Retraction, Withdrawal, and Corrections Policy

 

Definitions

1. Withdrawal is the formal removal of a manuscript from the review or publication process before final publication. Withdrawal can only be requested by the author before the article is published in its final issue.

2. Retraction is the formal removal of an article from the journal after publication due to serious ethical or scientific issues. The article remains accessible but is clearly marked as “RETRACTED” with an accompanying explanation.

3. Correction is the publication of a formal notice to fix minor unintentional errors that do not affect the scientific integrity or conclusions of the article. Corrections include: (1) Erratum, an error originating from the publisher; (2) Corrigendum, an error originating from the author.
1. Withdrawal

1.1 Accepted Reasons for Withdrawal

No Reason Description
1 Unintentional duplicate submission The manuscript was inadvertently submitted to another journal
2 Discovery of significant errors The author discovers critical errors that invalidate part of the work
3 Change in research circumstances Ethical approval revoked, funding withdrawn, or institutional policy changes
4 Newly discovered conflict of interest Previously unknown conflicts that affect research integrity
5 Request from the author’s institution Institutional investigation or legal requirements

1.2 Reasons NOT Accepted for Withdrawal

No Rejected Reason Explanation
1 Length of the review process Withdrawal will not be granted simply because the review process takes longer than expected
2 Wishing to submit to a journal with a higher impact factor Authors may not withdraw a manuscript to submit it elsewhere for greater prestige
3 Without clear and verifiable reasons Vague or unsubstantiated reasons will be rejected
4 After the manuscript has been accepted Once accepted for publication, withdrawal is no longer possible (except for serious ethical violations)

1.3 Withdrawal Procedure

No Action Responsible Party
1 Submit a withdrawal request via official email Corresponding Author
2 All authors must consent to the withdrawal (proof of consent required) All Authors
3 Provide a clear and detailed reason for withdrawal Corresponding Author
4 Editorial board reviews the request (3–5 working days) Editor
5 Decision communicated to the author Editor
6 Manuscript status updated in OJS to “WITHDRAWN” Editorial Assistant
7 Confirmation email sent to the author Editor

1.4 Consequences of Withdrawal

Consequence Description
Cannot resubmit the same manuscript A withdrawn manuscript cannot be resubmitted to Tunjuk Ajar
Waiting period Authors may face a 6-month waiting period before submitting a new manuscript
Repeated withdrawals Three or more withdrawals without legitimate reasons may result in account suspension (1–2 years)
Notification to institution For suspected violations, the corresponding author’s institution may be notified

1.5 Timeline

Activity Duration
Initial response to the withdrawal request 3–5 working days
Complete withdrawal process 7–10 working days
Final confirmation sent to the author Maximum 10 working days
2. Retraction

2.1 Reasons for Retraction

No Reason Description
1 Proven plagiarism Substantial use of another’s work without attribution (≥30% similarity or critical content)
2 Data fabrication or falsification Research data that has been fabricated or manipulated
3 Fatal methodological errors Errors that invalidate the conclusions and cannot be corrected
4 Research ethics violations Lack of ethical approval, breach of informed consent, or unethical experimentation
5 Duplicate publication Published in another journal without attribution or permission
6 Errors in the peer review process Compromised or manipulated peer review
7 Authorship disputes False or unauthorized authorship claims

2.2 Retraction Procedure

No Action Responsible Party Duration
1 Reporting or discovery of the issue Reader/Author/Editor Day 0
2 Initial investigation by the editorial board Editor-in-Chief 5–7 days
3 Notification to all authors Editor Within 2 days after investigation
4 Opportunity for authors to respond All Authors 30 days
5 Retraction decision by the Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief 5 days after the response period
6 Official retraction notice published Editor Within 7 days
7 Article metadata updated Editorial Assistant Within 3 days

Author Response Period: Authors are given 30 calendar days from the date of notification to respond. If no response is received within 30 days, the journal will proceed with the retraction unilaterally.

2.3 Retraction Status (Marking, Metadata, Notice)

Element Action
Article PDF Marked with a large “RETRACTED” watermark on every page
HTML version A “RETRACTED” banner displayed at the top of the article page
Article title Prefixed with “[RETRACTED]”
DOI metadata Updated in Crossref with the DOI of the retraction notice
Retraction notice Published in the next available journal issue, linked from the retracted article
Original article Remains accessible but clearly marked as retracted

2.4 Retraction Notice Format

“Retraction Notice: [Article Title] by [Authors]. Published in Tunjuk Ajar, Vol [X], No [Y], pp. [Z–Z]. This article has been retracted by the Editor-in-Chief due to [specific reason]. All authors were notified on [date]. The retracted article remains available online for academic integrity but is clearly marked as retracted.”
3. Correction (Minor Errors)

3.1 When to Use Correction Instead of Retraction

Use Correction DO NOT Use Correction
Typographical errors (spelling, grammar) Data fabrication
Incorrect author affiliations Plagiarism
Missing funding acknowledgments Invalid conclusions
Minor formatting issues Ethical violations
Figure/table labeling errors (without changes to data) Duplicate publication

3.2 Correction Procedure

Step Action Duration
1 Author or reader reports the error Day 0
2 Editor verifies the error and its impact 3–5 days
3 Editor decides: Correction vs Retraction Within 7 days
4 If correction: Author submits the revised version 7–10 days
5 Editor publishes the Correction Notice Within 14 days
6 Original article updated (with a correction footnote) Within 3 days after the notice
4. Contact for Withdrawal / Retraction / Correction Requests

All requests must be submitted via email with an appropriate subject line:

Response Guarantee: All emails are acknowledged within 2 working days. Complex cases may require additional time; authors will be informed of any anticipated delays.