Withdrawal Policy

The Brooklyn Research and Publishing Institute (BRPI) is dedicated to maintaining transparency, accountability, and the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Withdrawal of manuscripts after submission or publication is a serious matter that affects authors, editors, reviewers, and the integrity of the academic record.

Authors are therefore strongly encouraged to review all relevant editorial and financial policies—particularly the publication fee and waiver policy—before submitting a manuscript. Submission to a BRPI journal constitutes acknowledgment and acceptance of all publication policies and associated responsibilities.

1. General Principles

Submission of a manuscript initiates the formal editorial process, involving substantial administrative and professional resources. Once a manuscript has been submitted, authors are expected to remain committed to completing the review and publication process.

Withdrawal requests are only considered under exceptional circumstances and must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author, with the explicit consent of all co-authors. Unauthorized or informal withdrawal attempts, such as failure to respond to editorial communications, are regarded as unethical and may result in sanctions, including notification to the author’s institution or relevant indexing agencies.

2. Withdrawal Before Peer Review

If a withdrawal request is made before a manuscript is sent for peer review, the editorial office will generally approve the request without financial penalty, provided that the reason is clearly explained and deemed valid. However, frequent or repetitive submissions followed by withdrawal without valid justification may be interpreted as an abuse of the submission system and could influence future submissions to BRPI journals.

3. Withdrawal After Peer Review Commencement

Once a manuscript has entered the peer review process, withdrawal is not permitted under normal circumstances. Peer review requires significant time and effort from editors and reviewers, and withdrawing a manuscript at this stage compromises the integrity and efficiency of the academic evaluation process.

In exceptional and legitimate cases, withdrawal may be considered under the following circumstances:

• Discovery of significant unintentional errors that invalidate the study.
• Proven duplicate submission made inadvertently.
• Serious authorship disputes or legal issues that prevent continuation of the review process.

If a withdrawal is approved after peer review has begun, the corresponding author must remit 60% of the total publication fee to cover editorial and administrative costs already incurred. Requests motivated by dissatisfaction with reviewer feedback, editorial timelines, or alternative publication opportunities will not be accepted as valid grounds for withdrawal.

4. Withdrawal After Acceptance

Once an article has been accepted for publication, withdrawal is only permitted in extremely rare and well-documented cases. At this stage, the manuscript is considered an integral part of the journal’s production schedule and scholarly record.

Requests for withdrawal after acceptance will only be reviewed in cases involving proven ethical, legal, or authorship disputes. Approved withdrawals at this stage remain subject to the 60% publication fee charge as stipulated for post-review withdrawals.

5. Post-Publication Withdrawal Policy

Once an article has been published online, it is part of the official scholarly record and cannot be withdrawn at the discretion of the authors. Post-publication withdrawal is reserved exclusively for extraordinary situations involving:

• Verified cases of data falsification, plagiarism, or research misconduct
• Ethical or legal violations that necessitate removal of the article.
• Situations where continued public availability of the article poses a risk of defamation, privacy infringement, or legal noncompliance.

Such cases are evaluated in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. If withdrawal is approved, the article will remain accessible online but clearly marked as “Withdrawn” with a formal withdrawal notice explaining the reason. This approach ensures transparency and preservation of the academic record.

Under no circumstances will publication fees be refunded following post-publication withdrawal, regardless of the reason. Publication charges cover the costs of editorial processing, peer review management, digital archiving, and dissemination, which remain valid and unrecoverable even if a paper is later withdrawn.

6. Procedure for Withdrawal Requests

To request withdrawal at any stage, the corresponding author must send a formal email to the editorial office, including:

• The manuscript title and submission identification number.
• Full list of authors and their institutional affiliations.
• A detailed justification for the withdrawal request.
• Written confirmation from all co-authors consenting to the withdrawal.

The editorial office will review the request, assess its validity, and issue a formal decision in writing. No manuscript will be considered withdrawn unless the editorial office has provided written confirmation of approval.

7. Policy Acknowledgment

By submitting a manuscript to BRPI, authors confirm that they have thoroughly reviewed and understood this Withdrawal Policy, including the associated financial obligations. Authors acknowledge that:

• Manuscripts under peer review cannot be withdrawn except for legitimate, documented reasons.
• Withdrawals approved after the start of peer review require payment of 60% of the total publication fee.
• Withdrawals after publication do not qualify for any refund of publication fees, regardless of the circumstances.

This policy safeguards the integrity of the publication process, ensures fairness to all contributors, and upholds the ethical standards of scholarly communication.

For further details on withdrawal issues, please contact the Executive Editor at editor@thebrpi.org.