The Global Journal of Medical and Clinical Case Reports is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly publishing process while ensuring transparency and fairness in all aspects of manuscript submission, review, and publication. We recognize that authors may occasionally need to withdraw their manuscripts for various reasons, and we have established a structured withdrawal policy to address such cases appropriately.

1. Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

Authors may request to withdraw their manuscripts at different stages of the submission and publication process. However, depending on the stage at which the withdrawal request is made, certain conditions and processing charges may apply.

1.1 Withdrawal Before Plagiarism Checking

• Authors may withdraw their manuscript without incurring any charges if the withdrawal request is submitted before the plagiarism screening process begins.
• The editorial office must be notified through an official withdrawal request letter signed by all co-authors.

1.2 Withdrawal After Plagiarism Checking but Before Peer Review

• If a manuscript is withdrawn after undergoing plagiarism detection but before the peer-review process begins, a processing fee of $249 will be charged.
• This fee covers administrative and technical costs associated with manuscript processing.

1.3 Withdrawal After Peer Review

• Withdrawing a manuscript after it has been sent for peer review requires careful consideration, as reviewers invest time and effort in evaluating the manuscript.
• A withdrawal fee of $749 will be charged if the manuscript is withdrawn after the peer-review process.
• The authors must provide a valid justification for the withdrawal, which will be reviewed by the editorial board.

1.4 Withdrawal at the Final Proof Stage

• Once the manuscript reaches the final proofing stage, withdrawal requests are strongly discouraged.
• If an author insists on withdrawal at this stage, a fee of $749 will be applicable to compensate for the resources expended during production.
• The final decision on such withdrawals will be made by the editorial board.

2. Article Retraction Policy

The Global Journal of Medical and Clinical Case Reports follows international best practices for article retraction, adhering to the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Retractions are considered in cases where:

• The article contains unethical practices such as data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, multiple submissions, or fake authorship.
• Significant errors or flaws are identified post-publication, which affect the credibility or accuracy of the research findings.
• There are legal concerns, such as defamation or infringement of third-party rights.
• Authors request a retraction due to genuine mistakes or technical errors in research data.

Upon receiving a valid retraction request signed by all authors, the editorial board will review the case. If approved:

• The HTML and PDF versions of the article will be removed from the journal's database and indexing platforms.
• A retraction notice will be issued to inform readers about the reason for retraction.
• The original DOI will remain active with a link to the retraction notice.

3. Article Replacement Policy

In cases where an article contains errors that could pose a significant risk to public health or scientific integrity, authors may request to replace the published article with a corrected version.

• The original article will be retracted following COPE guidelines, and a correction notice will be published alongside the new version.
• The replacement request must be justified, and supporting evidence must be provided.
• The editorial board will assess the validity of the replacement request before approval.

4. Legal Removal of Articles

In rare cases, an article may need to be removed entirely from the journal's database due to legal or ethical concerns. Grounds for article removal include:

• Defamation, copyright infringement, or violation of legal rights.
• A court order mandating the removal of the article.
• Situations where the article, if acted upon, could pose a severe risk to public health.

If an article is removed for legal reasons, the published version will be replaced with a statement indicating that the article has been removed due to legal considerations.

5. How to Request a Withdrawal or Retraction

Authors who wish to withdraw or retract their manuscript must submit a formal request to the editorial office via email. The request should include:

• A signed letter from the corresponding author stating the reasons for withdrawal or retraction.
• Approval signatures from all co-authors.
• For article retraction, supporting documentation, such as evidence of ethical misconduct or errors in research.

The Global Journal of Medical and Clinical Case Reports strives to maintain the highest ethical standards in scientific publishing. Our withdrawal and retraction policies are designed to uphold the credibility of the research we publish while ensuring fairness to authors, reviewers, and readers. We encourage authors to carefully consider their submissions before requesting withdrawal or retraction and to adhere to ethical publishing practices.