Allow preprints to be withdrawn or removed

[NateWr]

Describe the problem you would like to solve
A preprint may need to be withdrawn, removed or unpublished. Although similar to retracted publications, preprints are withdrawn for a wider variety of reasons, and may need to be fully removed or unpublished if they contain harmful information or are the result of an unintentional posting.

Describe the solution you'd like
This paper, which @alexxxmendonca brought to my attention, puts forward clear recommendations for withdrawn and removed preprints (see "Defining preprint withdrawal & removal"). In particular, it provides a table with examples of how existing preprint servers are handling this.

OPS should support these two actions and should aim to follow the conventions of existing preprint servers. I recommend reading the guidance in full, but here is a short summary:

• Withdrawal is similar to retractions. A new version is created. The preprint (all versions) is marked "withdrawn" and the new version's abstract is changed to a description of the withdrawal. The original post remains as an old version, so the withdrawn content is still available to the public record.
• Removal is a rare event when a preprint contains harmful information, such as disclosing personal information or containing research without ethical approval. The item is marked "removed" and all existing versions are modified so that the abstract is changed to a description of the removal. Existing galley files are replaced with files that describe the removal.

In both cases, distribution services (like Crossref) should receive updated metadata.

Who is asking for this feature?
Preprint server administrators

Additional information
This is split off from a discussion about withdrawing submissions before publication in OJS/OMP. See #1813.

[ajnyga]

@alexxxmendonca can you comment here if the issue Nate created covers your use cases?

[alexxxmendonca]

@ajnyga yes, this is perfect.

[alexxxmendonca]

I would also add that "Distribution services (like Crossref) should receive updated information" in the event of a Removal as well.

[NateWr]

Thanks @alexxxmendonca. I've updated the original description to make that clear.

[willinsky]

To jump right in were I'm most comfortable around words and buttons, I'd propose the following two buttons in the Publication tab for OJS.OMP and for OPS.

Status: Published [Minor Revisions] [New Version]

I also find "This version has been published and can not be edited." in far too an alarming shade of red, as if to bar the way to disaster. It is a little confusing, as this version can be edited, using "Minor Revisions." What we appear to need is only a slight reminder without much color to the effect that "The metadata and published version can revised by clicking Minor Revisions."

Again, I know it is inconvenient, but I still want to put in a plug for OPS being differentiated along the following lines, if only by this key distinction

Status: Posted [Minor Revisions] [New Version]

[asmecher]

@willinsky, the design work around "minor revisions" vs. unpublish / modify / republish (also leading to the big red version banner) was captured on #2072 -- I'd suggest reviewing that first, and proposing changes related to it in another issue that links back to both your comment above and that original design work.

[willinsky]

Alec, I did my best in reviewing #2072, as suggested, and couldn’t see a way to make the suggestions there, so entered changes here on this point of renaming buttons on Publication page "minor revisions" and "new version."

Also, I'm convinced that Nate has it right in #1813 with placing Withdrawal and Retraction under discrete "More" button, given the extreme rarity of these two (which I have exploded into two options in my suggestions.

[alexxxmendonca]

We are currently facing a situation where an author has systematically submitted the same made-up manuscript even after we rejected it. The manuscript is clearly made-up (it's made of mostly nonsense) and the author has submitted 8 times the same manuscript, 5 of which we rejected.

Right now, these submissions are clogging our submission queue. We don't have any other choice but to reject and this is affecting our rejection rate.

Having a way to withdrawn the papers would allow us to deal with these cases without affecting our editorial statistics.

[alexxxmendonca]

Related to #1813

[asmecher]

@alexxxmendonca, in cases where you're effectively being spammed and want to keep the entries off the record, why not send the submission to the archive and then delete it entirely from there? Deleted submissions don't affect the statistics.

[alexxxmendonca]

@asmecher How do you archive a preprint without recording an "Accept" or "Reject" decision?

How do you delete a submission from the Archives? It doesn't seem to be a way to do that.

[asmecher]

@alexxxmendonca, record a Decline decision, then go to the "Archives" listing and click the down arrow beside the submission to expand its view. You should see a Delete button there:

[alexxxmendonca]

@asmecher we don't have that option:

OPS 3.3.0.6

[NateWr]

I just checked and the delete button appears in the test drive install of OPS 3.3.0-8. Looks like you need to be ROLE_ID_MANAGER or ROLE_ID_SITE_ADMIN.

[alexxxmendonca]

Hi @NateWr I am logged in as the Site Administrator and I still don't see the button.

Am I doing something wrong?

[alexxxmendonca]

After running some tests, I noticed that you need not only to have the Editor role enrolled to your user. That alone won't suffice. You also need to be assigned as an Editor to the submission in order to be able to delete a preprint.

However, with the current issue of #6875, it's getting a little tricky. You can't be an Editor for posting preprints, but you have to be one in order to delete a preprint.

I also found this issue, which could be related: #4348

[NateWr]

@alexxxmendonca can you file a separate issue or add on to one of the other issues you identified? It's a separate problem from the question of withdrawals in this issue.

[felixhelix]

Can anyone comment on the status of this issue? I can see that here as well as in the related issue pkp/ojs#3669 nothing has happend for over a year. Is there some help needed?
We are planning to host OPS with the additional feature of open peer review, and the option to withdraw preprints in a defined way would be welcome :)