The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal serves as a fundamental cornerstone in the construction of a cohesive and esteemed knowledge network. It stands as a clear and unbiased testament to both the excellence of the author's work and the backing provided by their affiliated institutions.

OPAST Group is dedicated to delivering high-quality articles while upholding the principles of publication ethics to promote scientific advancement. We anticipate our authors to adhere to best practices in publication ethics and maintain the quality of their articles.

In some cases, authors may request the withdrawal of their manuscript from the publication process, either after submission or after publication. Occasionally, these withdrawal requests come just days before the scheduled publication date, resulting in significant time, money, and effort wasted by our editors, reviewers, and editorial staff.

To mitigate unnecessary withdrawals, we have established the following withdrawal policy. The corresponding author or co-authors must consider the following statements before requesting a withdrawal:

Authorship Confirmation: All authors, including corresponding and co-authors, should confirm the number of authors, authorship roles, and the integrity of the manuscript before submission. In cases of differing opinions, all authors should resolve their concerns before submitting the manuscript for publication.

Prior Permissions: Research students or researchers should obtain prior permission from their mentors and professors before submitting their manuscripts to our journals.

Publication Ethics: Authors are expected to adhere to publication ethics as outlined in our instructions for authors’ page.

Previous Submissions: Manuscripts must be appropriately withdrawn from any previous publishers if they have been submitted elsewhere.

Multiple Submissions: It is unacceptable to withdraw a manuscript from a journal solely because it has been accepted by another journal.

Data Accuracy: Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the facts and data presented are accurate and free of errors.

Consent for Publication: All authors must agree to publish the articles in the specific journal before submission.

Ethical Withdrawal: Withdrawing a manuscript at an advanced stage in the editorial process, particularly when peer reviews are nearing completion, is unacceptable unless there are compelling reasons.

If an author withdraws a manuscript after publication, any article publication charges paid by the authors will not be refunded. Furthermore, if authors fail to respond to a communication from the editorial office, even after multiple reminders, at any stage of the publication process, the editorial office/OPAST Group reserves the right to disclose the conduct of the authors and the content of the manuscript without further approval from the authors, and cannot be held responsible for any resulting consequences.

Manuscript Withdrawal Charges: Authors may withdraw a manuscript within 48 hours of submission without incurring any withdrawal penalty.

If a withdrawal is requested after the peer review process, during the production stage (early release or ahead of publishing), or after online publication, authors will be required to pay a withdrawal penalty, as specified. Withdrawal of manuscripts is only allowed after the withdrawal penalty has been fully paid.

In accordance with this policy, we confirm that withdrawal charges are applicable in the case of withdrawal.