Article Withdrawal Policy

Penelitian Gizi dan Makanan (The Journal of Nutrition and Food Research) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly publication process. This policy establishes the procedures for withdrawing manuscripts before publication and withdrawing publicly available early versions of articles before the final Version of Record is published.

Withdrawal decisions will be handled fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Withdrawal of Unpublished Manuscripts

Authors who wish to withdraw a manuscript that is under submission, editorial assessment, peer review, revision, or acceptance must submit a formal written request to the Editorial Office.

The request must include:

The manuscript title and identification number.
The name of the corresponding author.
The reason for withdrawal.
Confirmation that all co-authors have been informed of and agree to the withdrawal, where applicable.

The Editorial Office will acknowledge the request and provide written confirmation when the withdrawal has been completed.

Authors must not submit the same manuscript, or a substantially overlapping version of it, to another journal while the withdrawal request remains unresolved. Submission elsewhere may proceed once withdrawal has been confirmed by the journal.

The journal may request clarification or additional confirmation when authorship disputes, competing claims, suspected misconduct, or other unresolved concerns affect the request.

Withdrawal of an unpublished manuscript does not normally require a public Withdrawal Notice. However, the journal may retain the submission record, correspondence, and related documentation in accordance with its editorial procedures, research-integrity requirements, applicable data-protection rules, and legal obligations.

2. Withdrawal After Acceptance but Before Final Publication

A request to withdraw an accepted manuscript before publication of the final Version of Record will be considered by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor without a relevant competing interest.

The journal may request a written explanation and confirmation that the request reflects the authors' collective decision.

Acceptance does not automatically entitle authors to withdraw a manuscript without completing the journal's formal procedure. The journal will assess the circumstances, the stage of publication, any applicable agreements, and relevant ethical or legal considerations before deciding how to proceed.

If an early version of the accepted article has already been made publicly available, the journal will also assess whether a formal Withdrawal Notice or another editorial action is necessary.

3. Withdrawal of a Publicly Available Early Version

For the purposes of this policy, withdrawal of an article refers to the removal from public access of an early version of an accepted article that has been made publicly available but has not yet been published as the final Version of Record.

Withdrawal may be considered in exceptional circumstances, including:

The early version was made publicly available prematurely.
An editorial or production error resulted in the publication of duplicate versions.
An incorrect, incomplete, or corrupted file was made publicly available because of a technical or production failure.

The Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor will assess the circumstances and determine whether withdrawal is appropriate.

Where withdrawal is approved, the withdrawn content may be replaced with a clearly identified Withdrawal Notice explaining the reason for the action, to the extent permitted by confidentiality, legal, and ethical requirements.

Bibliographic metadata and publication history will be retained where appropriate. The journal will maintain links to the relevant notice and related publication records where technically possible.

4. Cases Not Normally Eligible for Withdrawal

Withdrawal will not normally be used as a substitute for other editorial actions or as a means of avoiding accountability for published research.

A request to withdraw an article will not, by itself, justify withdrawal when:

The article has already been published as the final Version of Record.
The authors disagree with criticism or post-publication discussion.
The authors wish to avoid an investigation into suspected research or publication misconduct.
The authors wish to remove a valid publication solely because they have changed their opinions or preferences.
The article contains errors or unreliable findings that require a formal Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction.

If a publicly available early version contains unreliable findings, plagiarism, unethical research, or another serious publication ethics breach, the journal will normally consider Retraction or another appropriate editorial action rather than Withdrawal.

5. Relationship with Corrections, Retractions, and Removals

Withdrawal, Correction, Retraction, and Removal are distinct editorial actions.

Correction is used when an error or omission can be corrected without invalidating the principal findings and conclusions.
Retraction is considered when the reliability or integrity of a published article can no longer be relied upon and the problem cannot be adequately resolved through a Correction.
Removal means that the full text of a published article is no longer publicly accessible. It is reserved for exceptional circumstances, such as binding legal requirements, serious privacy violations, or significant risks to health, safety, or the public.

The journal will determine the appropriate action based on the evidence, the status of the article, the seriousness of the concern, and the need to preserve the scholarly record.

Suspected research or publication misconduct will be handled under the journal's Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct Policy.

6. Editorial Responsibility and Transparency

The Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor without a relevant competing interest is responsible for decisions under this policy.

The journal may consult the authors, independent experts, the publisher, relevant institutions, or other competent authorities when necessary.

Authors and other directly affected parties will normally be given a reasonable opportunity to provide relevant information. The journal may proceed on the available evidence if a party does not respond within a reasonable period.

All withdrawal decisions involving publicly available article content will be documented appropriately. Notices will be dated, clearly identified, and linked to the relevant publication record where technically possible.

The journal will not silently alter or remove the final Version of Record solely at an author's request. Any action affecting a published article must follow the relevant editorial policy and preserve the transparency of the scholarly record.

7. Reconsideration and Related Policies

Authors or other directly affected parties may request reconsideration of a withdrawal decision when substantial new evidence becomes available, a significant procedural error may have affected the decision, or a relevant competing interest was not identified.

Requests must explain the grounds for reconsideration and provide supporting evidence. Mere disagreement with the decision is insufficient.

Where practicable, reconsideration will be handled by an editor or qualified person who was not responsible for the original decision and has no relevant competing interest.

This policy should be read together with the journal's policies on:

Exclusive Submission and Concurrent Submission.
Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct.
Post-Publication Discussions.
Complaints and Appeals.
Corrections, Retractions, Withdrawals, Removals, and Replacements.

The journal will periodically review this policy to maintain consistency with relevant COPE guidance, developments in scholarly communication, applicable law, and institutional requirements.