Is it ethical to withdraw a paper if it’s still with editor beyond the journal time policy? I submitted a paper to a reputable and high IF journal, which is declaring an expedited review and publication process.
Papers are usually published in about 30 days (45 at most, but it is pretty unfrequent).
My paper has been ‘with editor’ for two weeks, meaning that it has not been sent to the reviewers yet. With this timeframe I’m doubting that the process is going to be expedited as declared on the journal website.
If the paper is still with editor in the next one/two weeks, would it be ethical to withdraw it?
It’s not really important that other journals can be slower, the matter is that my paper is being late compared to the journal standards.
I do not believe the editor is considering a bench-rejection as the paper of this project have always been published smoothly and often appraised by the referees. And the paper is clearly not out of scope.
It is ethical to withdraw it until your agreement with them is finalized. But it seems unwise to me and a (very) hasty decision if you do. Two weeks in the publishing industry is just about a nanosecond. There are a lot of reasons for delay.
You won't get the two weeks back if you withdraw and will need to start the process over at another, likely even slower, journal. Why? Calm down. Take several deep breaths.
And you can ask for an update before you make any final decision.
Withdrawing won't make the editors happy with you but the paper is yours.