Withdrawal request ignored, paper moved to review after submitting elsewhere. How serious is this?
I submitted a manuscript to Journal 1 and it stayed in “submission” for about a month with no response. I contacted the editor multiple times through email, WhatsApp, and the OJS message system but received no reply.
Because of the prolonged silence, I submitted a withdrawal request through OJS. About an hour later, I submitted the manuscript to Journal 2.
The next day, Journal 1 unexpectedly changed the status to “under review.” Journal 2 is also now under review, so technically there is simultaneous submission.
Since then, I have continued trying to contact Journal 1 (email, WhatsApp, OJS messages) to confirm withdrawal, but still no response.
I’m trying to resolve this transparently and in good faith. How serious is this situation realistically? Has anyone dealt with something similar?