WITHDRAWAL POLICY

Policy Statement

TRANSFORMA: Journal of Community Innovation and Transformation recognizes that authors may occasionally request the withdrawal of a manuscript during the editorial process. However, manuscript withdrawal should occur only for legitimate and justifiable reasons.

The journal is committed to protecting the integrity of the editorial process, the valuable contributions of reviewers and editors, and the responsible use of editorial resources.

Authors are therefore expected to submit manuscripts only when they are fully committed to completing the publication process.

Withdrawal Before Peer Review

Authors may request withdrawal of their manuscript before the peer-review process begins.

Such requests should be submitted in writing by the corresponding author together with a clear explanation for the withdrawal.

The Editorial Office will normally process these requests without penalty.

Withdrawal During Peer Review

If a withdrawal request is submitted after the manuscript has entered peer review, the Editorial Board will evaluate the reason for the request before making a decision.

Because reviewers and editors have already invested significant time and effort, withdrawal at this stage should be based only on reasonable and well-justified circumstances.

Withdrawal After Acceptance

Once a manuscript has been formally accepted for publication, withdrawal requests will only be considered under exceptional circumstances, such as:

Serious errors identified by the authors.
Legal issues affecting publication.
Ethical concerns requiring further investigation.
Other extraordinary circumstances accepted by the Editorial Board.

Withdrawal after acceptance is strongly discouraged.

Unacceptable Withdrawal

The following reasons are generally considered unacceptable:

Submission of the manuscript to another journal after review has begun.
Simultaneous submission to multiple journals.
Withdrawal solely because the manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
Withdrawal to avoid responding to reviewer comments.
Withdrawal without notification to the Editorial Office.

Such actions may constitute unethical publication practices and may be handled under the journal's Publication Ethics and Research Misconduct Policy.

Editorial Decision

The Editorial Board reserves the right to approve or reject withdrawal requests after considering:

The stage of the editorial process.
The reasons provided by the authors.
The editorial resources already invested.
The interests of reviewers and the scholarly community.

The decision of the Editor-in-Chief shall be final.

Procedure for Withdrawal

Authors requesting withdrawal should:

Submit a written withdrawal request to the Editorial Office.
Explain the reasons for the request.
Await formal confirmation from the Editor before considering the manuscript withdrawn.

A manuscript remains under the responsibility of the journal until the Editorial Office issues an official withdrawal confirmation.

Editorial Responsibility

The journal is committed to handling withdrawal requests fairly, consistently, and transparently.

The Editorial Board will carefully evaluate each request while balancing the legitimate interests of the authors with the integrity of the editorial process and the contributions made by reviewers and editors.