include:

Manuscript title and manuscript ID (if available).
A clear, specific reason for withdrawal.
A statement confirming that all authors have been informed and agree with the withdrawal.
Where relevant, supporting documentation (e.g., ethics committee clarification, institutional communication, evidence supporting the concern).

5) Editorial Handling and Decision

The Editor-in-Chief (or a delegated handling editor) will review the request and may seek additional information.
JPHS may consult independent experts or follow established publication-ethics processes when allegations involve misconduct or research integrity concerns.
The journal will communicate the decision in writing. If the request is approved, the manuscript status will be updated accordingly in the submission system.

6) Requests After Acceptance or During Production

Withdrawal requests after acceptance are generally discouraged and will be considered only under exceptional circumstances involving serious scientific, ethical, legal, or safety concerns.
If an accepted manuscript has already progressed to production or “in press/early online” stages, JPHS may apply the appropriate integrity mechanism consistent with the need to preserve the scholarly record.

7) Unethical Withdrawal and Potential Consequences

Withdrawing a manuscript to submit it elsewhere after editorial or peer-review work has begun, or proceeding to submit the manuscript to another journal without written confirmation of withdrawal, is considered unethical. The journal may take actions to protect editorial integrity, which may include rejection, restrictions on future submissions for a defined period, or notifications to relevant parties when warranted under publication-ethics practice.