Complaints And Appeals Policy

TJCSS is committed to handling complaints and appeals fairly, respectfully, confidentially, and without discrimination.

A complaint concerns the journal’s policies, procedures, conduct, or published content. An appeal is a request to reconsider an editorial decision.

1. Matters Covered

Complaints or appeals may concern:

  • Editorial decisions
  • Peer review procedures
  • Reviewer conduct
  • Editorial conduct
  • Delays or communication problems
  • Conflicts of interest
  • Research misconduct
  • Plagiarism
  • Authorship disputes
  • Ethical concerns
  • Corrections or retractions
  • Discrimination or unfair treatment
  • Published content
  • Failure to follow a journal policy

2. Submitting a Complaint

A complaint should be sent to the journal’s official email address displayed on the Contact page.

It should include:

  • Complainant’s full name
  • Contact information
  • Manuscript or article title
  • Manuscript number or article link
  • Clear description of the issue
  • Supporting evidence
  • Desired outcome
  • Disclosure of any relevant conflict of interest

Complaints should be written respectfully and should focus on evidence.

3. Initial Review

The journal will assess whether:

  • The matter falls within its responsibility
  • Sufficient information has been provided
  • Immediate action is required
  • The complaint should be referred to another person or institution
  • The complainant should provide additional evidence

4. Handling a Complaint

A complaint will normally be considered by the editor or another appropriate person.

If the complaint concerns the editor, it should be handled by an independent editorial board member or another qualified person who was not involved in the matter.

The person or persons named in the complaint will normally be given an opportunity to respond.

5. Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

An author may appeal a rejection or other editorial decision where there is evidence that:

  • A material factual error affected the decision
  • A reviewer seriously misunderstood the manuscript
  • The journal did not follow its published review process
  • An undisclosed conflict influenced the decision
  • Relevant evidence was overlooked

An appeal must respond to the academic and procedural reasons for the decision. Disagreement alone is not sufficient.

6. Appeal Review

An appeal may be reviewed by:

  • The editor
  • Another editor not involved in the original decision
  • An independent editorial board member
  • An additional expert reviewer

The journal may uphold, modify, or reverse the original decision.

The outcome of the appeal will be considered final unless significant new evidence becomes available.

7. Confidentiality and Fairness

Complaints and appeals will be handled confidentially as far as reasonably possible.

Submission of a complaint or appeal in good faith will not disadvantage an author in current or future submissions.

8. Abusive or Malicious Complaints

TJCSS may decline to consider communications that are:

  • Abusive
  • Threatening
  • Discriminatory
  • Repetitive without new evidence
  • Knowingly false
  • Intended primarily to harass

A complaint will not be considered malicious merely because it is not upheld.

9. External Referral

If a matter cannot be resolved by the journal, it may be referred to:

  • The author’s institution
  • A research ethics committee
  • A funding organization
  • A publisher or copyright holder

Another relevant authority