Journal of Dance and Embodied Structure is committed to maintaining fairness, transparency, accountability, editorial independence, and academic integrity in its editorial and publishing processes. The journal recognizes the right of authors, reviewers, readers, editors, artists, performers, institutions, communities, and other parties to raise complaints or appeals concerning editorial decisions, peer review procedures, publication ethics, published content, rights issues, or journal operations.

This policy explains how complaints and appeals may be submitted, reviewed, and resolved.

1. General Principle

The journal handles complaints and appeals in a fair, timely, confidential, and proportionate manner. All concerns are reviewed carefully and without retaliation against the person or organization raising the complaint.

Complaints and appeals should be based on clear reasons, relevant evidence, and specific concerns. Disagreement with an editorial decision alone does not normally constitute grounds for appeal unless there is evidence of procedural error, factual misunderstanding, conflict of interest, reviewer misconduct, ethical concern, or serious misjudgment.

2. Scope of Complaints

Complaints may relate to any aspect of the journal’s editorial or publishing process, including:

• Editorial handling of a manuscript;
• Peer review procedures;
• Reviewer conduct;
• Editor conduct;
• Publication ethics concerns;
• Conflicts of interest;
• Allegations of plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabrication, falsification, or research misconduct;
• Authorship disputes;
• Copyright, licensing, permission, or third-party rights concerns;
• Use of images, performance documentation, archival materials, or culturally sensitive materials;
• Corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or article removal;
• Article processing charges, invoices, waivers, or payment procedures;
• Editorial communication or publication workflow issues;
• Website, metadata, or publication record errors.

3. Scope of Appeals

Authors may submit an appeal if they believe that an editorial decision was affected by a significant error or procedural problem.

Appeals may be considered when there is evidence of:

• Substantial factual misunderstanding by reviewers or editors;
• Procedural error during editorial handling or peer review;
• Undisclosed or unmanaged conflict of interest;
• Reviewer or editor bias;
• Reviewer misconduct;
• Important evidence or clarification that was not properly considered;
• Misinterpretation of the manuscript’s scope, method, materials, or contribution;
• Concerns about fairness, confidentiality, or editorial independence.

Appeals should focus on the editorial process, factual issues, or substantive scholarly concerns. Appeals should not be used only to express dissatisfaction with criticism or rejection.

4. Who May Submit a Complaint or Appeal

Complaints or appeals may be submitted by:

• Authors;
• Reviewers;
• Editors;
• Readers;
• Artists, performers, choreographers, photographers, or rights holders;
• Research participants or community representatives;
• Institutions, archives, publishers, or funding bodies;
• Other individuals or organizations with a legitimate concern regarding the journal’s content or processes.

5. How to Submit a Complaint or Appeal

Complaints and appeals should be submitted to the Editorial Office through the journal’s official contact page or official editorial contact information.

The submission should include:

• The name and contact information of the person submitting the complaint or appeal;
• The manuscript title or article title, where applicable;
• The manuscript ID, article DOI, URL, or publication details, where available;
• A clear description of the concern;
• Relevant evidence, documents, correspondence, screenshots, permissions, or supporting materials;
• The outcome or remedy being requested;
• Disclosure of any relevant conflict of interest.

Anonymous complaints may be considered where the concern is serious and supported by sufficient evidence. However, anonymous complaints may be more difficult to investigate if further clarification is needed.

6. Initial Assessment

Upon receiving a complaint or appeal, the Editorial Office will conduct an initial assessment to determine the nature, seriousness, and relevance of the issue.

The initial assessment may consider:

• Whether the concern falls within the journal’s responsibility;
• Whether sufficient information has been provided;
• Whether the issue relates to editorial judgment, procedure, ethics, rights, or publication record accuracy;
• Whether immediate action is needed to protect participants, authors, readers, communities, rights holders, or the scholarly record;
• Whether the matter should be handled under another journal policy, such as Publication Ethics, Corrections and Retractions, Copyright and Licensing, or Conflict of Interest.

7. Acknowledgment and Timeline

The Editorial Office will aim to acknowledge receipt of a complaint or appeal within a reasonable period.

The time required to resolve a complaint or appeal may vary depending on the complexity of the issue, availability of records, need for expert advice, response from authors or reviewers, and whether external institutions, rights holders, archives, or communities need to be consulted.

The journal aims to handle complaints and appeals as efficiently as possible while ensuring careful and fair review.

8. Review of Complaints

Complaints will be reviewed by the Editorial Office, an appropriate editor, the Editor-in-Chief, or another independent member of the editorial team, depending on the nature of the concern.

Where the complaint concerns a specific editor, reviewer, or editorial board member, that individual should not be responsible for reviewing the complaint.

The review may involve:

• Examining manuscript files, peer review records, editorial correspondence, and publication records;
• Requesting clarification from the complainant;
• Requesting a response from authors, reviewers, editors, or editorial staff;
• Consulting editorial board members or independent experts;
• Reviewing evidence related to ethics approval, consent, permissions, copyright, data, or conflicts of interest;
• Contacting institutions, archives, rights holders, communities, or other relevant parties where appropriate;
• Determining whether corrective action is required.

9. Review of Appeals

Appeals against editorial decisions will be reviewed by the Editorial Office, the Editor-in-Chief, or an editor who was not directly involved in the original decision where possible.

The appeal review may consider:

• The original manuscript and decision letter;
• Reviewer reports and editorial comments;
• The author’s appeal statement;
• Evidence of factual error, procedural error, bias, or conflict of interest;
• Whether the original decision was reasonable based on the information available at the time;
• Whether additional peer review or editorial assessment is justified.

The appeal process does not guarantee reversal of the original decision.

10. Possible Outcomes of an Appeal

After reviewing an appeal, the journal may decide to:

• Uphold the original editorial decision;
• Request additional clarification from the author;
• Invite a revised manuscript as a new submission;
• Send the manuscript for additional peer review;
• Assign the manuscript to a different editor;
• Revise the decision where a serious error is confirmed;
• Take other appropriate editorial action.

The decision following appeal review is normally final unless new and substantial evidence becomes available.

11. Complaints About Peer Review

Complaints about peer review may concern reviewer conduct, review quality, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, bias, inappropriate language, or procedural problems.

The journal will assess whether the review process was conducted fairly and in accordance with the journal’s Peer Review Process and Publication Ethics policies.

The Editorial Office may take action where reviewer misconduct or serious procedural irregularity is identified. However, critical or negative reviewer comments do not constitute misconduct if they are relevant, respectful, and academically grounded.

12. Complaints About Editors

Complaints about editors may concern conflicts of interest, bias, misconduct, confidentiality breaches, inappropriate communication, or failure to follow journal procedures.

Where a complaint concerns an editor, the matter should be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief, another senior editor, the Editorial Office, or an independent editorial board member where appropriate.

If the complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, the matter may be reviewed by the Editorial Office, publisher, or an appropriate independent member of the editorial board.

13. Complaints About Published Content

Complaints about published content may involve factual errors, plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated data, manipulated materials, copyright infringement, lack of consent, conflicts of interest, authorship problems, unethical research, or inappropriate use of culturally sensitive materials.

The journal will review such concerns in accordance with its Publication Ethics and Corrections and Retractions policies.

Possible actions may include correction, clarification, expression of concern, retraction, removal of restricted material, or other appropriate measures.

14. Complaints About Copyright, Permissions, and Rights

Artists, performers, choreographers, photographers, archives, institutions, communities, rights holders, or other parties may raise concerns about copyright, licensing, permissions, image use, performance documentation, or unauthorized use of materials.

The complaint should include details of the material, the rights claimed, and supporting documentation where available.

The journal may request clarification from the author and may correct, remove, replace, restrict, or update materials where necessary.

15. Complaints Involving Cultural or Community Concerns

Complaints may involve traditional dance, ritual movement, Indigenous knowledge, local community practices, religious performance, cultural protocols, community archives, or culturally restricted materials.

The journal will consider such concerns carefully and may seek clarification from authors, communities, cultural custodians, institutions, or relevant experts where appropriate.

Where publication has caused or may cause ethical harm, misrepresentation, unauthorized disclosure, or violation of community expectations, the journal may take corrective action.

16. Complaints About Article Processing Charges

Complaints about Article Processing Charges, waivers, invoices, receipts, payment procedures, refunds, or transaction-related issues will be reviewed by the Editorial Office or relevant administrative staff.

APC-related concerns are handled separately from editorial decisions. Payment status, waiver requests, or financial matters must not influence peer review or editorial judgment.

17. Confidentiality

Complaints and appeals will be handled confidentially as far as reasonably possible. Information will be shared only with individuals who need to be involved in reviewing or resolving the matter.

Confidentiality may be limited where disclosure is necessary to investigate the concern, seek a response, protect the scholarly record, comply with legal obligations, or prevent harm.

18. Conflicts of Interest in Handling Complaints

Individuals with a conflict of interest should not be responsible for reviewing or deciding a complaint or appeal.

If a conflict is identified, the matter should be assigned to another appropriate editor, editorial board member, or representative of the Editorial Office.

19. Fairness and Non-Retaliation

The journal will not penalize authors, reviewers, readers, participants, communities, or other parties for raising complaints or appeals in good faith.

However, complaints or appeals that are abusive, harassing, knowingly false, malicious, defamatory, or repeatedly submitted without new evidence may be dismissed or limited at the discretion of the Editorial Office.

20. Evidence and Documentation

Complaints and appeals should be supported by evidence where possible. This may include:

• Editorial correspondence;
• Reviewer reports;
• Manuscript files;
• Published article details;
• Evidence of plagiarism or overlap;
• Copyright or permission documentation;
• Ethics approval records;
• Consent information;
• Data or source materials;
• Conflict of interest information;
• Relevant institutional or archival documentation.

The Editorial Office may request additional documentation before making a decision.

21. Communication of Outcome

After review, the Editorial Office will communicate the outcome to the person who submitted the complaint or appeal, where appropriate.

The response may explain the decision, any action taken, and whether the matter has been closed or requires further steps.

In some cases, the journal may be unable to disclose all details due to confidentiality, privacy, legal restrictions, or protection of the peer review process.

22. Possible Outcomes of a Complaint

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the complaint, possible outcomes may include:

• No further action where the complaint is not supported;
• Clarification or explanation from the Editorial Office;
• Correction of website, metadata, article, or production errors;
• Revision of a disclosure, statement, caption, or credit line;
• Replacement or removal of unauthorized material;
• Additional peer review or editorial assessment;
• Publication of a correction;
• Publication of an expression of concern;
• Retraction of an article;
• Changes to editorial procedures;
• Replacement of a conflicted reviewer or editor;
• Notification to relevant institutions, rights holders, or authorities where appropriate.

23. Repeated or Vexatious Complaints

The journal will consider all good-faith complaints. However, repeated complaints that have already been reviewed, complaints submitted without new evidence, or complaints that are abusive, threatening, malicious, or unrelated to the journal’s responsibilities may be dismissed.

The Editorial Office may limit further correspondence where a matter has been reviewed and no new substantive information is provided.

24. Appeals Against Post-Publication Actions

Authors or relevant parties may appeal post-publication actions such as corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or removals if they believe that the action was based on factual error, procedural error, or incomplete evidence.

The appeal should provide a clear explanation and supporting documentation.

The journal will review such appeals carefully, but the need to protect the scholarly record, participant safety, legal compliance, copyright, and publication ethics will remain central to the decision.

25. Relationship with Other Journal Policies

This Complaints and Appeals policy should be read together with the journal’s related policies, including:

• Publication Ethics;
• Peer Review Process;
• Conflict of Interest Policy;
• Corrections and Retractions;
• Copyright and Licensing;
• Data Availability Policy;
• AI and Research Integrity Policy;
• APC & Waiver Policy;
• Archiving and Preservation.

26. Policy Updates

The journal may update this Complaints and Appeals policy when necessary to reflect changes in publication ethics standards, editorial practice, legal requirements, indexing expectations, or journal operations.

Any updates will be published on this page.

27. Contact

Complaints and appeals should be submitted to the Editorial Office through the journal’s official contact page or official editorial contact information.

Submissions should include sufficient detail and supporting information to allow the Editorial Office to review the concern fairly and effectively.

28. Editorial Note

Journal of Dance and Embodied Structure treats complaints and appeals as an important part of responsible scholarly publishing. The purpose of this policy is to protect fairness, editorial independence, publication ethics, rights holders, research participants, cultural communities, and the integrity of the scholarly record.