Complaints and appeals

The Complaints:

This procedure applies to complaints related to content, procedures, or policies that are the responsibility of the journal or our editorial staff. Complaints may provide an opportunity and a spur for improvement, so we aim to respond quickly, courteously, and constructively. The complaints will be dealt with confidentially. The procedure outlined below aims to be fair to those making complaints and those complaining about:

• Complaints about publication ethics or scientific content

In the first instance, this will be handled by the editor responsible for the journal. The editor will follow guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics.

• Complaints about processes

Such as the time taken for review, the editor will review and respond to the complainant's concerns. 

Please approach the editorial and publishing management team by email to:

[email protected]

   Complaint timeframes

All complaints will be formally acknowledged within three working days. If possible, a full response will be made within two weeks. Where we consider a complaint to be vexatious or the result of a coordinated campaign, we reserve the right to reply outside of the suggested time frames. On some occasions, we may not respond to all complainants individually.

If the complainant remains dissatisfied with handling their complaint, the complainant may complain to an external body.

• External bodies

Suppose a complainant remains unhappy after a reply considered definitive by the editor. In that case, the complainant may complain to an external body, “Committee on Publication Ethics," when that body has relevant oversight. COPE publishes a code of practice for editors of scientific, technical, and medical journals. It will facilitate the resolution of disputes with member editors, journals, and publishers, but only once a journal’s own complaints procedures have been exhausted.