The International Journal of Poultry Science (IJPS) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly publishing process. Authors are expected to submit manuscripts only after careful consideration and with the agreement of all listed authors. Authors should therefore avoid unnecessary withdrawal of manuscripts, particularly after editorial evaluation or peer review has begun.

This policy applies to manuscripts submitted to IJPS before publication. Once an article has been formally published as the Version of Record, requests concerning its correction, retraction, or removal are handled under the journal's Corrections and Retractions Policy rather than through the manuscript withdrawal procedure.

1. General Requirements for Withdrawal

A request to withdraw a manuscript must be submitted by the corresponding author using the email address provided for the corresponding author in the submitted manuscript. The request must clearly identify the manuscript, state the reason for withdrawal, and confirm that all authors have been informed of and agree with the withdrawal request.

The Editorial Office may require the authors to complete and sign the journal's Article Withdrawal Form or provide other documentation necessary to verify the request. Where signatures are required, all listed authors must provide their confirmation.

Submission of a withdrawal request does not automatically mean that the manuscript has been withdrawn. A manuscript remains under consideration by IJPS until the Editorial Office issues formal written confirmation that the withdrawal process has been completed.

2. Withdrawal Before Peer Review

Authors may request withdrawal before the manuscript enters the peer review process. The corresponding author must submit a written request to the Editorial Office explaining the reason for withdrawal.

Requests made at this stage will normally be accepted, provided that there are no unresolved ethical, authorship, duplicate-submission, or other concerns requiring further investigation.

3. Withdrawal During Peer Review or Editorial Evaluation

Once a manuscript has entered peer review or substantial editorial evaluation, withdrawal is strongly discouraged because editors and reviewers may already have committed considerable time and effort to the evaluation of the manuscript.

A withdrawal request at this stage must be submitted by the corresponding author and must include a clear and reasonable explanation. The Editorial Office may require confirmation from all authors before processing the withdrawal.

Reasons such as a change in institutional requirements, indexing preferences, funding arrangements, or publication costs may not, by themselves, constitute sufficient justification where the relevant conditions were publicly available or reasonably known to the authors at the time of submission.

4. Withdrawal After Acceptance but Before Publication

Withdrawal after formal acceptance is strongly discouraged and will be considered only when there is a substantial and justified reason. Such reasons may include the discovery of a serious error affecting the validity of the work, significant ethical concerns, a verified authorship dispute, or other exceptional circumstances that make publication inappropriate.

The corresponding author must provide a detailed written explanation and, when requested, a completed Article Withdrawal Form signed by all authors. The Editor in Chief may request additional information or documentation before reaching a decision.

Approval of a withdrawal request after acceptance is subject to editorial review. Where the circumstances raise concerns regarding research integrity or publication ethics, the matter may be handled under the journal's Publication Ethics or Research Misconduct Policy rather than solely as an administrative withdrawal.

5. Authorship Disputes and Lack of Author Agreement

If all authors do not agree with the withdrawal request, the journal will not normally process the request as a routine withdrawal until the disagreement has been appropriately addressed.

The Editorial Office may request statements or supporting documentation from the authors and, where appropriate, may contact the relevant institution or other responsible authority in accordance with applicable publication ethics procedures.

The journal will not adjudicate authorship disputes on behalf of authors or their institutions. Where necessary, consideration of the manuscript may be suspended while the matter is being resolved.

6. Ethical Concerns and Duplicate Submission

A withdrawal request does not prevent IJPS from investigating suspected violations of publication ethics. If a manuscript is associated with suspected plagiarism, duplicate or simultaneous submission, fabricated or falsified data, inappropriate authorship, manipulated peer review, or other potential misconduct, the journal may continue an appropriate investigation even if withdrawal has been requested.

Where necessary, the journal may communicate with the authors, editors, reviewers, institutions, or other journals involved in accordance with its Publication Ethics and Research Misconduct policies.

7. Withdrawal and Submission to Another Journal

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to another journal while it remains under consideration by IJPS.

A manuscript may be submitted elsewhere only after the corresponding author has received formal written confirmation from the IJPS Editorial Office that the manuscript has been withdrawn. Submission of a withdrawal request alone does not constitute confirmation of withdrawal.

8. Published Articles

Once an article has been formally published as the Version of Record, it cannot ordinarily be withdrawn at the request of the authors through the manuscript withdrawal procedure.

Concerns identified after publication will be assessed under the journal's Corrections and Retractions Policy and other applicable publication ethics policies. Depending on the circumstances, the appropriate action may include a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or, in exceptional circumstances, removal of the article.

Retraction or other post-publication action does not normally erase the scholarly record. Notices and article records will be maintained and linked as appropriate to preserve the transparency and integrity of the published literature.

9. Article Removal

Complete removal of published article content will occur only in rare and exceptional circumstances, such as where continued availability of the content would violate legal rights, breach privacy, be subject to a court or other binding legal order, or present a serious risk of harm.

Where removal is necessary, the journal will preserve appropriate bibliographic information and provide a notice explaining the status of the article to the extent legally and ethically permissible.

10. Withdrawal Fees and Penalties

IJPS does not impose a withdrawal fee solely for requesting the withdrawal of a manuscript. However, authors are expected to act responsibly and to avoid unnecessary withdrawals after substantial editorial or peer review work has been completed.

Repeated, inappropriate, or unethical withdrawal practices may be reviewed under the journal's publication ethics procedures and may result in appropriate editorial action.

11. Editorial Authority

The Editor in Chief has final editorial authority regarding withdrawal requests, subject to the journal's policies and applicable publication ethics principles. The journal reserves the right to request additional information, verify author consent, investigate ethical concerns, or refer a matter to the appropriate institution or authority where necessary.

12. How to Submit a Withdrawal Request

Withdrawal requests must be submitted to the IJPS Editorial Office by the corresponding author using the email address provided for the corresponding author in the submitted manuscript.

The withdrawal request should include:

• Manuscript ID;
• Full title of the manuscript;
• Name of the corresponding author;
• A clear explanation of the reason for withdrawal;
• Confirmation that all authors have been informed of and agree with the withdrawal; and
• A completed and signed Article Withdrawal Form, when requested by the Editorial Office.

The Editorial Office may request additional information or documentation where necessary to verify the withdrawal request. The withdrawal will be considered complete only when the Editorial Office sends formal written confirmation to the corresponding author.

13. Relationship With Other Journal Policies

This policy should be read together with the International Journal of Poultry Science policies on Publication Ethics, Authorship and Contributorship, Research Misconduct, Complaints and Appeals, and Corrections and Retractions. Where a withdrawal request involves a publication ethics or research integrity concern, the relevant journal policy will also apply.