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Article Withdrawal Policy

P-ISSN: 3117-8065 | E-ISSN: 3117-8073
Pre-Publication Article Withdrawal Policy

The ICME Journal of Laboratory Medicine is committed to maintaining transparent, efficient, and ethically responsible editorial and peer-review procedures across laboratory medicine and diagnostic pathology. This policy explains the circumstances and process through which an author may request withdrawal of a manuscript before its formal publication as the Version of Record.

The policy seeks to respect legitimate author requests while protecting the integrity of editorial records and the time contributed by editors and peer reviewers. Withdrawal requests are assessed in accordance with journal procedures, relevant Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, and the transparency principles reflected in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) criteria.

Objectives of Pre-Publication Withdrawal

A clear withdrawal procedure supports responsible editorial administration and helps prevent the publication or continued processing of work affected by significant unresolved concerns:

Support accuracy of the laboratory research record
Prevent processing of materially unreliable assay work
Address legitimate author concerns promptly
Respect editorial and peer-review resources
Author-Initiated Withdrawal

Authors may request withdrawal for a legitimate scientific, ethical, legal, or administrative reason, including:

Discovery of a major methodological, statistical, analytical, or reporting error after submission.
Identification of unreliable, incomplete, compromised, or unverified laboratory datasets.
Accidental concurrent or duplicate submission, which must be reported promptly.
Unresolved authorship, institutional ownership, confidentiality, or legal concerns.

Requirement: The Corresponding Author should submit a written request explaining the reason for withdrawal and confirming agreement of all authors. Additional documentation may be requested.

Journal-Initiated Editorial Termination

The journal may terminate editorial processing, reject a manuscript, or close its submission record when serious concerns are established or requirements are not met:

Substantiated plagiarism, text recycling, or misleading slide/image manipulation.
Credible evidence of fabrication, falsification, or serious misrepresentation of assay data.
Confirmed concurrent submission or duplicate publication without disclosure.
Unresolved authorship concerns or failure to provide IRB ethics approval or patient consent.
Withdrawal at Different Editorial Stages
Withdrawal During Peer Review A request received during active peer review should be submitted promptly with explanation. The journal will conclude review activity and confirm withdrawal in writing.
Withdrawal After Acceptance Requests after acceptance require careful evaluation as copyediting or typesetting may have begun. Decisions consider the reason provided and publication effect.
Failure to Follow Procedure Authors should not submit elsewhere until ICME Journal of Laboratory Medicine confirms withdrawal in writing. Concurrent submission may trigger publication ethics action.
Formally Published Articles and the Version of Record

Once an article has been formally published online as the Version of Record, it cannot be treated as a simple pre-publication withdrawal. Any subsequent correction, retraction, Expression of Concern, or content removal will be handled under the journal's post-publication policies and COPE guidelines.

Policy Alignment & Periodic Review

The ICME Journal of Laboratory Medicine evaluates withdrawal requests using transparent procedures informed by COPE Core Practices and DOAJ transparency criteria. This policy is reviewed periodically.

Research Integrity Commitment: Withdrawal requests are evaluated fairly according to editorial status. The Editor-in-Chief retains responsibility for the final decision after considering the request, supporting details, and publication integrity.