The Journal of Computers, Mechanical and Management recognises that authors may, in certain circumstances, need to withdraw a manuscript after submission. This policy sets out the conditions under which an author-initiated withdrawal will be considered, the procedure to be followed at each stage of the editorial process, and the obligations that apply to authors and to the editorial office. The policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to the journal, regardless of article type. It does not cover the retraction of articles already published; retractions are governed by the journal's Publication Ethics page and by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Retraction Guidelines.
The journal aligns its withdrawal practice with the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Withdrawal of a manuscript up to the point of formal acceptance is generally honoured, provided the request is properly made and documented. Withdrawal after formal acceptance is treated as exceptional and is considered on a case-by-case basis. Withdrawal of an article after publication is not a withdrawal but a retraction, and is handled under a separate process. Authors are expected to act in good faith. Repeated withdrawal across journals, withdrawal solely to pursue a higher-impact venue, or withdrawal to evade an editorial decision under appeal may be treated as a breach of publication ethics.
A withdrawal request must be initiated by the corresponding author, on behalf of and with the explicit written consent of every co-author listed on the manuscript. The request must include:
Until the editorial office has received written consent from every listed co-author, the manuscript will remain active in the system. The corresponding author alone cannot effect a withdrawal.
A manuscript that has been submitted but has not yet entered editorial assessment may be withdrawn at the corresponding author's request, subject to the consent requirement above. No fee is payable. The submission is closed in the system and recorded as Withdrawn.
A manuscript under editorial assessment, awaiting reviewer assignment, or under active peer review may be withdrawn subject to the consent requirement above. Authors are urged to consider, before requesting withdrawal at this stage, that the editor and reviewers have already invested unpaid time in evaluating the work. Where the reason for withdrawal is a concern that revision could address, the editorial office is willing to discuss alternatives before the withdrawal is finalised. No fee is payable for withdrawal at this stage. The submission is closed in the system and recorded as Withdrawn.
A manuscript for which a Minor Revisions Required or Major Revision Required decision has been issued, but which has not yet been resubmitted, may be withdrawn subject to the consent requirement above. No fee is payable. Failure to resubmit by the stated deadline, without a granted extension, is treated as a deemed withdrawal under the relevant decision letter; the procedure on this page does not need to be invoked separately in that case.
Withdrawal after a manuscript has been formally accepted is permitted but is treated as exceptional. The corresponding author must, in addition to satisfying the consent requirement above, provide a written justification addressed to the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief will consider such requests on a case-by-case basis, with reference to the reason for withdrawal and whether it points to a publication-ethics concern (for example, redundant publication, authorship dispute, or data integrity), the stage of production at which the request is received (copyediting, proofing, or scheduled for issue), and the work already undertaken by reviewers, editors, copyeditors, and the production team.
For manuscripts subject to an Article Processing Charge under the journal's Article Processing Charges policy, where the APC has already been invoiced at the time of the withdrawal request, the APC remains payable. This charge reflects the editorial and production resources already committed to the manuscript and is independent of whether the manuscript proceeds to publication. Waiver of the APC in such cases is at the sole discretion of the Editor-in-Chief, and is normally considered only where the withdrawal arises from a genuine publication-ethics concern raised in good faith by the authors themselves. For manuscripts submitted before 1 January 2026, the APC was waived; no fee applies to withdrawal at any stage.
A request to withdraw a published article will not be processed as a withdrawal. The matter will be evaluated under the journal's Publication Ethics page and, where appropriate, will be handled as a retraction, correction, or expression of concern in line with COPE guidelines.
The corresponding author should send the withdrawal request to editor@jcmm.co.in, with copies to journalmanager@jcmm.co.in. The request must satisfy the authority requirement above in full. On receipt of a complete request, the editorial office will:
A manuscript is not considered withdrawn until the editorial office has issued written confirmation. Authors must not assume withdrawal on the basis of their request alone.
On confirmed withdrawal, the manuscript is closed in the journal's submission system and marked as Withdrawn. Any peer-review correspondence and editorial records are retained internally, in line with the journal's records-retention practice and confidentiality obligations to reviewers. The authors are free to revise and submit the work elsewhere, subject to the obligations of disclosure that apply to any prior submission. Any APC obligation arising under the after-acceptance section above remains in force notwithstanding the withdrawal.
A withdrawal request will not be granted as a means of avoiding an ongoing or anticipated inquiry into research or publication misconduct. Where a concern of misconduct has been raised, the matter is handled under the Publication Ethics page in accordance with COPE flowcharts. The outcome of that inquiry, including the decision on whether the manuscript proceeds, is the controlling outcome; a withdrawal request submitted in parallel does not displace it.
All withdrawal requests, the editorial office's correspondence in response, and any decisions taken by the Editor-in-Chief are recorded in the manuscript's editorial file. Aggregate withdrawal data are reported in the journal's periodic editorial statistics.
Questions regarding this policy may be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief at editor@jcmm.co.in.
This policy is reviewed periodically by the editorial board and may be updated to remain consistent with COPE guidance and with the journal's evolving editorial practice. The version published on this page is the current authoritative version.
The journal's Article Processing Charge will move from USD 250 to USD 1,000 for manuscripts submitted from 1 October 2026 onwards. Submissions received on or before 30 September 2026 (23:59 UTC) will continue to be processed at USD 250. A tiered waiver scheme based on the World Bank country classification applies from 1 October 2026.
