Manuscript Withdrawal

Dear Author,Thank you for writing to us.Based on the information you provided us there is no need to email the journal since the journal has confirmed that they have not received your paper for consideration. 

Dear Author,Thank you for writing to us.Based on the information you provided us there is no need to email the journal since the journal has confirmed that they have not received your paper for consideration. 

Dear Author,Thank you for writing to us.Based on the information you provided us there is no need to email the journal since the journal has confirmed that they have not received your paper for consideration. 

It really looks like you need to have this article published by a certain timeline. Also, you seem to be quite persevering and inventive, following up regularly with the journal as well as utilizing all means to correspond with them. Those are a few of the many personal attributes that go to make successful researchers. So, kudos there!To answer your question, yes, you can consider this article withdrawn. While the journal may not have sent the confirmation by email, they have said so by WhatsApp. However, you can send one final mail stating that you are considering the article withdrawn just as they had stated so. This is both for making it official and for maintaining a record.Speaking of which, save all the mails you have exchanged with the editor and also the WhatsApp message(s). You will need these when submitting to another journal.Now, given that the deadline for your thesis seems quite close and you still need to have the article published, your best bet would be to approach a rapid publication journal in your field. Before doing so, also speak with your supervisor if this is fine. Additionally, keep them apprised of the situation with the present journal.Finally,...

From your description, this seems to be a predatory (bogus) journal. Predatory journals typically publish articles without a (proper) peer review. They do not even have (qualified) editors on board. They are typically out to make money by targeting unsuspecting researchers who are under pressure to publish.  You should write to the journal immediately asking them to stop publication. State that you would like to withdraw the article and will not be able to make any payment. They are not likely to agree and will put further pressure on you by saying that they have already processed your article for publishing. In case they go ahead and publish the paper even without receiving payment from you, do not mention this article on your CV. I can understand that it will be a huge loss for you in terms of time and effort, but publishing in a predatory journal can affect your academic credentials. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do if they end up publishing the paper: you will have to take it as a learning experience and be more careful in the future. For the future, here are some resources to help you identify and avoid publishing in predatory journals:Simple steps authors can follow to protect their research from predatory...

You should make the payment only after your paper has been accepted. From your question, it does not seem that you have received a decision letter from the journal yet. Please don’t make any payment before you receive a formal acceptance from the journal. Possibly, the journal is not replying to your emails because they haven’t yet made the decision and don’t want you to make the payment right away. It does not make sense to withdraw your paper from such a reputed journal at this point; if you submit it to another journal, it will take several more months before they arrive at a decision. I think it would be best to wait till you receive the decision letter. Meanwhile, you can write to the journal, politely asking by when you can expect to receive the decision.Related reading:How long does the "Decision in Process" stage normally take?Should I withdraw my manuscript or wait longer?

Journals usually require a strong reason for withdrawal. However, it is by no means unreasonable for an author to consider withdrawal if the editor is unable to find reviewers in six months. Moreover, since your manuscript has not yet been sent for peer review, it would not be unethical to request a withdrawal at this stage. You can send a withdrawal request to the editor, clearly explaining your reasons for wanting to withdaw the paper. You can explain why time is a major concern in your case (either due to requirement of a published paper for graduation or career progression) and that you cannot afford to wait any longer. Ensure that the withdrawal letter that you send to the editor has been signed by all the authors on the manuscript. A final word of caution: do not submit the manuscript to another journal before you get a formal letter confirming your withdrawal of the manuscript, since this amounts to scientific misconduct. Related reading: How can I withdraw my paper without offending the journal editor?How to write a withdrawal letter to the journal

You should have contacted the journal office or the editor-in-chief or other members of the editorial board. You have not mentioned who these professors are and how they can find out if the journal has received your paper. However, you have taken the wrong route of communication. Any form of communication should be done directly with the journal, and not through someone else.Having said that, I don't think you need to withdraw your paper because of this. As long as you do not contact those professors again, it is fine. Confidentiality is very important in the peer review process, and it will be unethical if you contact the professors even after knowing that they might be peer reviewing for the journal.  Recommended reading: Frequently asked questions about peer review

You should send a final email to the journal stating that since all your efforts at contacting the journal have failed (mention the details of the email and fax that you had sent), and since the journal has not given you a confirmation of withdrawal, you are considering your manuscript "unsubmitted" from this journal. Once you have sent this email to the journal, you can submit your paper to another journal. However, make sure you preserve a copy of all your emails/fax to the previous journal. In case there is any problem in the future, you can always produce these documents as evidence of your efforts to contact the journal.Related reading: What to do when a journal is non-responsive for almost a year?

I noticed that you have use the word "retraction letter" in your question. However, you have used the word incorrectly to mean a "confirmation of withdrawal." Be careful not to use the word "retraction letter" in your correspondence with the journal, as a retraction notice is public, and if the journal publishes and then retracts your paper, it will be a bigger problem for you.From what you have shared, it seems that this is a questionable journal. You have not mentioned whether your manuscript went through a peer review process and whether you received reviewer comments, but from your question, it seems that you haven't. I think you should write a withdrawal email to the journal. The journal should not charge you anything for confirmation of withdrawal. In case they don't respond or continue to ask for money, send the request a couple of times more, stating that it is unethical to demand money for a paper that you wish to withdraw and requesting them to send the confirmation email. If they still continue to be non-responsive or demand money, you can send an email saying that you will consider your manuscript "unsubmitted" if they don't send you a confirmation...