Complaints & Appeals Policy
The journal is committed to handling complaints and appeals fairly, transparently, consistently, and confidentially. The journal considers complaints and appeals in accordance with its policies and, where applicable, relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
1. Complaints
Authors, reviewers, readers, and other interested parties may submit a complaint concerning the journal's editorial, peer-review, publication, or ethical practices.
Complaints may concern, but are not limited to:
- publication or research ethics;
- plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification;
- authorship or contributorship;
- conflicts of interest;
- peer-review procedures or misconduct;
- breaches of confidentiality;
- editorial or publishing procedures; and
- other matters affecting the integrity of the journal or its published content.
Complaints should clearly describe the concern and, where possible, include relevant supporting information or evidence.
2. Submission and Handling of Complaints
Complaints may be submitted through the journal's official contact channel.
The journal will acknowledge substantive complaints and, where appropriate, conduct an investigation.
The Editor-in-Chief is normally responsible for handling complaints concerning the journal's editorial and publication processes.
Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, or where the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, the matter should be handled by an appropriately qualified and independent member of the Editorial Board or another independent person designated by the publisher.
3. Ethical and Research-Integrity Complaints
Complaints concerning plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, unethical research, authorship misconduct, conflicts of interest, manipulation of peer review, or other forms of research or publication misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and Research Ethics Policy.
The journal may request information or documentation from authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, ethics committees, or other relevant parties.
Where appropriate, the journal may issue a correction, Expression of Concern, retraction, or other post-publication notice, or refer the matter to the relevant institution or competent authority.
4. Appeals Against Editorial Decisions
Authors may appeal a rejection or other editorial decision where they believe that the decision resulted from:
- a significant procedural error;
- a material misunderstanding of the manuscript;
- failure to consider relevant information; or
- an inconsistency with the journal's stated policies or review procedures.
An appeal must provide a clear and detailed explanation of the grounds for appeal and should include relevant supporting information.
Disagreement with an editorial decision, without substantive grounds, does not by itself constitute sufficient basis for an appeal.
5. Review of Appeals
The Editor-in-Chief reviews the appeals. Where the Editor-in-Chief made the original decision or has a conflict of interest, the appeal will, where practicable, be reviewed by another appropriately qualified editor or independent member of the Editorial Board.
The journal may seek additional expert advice where necessary.
Following review, the journal may:
- uphold the original decision;
- reconsider the manuscript;
- request additional peer review; or
- take another appropriate editorial action.
The decision following an appeal is final within the journal's editorial process.
6. Confidentiality and Protection from Retaliation
The journal will handle complaints and appeals as confidentially as reasonably possible.
Information will be shared only with individuals who need it for the legitimate assessment or investigation of the matter.
Individuals who raise genuine concerns in good faith should not be subject to retaliation or adverse treatment as a result of submitting a legitimate complaint.
7. Timeliness
The journal will seek to acknowledge and address complaints and appeals within a reasonable period. The time required may vary depending on the complexity of the matter and whether information must be obtained from external parties.
8. Record Keeping
The journal will maintain appropriate records of substantive complaints, appeals, investigations, and actions taken, subject to applicable confidentiality and privacy requirements.
9. Relationship with Other Policies
This policy should be read together with the journal's other relevant policies.
The journal reserves the right to take appropriate action necessary to protect the integrity of the editorial and scholarly record.
Policy status: This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to and articles published in the journal and may be updated in accordance with developments in scholarly publishing and research-integrity standards.
