Q: Can I withdraw an accepted paper?

Detailed Question -

My paper has finally been accepted with the comment “okay” after several objection emails. However, when I carefully checked this journal again (http://www.internationalsurgery.org/loi/insu?code=icsu-site), I found that it has been removed from MEDLINE, its Impact Factor has disappeared, and its publication type is limited with “online first only”. And only the draft version is published in the “online first only.” 

This journal seems to have a long history, but is there a possibility for this journal to be discontinued? If this situation goes on, I think my paper would not be finalized.

In this situation, can I withdraw my accepted paper (by ignoring a due date for payment of submission fee or taking other actions) and submit it to another journal?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Withdrawal after acceptance of the manuscript is not a good publication practice since the editor and reviewers have put in so much of their valuable time and effort on your paper.  The quality of a journal does not depend on its Impact Factor. If a journal has a long-standing reputation in the field and publishes high-quality articles, it is definitely worth publishing there.  With regarding to indexing in Medline, it is possible that the journal is undergoing some changes or revamping its policies due to which it has temporarily been removed from Medline. It is possible that the journal will reapply for indexing once the changes are in place.  The online first version of the journal is hosting preprints. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it is beneficial to authors since their priority on a piece of research is established even if there are delays in the publication process.

 

The journal seems to be publishing regularly and there is no information anywhere showing that it is going to close down.  If you withdraw your paper at this point and submit it to another journal, it will take several months to get published. Moreover, you cannot be sure that it will be accepted by the other journal. If you face a rejection, it will take even longer. I think you should write to the journal editor to clarity your doubts. Also ask him/her in which issue of the journal your paper is expected to be published. This will help you make an informed decision.

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