Article Retraction & Withdrawal

 
POST-PUBLICATION INTEGRITY

Article Retraction & Withdrawal

TITAH: Journal of Law

TITAH: Journal of Law is committed to preserving the accuracy, transparency, reliability, and integrity of the scholarly record. This policy explains the procedures applicable to manuscript withdrawal before publication and article retraction after publication.

BEFORE PUBLICATION
Manuscript Withdrawal
Withdrawal refers to the removal of a manuscript from the editorial process before it has been formally published as part of the scholarly record.
AFTER PUBLICATION
Article Retraction
Retraction applies when a published article must be formally identified as unreliable, seriously flawed, duplicated, plagiarized, unethical, or otherwise unsuitable to remain unqualified in the scholarly record.
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Purpose of Retraction
Retraction is primarily a mechanism for correcting the scholarly literature and preserving its integrity. It is not intended primarily as a punishment for authors.
Preservation of the Scholarly Record

Once an article has been formally published, the journal will not ordinarily remove it silently from the website or electronic archive. Where serious problems are established, the journal will use an appropriate correction, expression of concern, or retraction mechanism so that readers can clearly understand the status of the publication.

PART I
Manuscript Withdrawal

1. Withdrawal Before Publication

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript that remains under editorial consideration and has not yet been formally published.

Withdrawal should be requested responsibly and should not be used to circumvent editorial decisions, peer-review obligations, or the prohibition against simultaneous submission to multiple journals.

Once a manuscript has been formally published online as the final article, it forms part of the scholarly record and will normally be managed under the journal's post-publication correction or retraction procedures rather than ordinary manuscript withdrawal.

Withdrawal Request Procedure
1
 Written Request
The corresponding author should submit a clear written withdrawal request to the Editorial Office.
2
 Reason for Withdrawal
The request should provide a reasonable explanation for why the manuscript is being withdrawn.
3
 Author Confirmation
For multi-author manuscripts, the Editorial Office may request confirmation that all authors are aware of and agree with the withdrawal request.
4
 Editorial Confirmation
Withdrawal is considered complete after the journal confirms that the manuscript has been removed from active editorial processing.

Withdrawal at Different Editorial Stages

Editorial Stage Journal Handling
Before Peer Review A reasonable withdrawal request may ordinarily be processed after editorial confirmation.
During Peer Review The request will be recorded and the active review process discontinued after withdrawal is confirmed.
After Acceptance The Editorial Team may seek additional clarification because the manuscript has already completed substantial editorial processing.
After Formal Publication Ordinary withdrawal is no longer appropriate. The article will be handled through correction, expression of concern, or retraction procedures as applicable.
No Withdrawal Fee
TITAH: Journal of Law does not impose a manuscript withdrawal fee.

As part of the journal's zero-fee publishing policy, authors are not charged for submission, review, publication, or legitimate manuscript withdrawal.

PART II
Article Retraction

2. When Retraction May Be Considered

Retraction may be considered where there is clear evidence that the integrity or reliability of a published article has been seriously compromised.
Unreliable Findings — findings or conclusions are materially unreliable because of research error or misconduct.
Fabrication or Falsification — evidence, data, legal materials, or research findings have been fabricated or materially falsified.
Plagiarism — substantial plagiarism has been identified in the published article.
Redundant or Duplicate Publication — substantially the same findings or content were previously published without appropriate justification, permission, or cross-reference.
Serious Ethical Violation — the research or publication materially violates applicable scholarly or research-ethics standards.
Serious Undisclosed Competing Interest — a major undisclosed interest materially affects the reliability, interpretation, or recommendations of the publication.
Retraction Is Reserved for Serious Problems
Retraction is not normally required for every error.

Where only a limited and clearly identifiable part of an otherwise reliable article is incorrect, a correction, corrigendum, or erratum may be more appropriate than retracting the entire publication.

Correction or Retraction?

Erratum
Generally used to correct a production or publishing error introduced by the journal.		 Corrigendum
Generally used when a limited author-related error requires correction but the overall article remains reliable.		 Expression of Concern
May be used when serious concerns exist but available evidence is not yet sufficient for a final determination.		 Retraction
Used when serious defects or misconduct make the publication or its principal findings unreliable.
Authorship Corrections
A change to authorship does not automatically require retraction when there is no reason to doubt the validity or reliability of the findings.

Where appropriate, authorship errors may instead be addressed through a transparent correction notice.

RETRACTION PROCEDURE

Retraction Investigation and Decision

1
 Concern Identified
The journal receives credible information indicating a possible serious problem with a published article.
2
 Preliminary Assessment
The Editor evaluates whether the concern is sufficiently credible and significant to warrant formal investigation.
3
 Evidence Review
Relevant manuscript files, peer-review records, similarity reports, correspondence, source materials, or other evidence may be examined.
4
 Author Response
Where appropriate, authors are given an opportunity to provide an explanation, clarification, or relevant supporting evidence.
5
 Editorial Determination
The Editor determines whether no action, correction, expression of concern, or retraction is appropriate.
6
 Public Notice
If retraction is required, a clear and accessible retraction notice is published and linked to the original article.
EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Final Retraction Decision
An article may be retracted by the author(s), the Editor, or through a joint action where appropriate.

Because responsibility for the integrity of the journal's published content rests with the Editorial Team, the Editor retains responsibility for the final decision concerning whether a published article requires retraction.

Where compelling evidence demonstrates that retraction is necessary, lack of author agreement will not prevent the journal from taking appropriate action to protect the scholarly record.

Requirements for a Retraction Notice

A retraction notice should be clear, transparent, and readily identifiable.
✓ Clearly identify that the publication has been retracted.
✓ Clearly identify the original article, including its title and author(s).
✓ Be electronically linked to the original article wherever technically possible.
✓ State the reason and basis for the retraction.
✓ Distinguish, where possible, between honest error and publication/research misconduct.
✓ Identify who initiated or issued the retraction.
✓ Avoid unnecessary or potentially defamatory statements.
Retractions Should Not Be Unreasonably Delayed
Where reliable evidence establishes that an article should be retracted, the journal should act without unnecessary delay.

Prompt action reduces the risk that readers continue to rely on, cite, reproduce, or make decisions based on seriously unreliable published information.

Retracted Articles Are Not Silently Deleted
The original published record should normally remain accessible in the journal's electronic archive.

The article should be clearly marked as RETRACTED, and its status should be visible to readers accessing the article.

Article retained Metadata retained Retraction notice linked RETRACTED status visible

DOI, Metadata, and Bibliographic Record

Retraction should not be used to conceal the existence of a previously published article.

Article metadata and persistent identifiers should remain associated with the scholarly record so that readers, citation systems, bibliographic databases, and indexing services can identify that the publication has been retracted.

Where technically possible, the original article and retraction notice should be cross-linked.

Identification of Retracted Content
In addition to the retraction notice, the journal may clearly mark the article landing page and PDF or other full-text format with an appropriate indication such as:
RETRACTED ARTICLE
Please see the linked Retraction Notice.

Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Where substantially duplicate publication has occurred, the journal will assess the chronology, degree of overlap, scholarly reliability, and relevant publication records.

Retraction may be appropriate for a later redundant publication, while partial overlap may in some circumstances be addressed by a transparent notice or correction when the overall findings remain reliable.

Limited Errors or Partial Overlap

Where a problem is limited to a small portion of an article and does not materially undermine the reliability of the overall research, the Editor will consider whether a transparent correction would better serve readers than retracting the entire article.

Retraction is reserved principally for cases in which the defect is sufficiently serious that the principal findings or conclusions can no longer be relied upon.

Online Publication Is Publication
Once the final article has been formally published on the journal website, it is treated as part of the scholarly record even if it has not yet appeared in a printed edition.

Therefore, a formally published online article should not simply disappear from the journal website. Any necessary post-publication action must preserve transparency regarding the article's history and status.

Policy Summary
BEFORE PUBLICATION
Withdrawal
LIMITED ERROR
Correction
PENDING INVESTIGATION
Expression of Concern
SERIOUS PROBLEM
Retraction
Commitment to Publication Integrity
TITAH: Journal of Law treats corrections, withdrawals, expressions of concern, and retractions as mechanisms for maintaining an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record.

Decisions will be based on the nature and seriousness of the issue, available evidence, publication stage, reliability of the article, and the need to provide readers with transparent information.

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Important
A retracted article is not silently erased from the scholarly record. Its status, metadata, and retraction information should remain visible so that readers and indexing systems can correctly understand the history and reliability of the publication.
TITAH: Journal of Law
Article Retraction & Withdrawal · Correction · Expression of Concern · Scholarly Record Integrity