Post Publication Discussion Policy

TJCSS encourages responsible academic discussion of published research. Readers, authors, and researchers may submit evidence based comments, questions, responses, or concerns about articles published by the journal.

Post publication discussion may address:

  • Research methods
  • Interpretation of findings
  • Accuracy of data
  • Ethical issues
  • Missing or incorrect citations
  • Conflicts of interest
  • Authorship
  • Reproducibility
  • Errors requiring correction
  • Possible research misconduct

1. Submitting a Comment or Concern

Post publication comments should be submitted through the journal’s official email address or Contact page.

The submission should include:

  • Commenter’s full name and affiliation, where applicable
  • Contact information
  • Title and link of the relevant article
  • Clear explanation of the issue
  • Supporting evidence and references
  • Disclosure of any relevant conflict of interest

Anonymous submissions may be considered if they contain specific and credible evidence.

2. Editorial Assessment

The editorial team will determine whether the submission:

  • Raises a relevant academic or ethical issue
  • Is supported by evidence
  • Requires a response from the authors
  • Requires correction or investigation
  • Is suitable for publication as a formal response
  • Falls outside the journal’s responsibility

3. Author Response

Where appropriate, the authors of the original article will be invited to respond.

The journal may share the concern and supporting evidence with the authors while protecting confidential information where necessary.

Authors should respond with evidence, supporting data, or clarification.

4. Possible Outcomes

Post publication discussion may result in:

  • No further action
  • Private clarification
  • Publication of a comment
  • Publication of an author response
  • Correction of the article
  • Expression of concern
  • Retraction
  • Referral to an institution or ethics committee

5. Standards of Discussion

Comments and responses must:

  • Address the research rather than attack individuals
  • Use respectful academic language
  • Provide evidence
  • Disclose relevant conflicts of interest
  • Avoid defamatory or discriminatory statements
  • Respect participant privacy
  • Avoid revealing confidential peer review information

TJCSS may reject comments that are abusive, repetitive, unsupported, commercially motivated, or unrelated to the article.

6. Formal Responses

Where a comment makes a substantial academic contribution, the journal may consider publishing it as a letter, commentary, or formal response.

Any published response may be subject to editorial assessment and peer review. It should be linked to the original article.

7. Preservation of the Scholarly Record

Published comments, responses, corrections, expressions of concern, and retraction notices will remain permanently accessible and linked to the relevant article where technically possible.