Retraction Policy

Synergy: International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, published by Synergy Publication, is committed to maintaining the integrity, reliability, and transparency of the scholarly record. Retractions are issued when published articles contain serious errors or ethical violations that invalidate the work or undermine confidence in its findings.

This policy follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines and internationally accepted standards of academic publishing.

Grounds for Retraction

An article may be retracted if, after publication, it involves one or more of the following:

  • Plagiarism or substantial unattributed overlap with previously published work
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data or results
  • Serious methodological or analytical errors that invalidate conclusions
  • Unethical research practices (e.g., lack of required ethical approval or informed consent)
  • Authorship manipulation or undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Any other form of serious academic or publication misconduct

Retraction Process

  1. Initiation: A retraction may be initiated by the editors, publisher, reviewers, readers, or external institutions.
  2. Investigation: The editorial office conducts a thorough investigation in accordance with COPE procedures. Authors are informed of the concerns and given an opportunity to respond.
  3. Editorial Decision: Based on evidence and author response, the Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the editorial board and publisher, decides whether retraction is warranted.
  4. Retraction Notice: If approved, a formal retraction notice is published, clearly linked to the original article, stating the reason for retraction.

Post-Retraction Handling

  • The retracted article remains available online to preserve the scholarly record but is clearly marked as “Retracted” on all versions (HTML/PDF).
  • The retraction notice is freely accessible.
  • Relevant indexing and abstracting services are notified.

Retraction Fee / Penalty

In cases where retraction results from confirmed academic misconduct (plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication), the responsible author(s) must pay a retraction processing and investigation fee of USD 500.

This fee covers:

  • Editorial and administrative costs of investigation
  • Legal and ethical compliance procedures
  • Technical costs related to issuing and archiving retraction notices

Important Clarifications

  • The retraction fee does not apply for honest errors or good-faith mistakes without misconduct.
  • The fee must be paid within the stipulated timeframe after formal notification.
  • Failure to pay may result in:
    • A permanent ban on future submissions to SIJMDS and other Synergy Publication journals
    • Notification to the author’s affiliated institution, where appropriate

Author Responsibility and Institutional Notification

In cases of serious or repeated misconduct:

  • The author’s affiliated institution, funding agency, or relevant authority may be informed.
  • Additional editorial sanctions may be imposed, in line with COPE guidance.

Policy Transparency and Revisions

This Retraction Policy forms part of the SIJMDS Publication Ethics framework and applies to all articles published in the journal. It may be revised to reflect updates in international publishing ethics standards or regulatory requirements.