How to raise a concern

Send complaints or appeals to the Editorial Office, identifying the manuscript or article, the decision or event concerned and the outcome requested. Provide a clear account and supporting evidence. Keep correspondence professional and avoid unnecessary personal or confidential information.

Appeals against editorial decisions

An appeal should identify a material factual error, a significant misunderstanding of the work or a procedural defect that could have affected the decision. Explain the point precisely and refer to the relevant manuscript section or review comment. Disagreement with an unfavorable recommendation, without a substantiated error, is not sufficient grounds for reopening a decision.

The editorial leadership will consider whether reconsideration or further independent assessment is justified. A reviewer or editor implicated in the appeal should not be the sole person deciding it. The outcome may uphold the decision, request clarification or reopen assessment. Reconsideration does not guarantee acceptance. Authors should not submit the same manuscript elsewhere while an appeal that keeps it under active consideration is unresolved.

Complaints about handling or conduct

Complaints may concern confidentiality, conflicts of interest, unfair treatment, communication or departures from the published procedures. The office will direct the matter to a person able to review it without the relevant conflict. A complaint involving editorial leadership should be referred to an independent responsible person through publishing administration.

Communication and limits

The journal will explain its determination and any corrective action that can appropriately be disclosed. The time needed depends on the evidence and whether external parties must be consulted; no fixed resolution period is promised. Further consideration may require new material evidence. The journal does not resolve institutional employment, ownership or authorship disputes in place of the responsible authorities.

Concerns about the reliability of research are assessed under Publication Ethics, and necessary changes to a published article follow Corrections & Retractions. Raising a substantiated concern must not be used to penalize an author in unrelated editorial assessment.