The Journal of Sports Medicine and Therapy follows strict ethical guidelines to maintain the integrity of published research. Authors may request the withdrawal of their manuscript under specific conditions, and the decision will be made by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Editorial Board. This policy ensures transparency and adherence to international publishing standards.

Once an article is published, it becomes a part of the permanent academic record. However, under exceptional circumstances, a submission may be withdrawn, retracted, or removed due to ethical concerns, errors, or legal reasons. Any such actions will be properly documented, and an official statement will be issued.

Withdrawal of an Article

Authors may request the withdrawal of their manuscript before final publication under the following conditions:

• Accidental Submission: If the manuscript was submitted multiple times due to technical errors.
• Ethical Concerns: Plagiarism, duplicate submissions, or incorrect authorship claims.
• Author Request: If the authors wish to withdraw their manuscript for revision or submission elsewhere, they must submit a formal request before final acceptance.

The withdrawal process is subject to a fee, based on the review stage:

Withdrawal Stage	Fee
Before Plagiarism Check	$0
After Plagiarism Check but Before Peer Review	$349
After Peer Review	$549
At Final Proof Stage	$749

Retraction of an Article

Retractions occur when a published article contains serious ethical or scientific issues. Reasons for retraction include:

• Plagiarism: Unauthorized use of another author's work.
• Falsified Data: Fabricated or manipulated research findings.
• Breach of Ethical Guidelines: Unethical research practices or undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Legal Concerns: Defamation or copyright infringement.

Retracted articles remain indexed with a formal notice explaining the reason for retraction.

Removal of an Article

Article removal is a rare action taken under exceptional circumstances, such as:

• Legal Violations: Court orders or breaches of copyright law.
• Defamatory Content: Statements that cause reputational harm.
• Serious Ethical Issues: Research that poses health risks or involves misleading data.

If an article is removed, the metadata (title and authors) will remain accessible with a notice explaining the reason for removal.

Replacement of an Article

In cases where an article contains errors that could mislead researchers or pose risks, the authors may request a replacement with a corrected version. If approved:

• The original article will be retracted.
• A corrected version will be published with a notice.

The retraction notice will remain linked to the corrected article for full transparency.

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Therapy is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards and ensuring the credibility of published research.