The Journal of Clinical Nephrology (JCN) upholds ethical publishing standards and recognizes the importance of maintaining a permanent scholarly record. Article withdrawal, retraction, removal, or replacement are exceptional actions that are taken only under extreme circumstances. This policy ensures transparency, accountability, and adherence to international publishing standards.

Editorial Authority and Responsibility

The Publisher and Editors of JCN hold exclusive and independent authority to decide whether a submitted manuscript will be published. This decision is based on:

• Adherence to the journal’s editorial and ethical guidelines.
• Compliance with legal and ethical requirements, including libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
• The academic significance and contribution of the research.

As part of maintaining the integrity of academic publishing, previously published articles will remain part of the permanent scholarly record. However, under rare and extreme conditions, articles may be withdrawn, retracted, removed, or replaced.

Article Withdrawal

Article withdrawal is permitted only when the manuscript is in the pre-publication phase, including:

• Early submission errors (e.g., duplicate submissions, submission to the wrong journal).
• Accidental submission of incomplete or incorrect versions of the manuscript.
• Ethical violations such as multiple submissions, false claims of authorship, or fraudulent data use.

Important: Authors must refrain from submitting the withdrawn manuscript to any other publication during the journal’s 21-working-day review period. If an alternate submission is made within this period, the withdrawal policy will not apply.

Withdrawal Charges

To discourage unethical withdrawals and compensate for editorial and peer review efforts, the following withdrawal charges apply:

• Before plagiarism check: $0
• After plagiarism check but before peer review: $349
• After peer review: $549
• At final proof stage: $749

Authors requesting withdrawal must formally submit a withdrawal request via email to the editorial office, stating the reason for withdrawal.

Article Retraction

Retraction is considered for published articles under circumstances of significant ethical misconduct, including:

• Plagiarism, duplicate publication, or fraudulent authorship claims.
• Severe data fabrication, falsification, or unethical data use.
• Major errors affecting the reliability or validity of the research.

Retraction Process:

• Retractions are carried out according to COPE guidelines.
• A formal retraction notice will be published, stating the reason for the retraction.
• The original article remains accessible but marked as "Retracted."

Retraction decisions are made in consultation with the editorial board, reviewers, and, where applicable, the authors’ affiliated institutions.

Article Removal

In rare circumstances, an article may be removed from the journal's online database if:

• The content is defamatory or violates the legal rights of individuals or institutions.
• A court order requires its removal.
• The article poses a serious and direct health or safety risk.

In such cases:

• The article will be replaced with a notice stating that it has been removed for legal reasons.
• The metadata (title, authors, DOI) will remain in the journal’s archive.

Article Replacement

If an article contains serious but unintentional errors that may impact public health or safety, the authors may request to replace it with a revised version.

• The retraction process will be followed for the original article.
• A revised version will be published with a statement linking to the original retracted version.
• This option is permitted only under exceptional circumstances where correcting the original article is insufficient.

Ethical and Legal Considerations

The JCN withdrawal and retraction policies are guided by the following principles:

• COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Retraction Guidelines
• ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) Best Practices
• WHO Research Ethics Review Committee

Requesting Withdrawal, Retraction, or Replacement

Authors must formally request an article withdrawal, retraction, or replacement by emailing the editorial office with:

• The article title and manuscript ID.
• A detailed explanation for the request.
• Supporting documentation if required (e.g., institutional approval for ethical concerns).

All requests will be reviewed, and decisions will be communicated within a reasonable timeframe.

Contact for Article Withdrawal or Ethical Concerns

For inquiries related to article withdrawal, retraction, or ethical concerns, please contact the editorial office at assistant-jcn@clinnephrologyjournal.org.