Appeals and Complaints

Appeals against editorial decisions.
Authors who believe a decision on their manuscript was reached in error or without adequate consideration of their work may request reconsideration by writing to the Editors at journal@unicollaboration.org within 30 days of the decision. An appeal should set out, point by point, the grounds for reconsideration and respond directly to the reviewers’ and editors’ comments. The Editors may uphold the original decision, seek further review from the original or additional reviewers, or invite a revised submission. Only one appeal per manuscript will normally be considered, and the Editors’ decision following an appeal is final. The journal will acknowledge appeals within 10 working days and aim to provide a substantive response within 30 working days, informing the appellant if a matter requires longer. Appeals are handled confidentially and in good faith, and appellants will not be disadvantaged for raising a concern responsibly.

Complaints about process, conduct, or ethics.
Complaints concerning the conduct of peer review, editorial decisions, the behaviour of editors or reviewers, publication ethics, or adherence to journal policy should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief at journal@unicollaboration.org. Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, or where the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, it will be referred to the UNICollaboration Executive Board. The journal will acknowledge complaints within 10 working days and aim to provide a substantive response within 30 working days, informing the complainant if a matter requires longer. Complaints are handled confidentially and in good faith, and complainants will not be disadvantaged for raising a concern responsibly.

Unresolved matters.
Where a complainant remains dissatisfied after the journal’s internal process, or where a serious allegation of misconduct is involved, the matter may be escalated to COPE for advice in accordance with COPE’s procedures.