Pakistan Journal of Nutrition is committed to maintaining high ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Authors are expected to follow the journal’s withdrawal policy outlined below.

Before Peer Review

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before it enters the peer review process by submitting a written request to the editorial office. The request must clearly state the reason for withdrawal. Withdrawal at this stage is generally permitted without penalty.

During Peer Review or After Editorial Processing

Once a manuscript has entered peer review or undergone editorial evaluation, withdrawal requests are strongly discouraged. Editorial and reviewer resources are invested at this stage. Requests for withdrawal must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author and include a valid, clearly justified reason.

Withdrawal requests based on changes in institutional requirements, indexing preferences, funding conditions, or publication fees are generally not sufficient justification if such requirements were known or should reasonably have been known at the time of submission.

After Acceptance

Withdrawal of a manuscript after acceptance is strongly discouraged and will be considered only under exceptional circumstances, such as serious ethical concerns, major errors, or verified authorship disputes. Approval of withdrawal at this stage is entirely at the discretion of the Editor in Chief.

Author Responsibilities

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

• The work is not under consideration elsewhere

• They are aware of their institutional, academic, and funding requirements

• They agree to comply with the journal’s editorial and ethical policies

Manuscripts must not be submitted to another journal until formal written confirmation of withdrawal is issued by the editorial office.

Editorial Rights

The journal reserves the right to:

• Decline withdrawal requests that do not meet ethical or procedural standards

• Record withdrawal cases for internal editorial reference

• Take appropriate action in cases of repeated or unethical withdrawal practices