Withdrawal Policy

Purpose
This policy outlines the limited circumstances and formal procedures under which a manuscript or published article may be withdrawn from Digital & Social Review. It distinguishes between withdrawal prior to publication and retraction after publication.

Withdrawal of a Submitted Manuscript (Pre-Publication)
Authors may request to withdraw their manuscript from consideration only for compelling and valid reasons.

  • Request Process: The corresponding author must submit a formal, signed withdrawal request via email to the Editorial Office, stating the specific reason for withdrawal.

  • Approval: Withdrawal is not automatic and requires editorial approval. It is typically granted only if the manuscript has not yet been sent for peer review. Once the peer review process is underway, a withdrawal request may be denied to protect the time and effort invested by editors and reviewers.

  • Consequence: Authors who repeatedly submit manuscripts and withdraw them after peer review has begun may face restrictions on future submissions.

Withdrawal of a Published Article (Retraction)
Once an article is formally published online as part of an issue, it is considered a permanent part of the scholarly record. It cannot be "withdrawn" but may be retracted under exceptional circumstances.
Valid grounds for retraction include, but are not limited to:

  • Clear evidence of unreliable findings due to error, misconduct, or data fabrication.

  • Redundant or overlapping publication without appropriate attribution.

  • Plagiarism or major ethical violations.

  • Legal issues concerning the content.

Retraction Process

  • Retraction decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief following a thorough investigation.

  • A formal Retraction Notice is published and linked bidirectionally to the original article. The notice clearly states the reason for retraction and who is retracting it. The original article remains accessible in the archive with a prominent "RETRACTED" watermark.

  • Retractions are not issued for reasons of authorship disputes or normal scientific disagreement.

Article Removal (Exceptionally Rare)
Removal of a published article is an extreme action. It may be considered only where:

  • The content is defamatory or infringes on legal rights.

  • It poses a serious health or safety risk.

  • A court order mandates its removal.
    In such cases, a removal notice will explain the reason, and the article will be replaced with a notice stating it has been removed for legal or ethical reasons.

Policy Review
This policy is reviewed periodically to ensure alignment with academic publishing standards.