Complaints and Appeals

Complaints may arise over the conduct of editors and/or peer reviewers; for example, breaches of confidentiality, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or misuse of privileged information obtained during peer review. Or they may arise from disputes about substantive decisions: disagreements over retractions and expressions of concern and also how they are handled. Still others may be more administrative in nature; e.g., irregularities in editorial processes or complaints that journal staff are unresponsive.

In accordance with the requirements of Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics, COPE (https://publicationethics.org/core-practices, 2017) journal must have  a clearly described process for handling complaints and appeals against the journal, its staff, editorial board or publisher.  Common principles include the importance of handling such cases promptly, transparently, fairly and objectively; adhering to the Journal’s policy on handling them; and communicating, as necessary, with all parties, informing them of the process that will be followed and keeping them updated.

The first step in the process is to log the complaint. This involves recording the details of complaint. This step is critical in ensuring that all complaints are properly tracked and addressed.

Once the complaint is logged, it is then escalated to the designated contact person for ethics enquiries and appeals/complaints. This contact person is responsible for investigating the issue further and providing potential solutions. This step is crucial in ensuring that the root cause of the complaint is identified and addressed.

After the contact person has investigated the issue, solution options will be provideed to the complainant. These options may include fixing the issue, providing a replacement product or service, or offering a refund. This step is essential in ensuring that the customer is satisfied with the resolution of their complaint.

Once a solution has been agreed upon, the staff will apologize for any inconvenience caused to the complainant. This step is critical in demonstrating empathy and acknowledging the complainant's frustration or disappointment.

Finally, once the complaint has been resolved to the complainant's satisfaction, it is closed. This involves updating the complaint log to reflect the resolution and any actions taken, as well as communicating the resolution to the complainant.

In conclusion, the journal can ensure that complaints are properly tracked, investigated, and resolved in a timely and satisfactory manner. This can lead to increased complainant satisfaction, improved customer loyalty, and a more successful publishing activity overall.