Withdrawal of Manuscript

AL-MAQĀṢID recognizes that authors may occasionally need to withdraw a manuscript from consideration. Because withdrawal at different stages of the editorial process has different consequences — both for the journal's resources and for the scholarly record — the following stages apply.

1. Before peer review begins

Authors may withdraw a manuscript at this stage by writing to the Editorial Office with a brief explanation. No penalty applies, as no editorial or reviewer resources have yet been committed beyond the initial desk check.

2. During peer review

Withdrawal during active peer review is discouraged, as it consumes reviewer time and editorial resources already committed in good faith. Authors must submit a written request to the Editorial Office stating the reason for withdrawal. [Add here if a processing fee applies at this stage — many journals in this publisher family apply a withdrawal penalty once external review has started; confirm your actual policy so this isn't left ambiguous.]

3. After acceptance, before publication

Withdrawal after a manuscript has been accepted is strongly discouraged. At this point the Journal has committed to the full publishing pipeline — copyediting, typesetting, DOI registration, and archiving preparation — and can only recoup this investment through the Article Processing Charge. Authors requesting withdrawal at this stage must provide compelling written justification to the Editorial Office. 

4. After publication

Once a manuscript has been formally published, it becomes part of the permanent scholarly record and cannot be withdrawn. If a serious issue is identified post-publication (e.g. data error, ethical breach, plagiarism), the matter is handled under the journal's Publication Ethics and Misconduct policy through retraction, correction, or erratum, not withdrawal — the published article remains accessible with the retraction/correction notice clearly linked to it, consistent with COPE guidelines.

Withdrawal without notification

Authors who cease responding to the Editorial Office or attempt to publish the same manuscript elsewhere without formally withdrawing it from AL-MAQĀṢID are considered to have committed a serious breach of publishing ethics. Such cases may result in the author(s) being barred from future submissions and, where relevant, reported to the author's institution.

How to request withdrawal

All withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office, signed by the corresponding author on behalf of all co-authors, clearly stating the manuscript title, submission ID, and reason for withdrawal.