Withdrawal Policy

1. Introduction
The Unique Journal of Artificial Intelligence (UJAI) acknowledges that in some cases, authors may need to withdraw a manuscript from consideration after submission or after it has been accepted for publication. This Withdrawal Policy provides clear guidelines for authors wishing to withdraw their manuscript and outlines the procedure to be followed.

2. Withdrawal Before Peer Review

  • Request for Withdrawal: Authors may request to withdraw their manuscript from the journal before it undergoes peer review. This can be done by submitting a formal withdrawal request to the editorial office via email. The request should include the title of the manuscript, the reason for withdrawal, and confirmation that the manuscript has not been sent for review.

  • Approval: Upon receipt of the request, the editorial team will confirm the withdrawal. A formal acknowledgment will be sent to the author, and the manuscript will be removed from the submission system.

3. Withdrawal After Peer Review Commencement

  • Before Acceptance: If a manuscript is under peer review, the author may request withdrawal. However, the request must be justified. If a substantial portion of the review process has been completed (e.g., reviewers’ comments have been received), the author will be required to explain the reasons for withdrawal in detail.

  • After Review: If a manuscript has undergone peer review but has not yet been accepted, the withdrawal will be permitted, but a formal letter of withdrawal must be submitted to the editorial office. Authors must ensure that all reviewers’ comments are respected when submitting to another journal.

4. Withdrawal After Acceptance

  • Request for Withdrawal: Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, authors may request to withdraw the manuscript. This request should be submitted in writing, detailing the reasons for withdrawal. Authors are advised that the journal will need to assess the validity of the request.

  • Post-Acceptance and Pre-Print: If the manuscript has been accepted but has not yet been published, the withdrawal request will be considered carefully, and the author will be required to provide strong reasons for the withdrawal. The request will be reviewed by the editorial board, and a decision will be made in line with the journal's policies.

  • Post-Print: If the manuscript has already been published (either in print or online), the withdrawal request will be processed as a retraction. The article will remain in the journal’s archives with a retraction notice, which will clearly indicate that the paper was withdrawn by the author after publication.

5. Reasons for Withdrawal
Some acceptable reasons for withdrawing a manuscript include:

  • Errors in the Manuscript: Authors may request to withdraw if they identify critical errors in the manuscript that were not noticed during the initial submission, such as incorrect data, miscalculations, or methodological flaws.

  • Duplicate Submission: If the manuscript has been mistakenly submitted to another journal at the same time or if it is under consideration for publication elsewhere, authors may request a withdrawal.

  • Personal or Professional Reasons: Authors may request a withdrawal due to personal or professional reasons, such as health issues, funding loss, or other circumstances affecting the research.

6. Consequences of Withdrawal

  • Timely Withdrawal: If the manuscript is withdrawn before peer review or during early stages of the review process, there are no additional consequences. The manuscript will be removed from the journal's system without issue.

  • Late Withdrawal: If the manuscript is withdrawn after it has been sent for peer review or after acceptance, the journal may record the withdrawal in its records. Repeated or unjustified withdrawals after submission may result in the author being blacklisted from future submissions to UJAI.

7. Author's Responsibilities Upon Withdrawal

  • Notification to Other Journals: If a manuscript is withdrawn from UJAI, authors must inform other journals (if applicable) that the manuscript has been withdrawn and will not be considered for publication elsewhere.

  • Respect for Editorial Process: Authors should respect the editorial decision-making process during the withdrawal procedure. They should ensure all communications regarding the withdrawal are professional and timely.

8. Exceptions to Withdrawal
In some cases, the editorial board may refuse a withdrawal request, particularly if the withdrawal request is seen as unethical, such as withdrawing a paper to submit it to a competing journal after peer review. Authors should be aware that such actions could lead to reputational damage.

9. Communication of Withdrawal Decision

  • Once a manuscript withdrawal request is received, the editorial team will review the circumstances and respond within 5–7 business days. A formal acknowledgment of the request will be sent to the corresponding author.

  • If the manuscript is withdrawn, a formal notification will be sent confirming the withdrawal status.