Appeals and Complaints

All researchers have the right to appeal against the decision of the journal's editorial board regarding their violation of scientific conduct and publication ethics. Appeals or complaints can be made against any decision taken by the journal by sending an official letter via the journal's email ([email protected]).

 

The Editor-in-Chief forms a subcommittee to review the origin of the complaint or appeal, and then the committee presents its recommendations or report on the complaint to the Editor-in-Chief. Within approximately two weeks, the complainant will receive a response via their official email.

The journal has a regular schedule and timeline for responding to all appeals and complaints submitted to it, and these responses are documented and supported by tangible evidence, indicating the actions taken by the journal regarding the type of complaint. Priority is given to complaints that have a significant impact on the reputation of the journal, its editorial board, reviewers, and researchers.

 

Avoiding conflicts and personal interests when dealing with any complaint or appeal, and the response to the complainant is formal.

Complaints with a legal aspect are referred to a specialized legal advisor and the editorial board, and they are not decided upon until a comprehensive legal review is conducted, notifying the complainant that their complaint is in the hands of the legal advisor.

The journal is committed to following COPE guidelines and resorting to them in cases where the Editor-in-Chief finds it difficult to resolve or find a legal solution to them.

- Requesting the complainant to provide physical evidence of the validity of their complaint accompanied by this evidence. If there is a complaint about scientific misconduct, the journal forms a committee of specialized reviewers to consider the complainant's claim after the latter provides supporting evidence with the complaint or appeal letter.

Addressing complaints (scientific impersonation), stealing a complete research file, and publishing it under fake researchers' names. Here, the journal withdraws the published article and deletes it from its official pages, notifying the researchers that the research publication is not accepted, as they have violated publication ethics, and the real author has not granted permission for its publication.

Not disclosing the identity of the complainant to the other party, and correspondence and responses remain strictly confidential, which is an essential part of the journal's policy. Informing the individual that their identity remains unknown.

Publishing research under assumed names of unknown researchers is not allowed. Explicitly mentioning the names of researchers, their affiliations, and means of communication is necessary to highlight the extent of transparency adopted by the journal.