At the Journal of Occupational Health, Risk Management and Safety (JOHRMS), we recognize that authors may occasionally need to withdraw their manuscripts after submission. However, withdrawal must be handled transparently and ethically to uphold the integrity of academic publishing.

1. General Policy

Manuscript withdrawal is discouraged once the review process has commenced. Authors are advised to submit only when they are certain of their intention to publish with JOHRMS.

2. How to Withdraw

Authors wishing to withdraw their manuscript must send a formal, signed withdrawal request via email to:

info@johrms-unical.com.ng
Subject: "Article Withdrawal Request – [Manuscript Title]"

The email must include:

• The full title of the manuscript
• Names and signatures of all listed authors
• A clear and valid reason for the withdrawal

No request will be processed without the consent of all co-authors.

3. Acceptable Circumstances for Withdrawal

• Duplicate or accidental submission to multiple journals
• Discovery of major errors in the manuscript by the authors
• Ethical concerns such as authorship disputes or data inaccuracies

4. Stages and Implications

• Before Peer Review: Withdrawal is allowed without penalty.
• During Peer Review: Authors may be asked to cover administrative costs.
• After Acceptance: Withdrawal at this stage is strongly discouraged and may lead to blacklisting for up to two years.
• Post-Publication: Withdrawal is not permitted; a formal retraction process will be initiated according to JOHRMS and COPE guidelines.

5. Unethical Withdrawal

If authors do not follow the official withdrawal procedure or resubmit the manuscript to another journal without informing JOHRMS:

• The manuscript will be flagged as “Unethically Withdrawn”
• The authors may be blacklisted from future submissions
• A notice may be posted on the JOHRMS website

6. Ethical Standards

This policy is aligned with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and aims to protect both authors and reviewers by ensuring transparency, fairness, and accountability.

For further inquiries or to begin a formal withdrawal request, please contact:
info@johrms-unical.com.ng