Withdrawal Policy

Asian Journal of Research in Economics and Finance (AJREF) maintains a strict withdrawal policy to ensure the integrity of scholarly publishing. Authors are expected to submit manuscripts only when they are fully committed to the publication process.

1. Withdrawal Before Review

Authors may request withdrawal before the peer review process begins without any penalty. A formal written request must be emailed by the corresponding author stating valid reasons for withdrawal.

2. Withdrawal During Peer Review

If authors request withdrawal after peer review has started, they must provide a strong justification. The editorial office will evaluate the request and approve or decline based on the situation.
Frequent or unjustified withdrawals may result in restrictions on future submissions.

3. Withdrawal After Acceptance

Withdrawal requests after the manuscript has been accepted for publication are strongly discouraged. Such requests disrupt the editorial workflow and waste reviewer and editor efforts.
If a withdrawal is approved at this stage, the authors may be required to pay a withdrawal fee to cover administrative costs.

4. Withdrawal After Publication (Retraction)

After publication, withdrawal is treated as a retraction. A published article can only be withdrawn if:

  • Ethical violations are proven

  • Plagiarism, data fabrication, or significant errors are identified

  • Legal issues or copyright conflicts arise

Retractions follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and will be clearly marked on the journal website.

5. Unethical Withdrawal

If authors stop responding to editorial communication after acceptance or during proofreading to avoid publication charges or for parallel submission, it is considered unethical withdrawal.
In such cases, the journal may:

  • Blacklist the authors for future submissions

  • Notify their institutions

  • Report misconduct to relevant databases

6. Formal Withdrawal Request

All withdrawal requests must:

  • Be submitted by the corresponding author

  • State clear reasons for withdrawal

  • Receive written confirmation from the editorial office

The manuscript is considered withdrawn only after official confirmation.