Article Retraction & Withdrawal Policy

The Elementary Journal upholds the highest standards of academic integrity and ensures that all published articles meet ethical and scholarly requirements. However, in certain cases, it may be necessary to retract or withdraw an article due to ethical violations, errors, or author requests.

  1. Article Retraction

Retraction is applied to published articles when serious ethical or academic misconduct is identified, including but not limited to:

  • Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism beyond acceptable limits).
  • Data fabrication, falsification, or manipulation that misleads readers.
  • Redundant or duplicate publication (simultaneous submission to multiple journals).
  • Severe ethical violations, such as failure to obtain necessary research approvals.
  • Authorship disputes that cannot be resolved amicably.

Retraction Process:

  • The editorial team and ethics committee will investigate reported concerns.
  • If retraction is necessary, a formal retraction notice will be published in the journal, explaining the reason for retraction.
  • The original article will remain accessible but will be marked as “Retracted” with a clear statement explaining the decision.
  • The article’s DOI (Digital Object Identifier) will remain active with the retraction statement attached.
  1. Article Withdrawal

Withdrawal may occur before publication for valid reasons, such as:

  • Author-requested withdrawal due to fundamental errors or ethical concerns.
  • Accidental multiple submissions to different journals.
  • Failure to comply with the journal's formatting or ethical policies after multiple revision requests.

Withdrawal Policy:

  • Authors may request a pre-publication withdrawal by submitting a written explanation to the editorial office.
  • Withdrawal after peer review but before acceptance is allowed only for exceptional reasons.
  • Post-acceptance withdrawals are discouraged and may require the author to justify their request in writing.
  • Unauthorized withdrawal or repeated withdrawals without justification may result in restrictions on future submissions.
  1. Editorial-Initiated Removal

In rare cases, the editorial board may remove an article completely from the journal’s website and databases due to:

  • Legal or privacy violations (e.g., confidential data exposure).
  • Defamation, copyright infringement, or ethical breaches that pose serious risks.
  • National security concerns or compliance with legal regulations.

A statement explaining the reason for removal will be published in place of the article.