Appeals and Complaints Policy

The Academic Science Journal (ASJ) is committed to handling appeals and complaints fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the journal’s editorial and publication ethics policies. The journal welcomes properly supported appeals and complaints from authors, reviewers, readers, and other concerned parties.

An appeal or complaint will be considered only when it is supported by clear evidence, relevant documentation, references, or specific examples. General disagreement with an editorial decision, without new evidence or a clear demonstration of error, is not sufficient grounds for appeal.

Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors have the right to appeal an editorial decision if they believe that a serious misunderstanding, factual error, procedural error, reviewer bias, conflict of interest, or technical misjudgment affected the decision.

To submit an appeal, the corresponding author must send a formal appeal letter to the editorial office. The appeal letter should include:

Manuscript title and manuscript ID, if available.
Date of the editorial decision.
A clear explanation of the reason for the appeal.
Specific responses to the editor’s and reviewers’ comments.
Evidence supporting the appeal, where applicable.
Any new data, clarification, or information that may affect the editorial decision.

Appeals must be written in a respectful and professional manner. Appeals based only on the authors’ disagreement with the reviewers’ opinions, without clear evidence, may not be considered.

ASJ normally considers only one appeal per manuscript. The appeal will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief, the handling editor, or another qualified editorial board member who was not directly involved in the original decision, where appropriate.

The journal may decide to uphold the original decision, request further clarification, invite a revised submission, send the manuscript for additional review, or change the original decision. The final decision on an appeal is final.

Complaints

ASJ considers complaints related to the journal’s editorial process, peer review, publication ethics, communication, delays, editorial conduct, or published content.

Complaints may include, but are not limited to:

Delays in editorial processing or publication.
Concerns about the fairness of peer review.
Concerns about reviewer bias or conflict of interest.
Concerns about editorial conduct or communication.
Suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, falsification, or research misconduct.
Errors in published articles.
Authorship disputes.
Conflicts of interest.
Misuse of copyrighted material.
Breaches of journal policy or publication ethics.

How to Submit a Complaint

Complaints should be submitted in writing to the editorial office. The complaint should include:

Name and contact information of the complainant.
Clear description of the complaint.
Manuscript title, article title, DOI, or manuscript ID, where applicable.
Relevant dates, correspondence, or supporting documents.
Clear evidence or examples supporting the complaint.

Anonymous complaints may be considered if they include sufficient evidence, but the journal may be unable to fully investigate cases where essential information is missing.

Complaint Handling Procedure

The editorial office will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within a reasonable timeframe. The complaint will be assessed by the Editor-in-Chief, the editorial board, or another appropriate responsible person.

Where necessary, the journal may contact authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, funding bodies, ethics committees, or other relevant parties to obtain clarification or evidence.

All complaints will be handled fairly, confidentially, and without retaliation against the complainant. The journal will avoid sharing allegations beyond those who need to be involved in the assessment or investigation.

After reviewing the complaint, ASJ may take one or more of the following actions:

Provide clarification or explanation.
Correct an administrative or communication error.
Reconsider an editorial process.
Request further review.
Issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, where appropriate.
Notify relevant institutions or authorities in serious ethical cases.
Take no further action if the complaint is unsupported or outside the journal’s responsibility.

Complaints About Published Articles

If a complaint concerns a published article, ASJ will assess whether the issue affects the accuracy, reliability, ethical status, or integrity of the published record.

Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction. Published articles will not normally be removed from the journal website except in exceptional legal, ethical, or safety-related circumstances.

Editorial Independence

Appeals and complaints are handled independently of any personal, institutional, political, or non-scientific influence. Editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, ethical compliance, reviewers’ recommendations, journal policies, and the integrity of the scholarly record.