Retraction and Withdrawal Policy

Retraction

The Indonesian Journal of Education & Mathematical Science (IJEMS) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. A published article may be retracted if, after careful investigation, one or more of the following conditions are identified:

  1. There is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable due to research misconduct (e.g., data fabrication, data falsification, or image manipulation) or honest error (e.g., significant miscalculation or experimental error).
  2. The article has been previously published elsewhere without appropriate citation, permission, or editorial justification (redundant or duplicate publication).
  3. The article contains plagiarism or substantial unattributed content from other published or unpublished works.
  4. The research violates accepted ethical standards, including but not limited to the absence of required ethical approval, lack of informed consent where applicable, or other forms of unethical research conduct.
  5. The publication has been found to involve serious authorship disputes, undisclosed conflicts of interest that compromise the validity of the work, or manipulation of the peer-review process.

The retraction process follows the principles and guidance established by the Committee on Publication Ethics.

The editorial process for retraction includes the following steps:

  • Concerns regarding a published article may be raised by readers, reviewers, editors, authors, or other stakeholders.
  • The Editor-in-Chief conducts a preliminary assessment and, where appropriate, initiates an investigation following COPE's flowcharts and ethical guidelines.
  • The corresponding author will be invited to provide an explanation and supporting evidence within a specified timeframe.
  • The editorial board may consult independent experts or the authors' affiliated institution when necessary.
  • Based on the available evidence, the Editor-in-Chief will determine whether correction, expression of concern, or retraction is the most appropriate course of action.
  • If retraction is warranted, a formal retraction notice explaining the reasons for retraction will be published and linked to the original article.
  • The original article will remain accessible to preserve the scholarly record but will be clearly marked as Retracted on every page.

Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly literature and maintain its integrity, rather than to punish authors.

Withdrawal

A manuscript may be withdrawn only under limited circumstances and with the approval of the Editor-in-Chief.

Before Peer Review

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before it has been assigned for peer review by submitting a written request from the corresponding author explaining the reason for withdrawal. Once the request is approved by the editor, the manuscript will be withdrawn from the editorial system.

During Peer Review

Authors wishing to withdraw a manuscript that is under peer review must submit a formal written request signed by the corresponding author, stating the reason for withdrawal.

The editorial office will evaluate the request and notify the author of its decision. Authors are expected not to submit the manuscript to another journal until the withdrawal request has been formally approved.

After Acceptance

Withdrawal of an accepted manuscript is permitted only under exceptional circumstances, such as:

  • discovery of a major error affecting the validity of the research;
  • ethical concerns identified before publication;
  • legal or copyright issues; or
  • other compelling reasons accepted by the Editor-in-Chief.

Accepted manuscripts require substantial editorial, peer-review, and production resources. Therefore, withdrawal after acceptance is strongly discouraged.

After Publication

Once an article has been published, it cannot be withdrawn. If significant problems are identified after publication, the journal will consider issuing a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Withdrawal Procedure

Authors requesting withdrawal must:

  • submit a formal request signed by the corresponding author;
  • clearly explain the reason for withdrawal;
  • obtain written agreement from all co-authors if the manuscript has entered peer review or has been accepted.

The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to approve or reject withdrawal requests based on the stage of the editorial process and the reasons provided.

Ethical Compliance

The Indonesian Journal of Education & Mathematical Science (IJEMS) follows internationally recognized publication ethics standards and adheres to the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics regarding corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.