International Journal of Economic Sciences (IJES) is committed to handling complaints and appeals fairly, objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with established principles of publication ethics and editorial independence.
Complaints or appeals may be submitted by authors, reviewers, readers, editors, institutions, or other interested parties. Submissions should provide sufficient information to identify and assess the matter concerned and, where available, should include relevant documentation or supporting evidence.
Complaints may concern editorial procedures, peer review, editorial conduct, conflicts of interest, publication ethics, published content, communication with the journal, or other matters relating to the journal's editorial and publishing activities.
Complaints should normally be submitted to the Editorial Office or Editor-in-Chief. The journal will acknowledge and assess complaints within a reasonable timeframe, taking into account the nature and complexity of the matter.
Information relating to a complaint will be treated confidentially to the extent reasonably possible and will normally be shared only with individuals or organizations whose involvement is necessary for appropriate assessment or resolution.
The person or party concerned by a substantive complaint will normally be given an appropriate opportunity to respond before a conclusion is reached or substantial action is taken.
Complaints will be handled without retaliation against individuals who raise concerns in good faith.
Where a complaint concerns the conduct or decision-making of an editor who would normally handle the complaint, the matter will be referred to another appropriately qualified and independent editor who has no relevant conflict of interest.
Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, it may be referred to the Publisher, an independent senior editor, or another appropriately qualified person who was not involved in the matter and has no relevant conflict of interest.
Where a complaint concerns the Publisher, the matter should, where reasonably possible, be considered by an appropriate independent person or editorial representative who was not directly involved in the circumstances giving rise to the complaint.
The Publisher must not improperly influence the outcome of an appeal concerning an individual manuscript. Editorial decisions remain subject to the journal's principles of editorial independence as described in the Publication Ethics Statement.
Authors may appeal an editorial decision where they believe that a significant factual, methodological, procedural, or interpretative error materially affected the decision, or where they believe that the journal's established editorial or peer-review procedures were not appropriately followed.
An appeal should clearly identify the manuscript and editorial decision being challenged and should provide a concise, evidence-based explanation of the grounds for reconsideration.
General disagreement with reviewer comments or dissatisfaction with the editorial outcome, without substantive scholarly or procedural justification, is not normally sufficient grounds for an appeal.
Submission of an appeal does not automatically result in a new round of peer review, reversal of the original decision, or reconsideration of the manuscript. The journal will first assess whether the appeal presents substantial grounds for further review.
Where appropriate, an appeal will be considered by the Editor-in-Chief, an Editorial Board member, or another suitably qualified independent individual who was not materially involved in the original decision and has no relevant conflict of interest.
Additional expert advice or further peer review may be sought where necessary to evaluate the issues raised in the appeal.
Following consideration of the appeal, the journal may:
The outcome of the appeal will be communicated to the corresponding author. A decision confirmed following completion of the journal's appeal procedure is final within the journal's editorial process.
Where a complaint or appeal raises credible concerns about plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, inappropriate authorship, peer-review manipulation, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, unethical research, breach of confidentiality, or another potential violation of research or publication ethics, the matter will be handled under the journal's Unethical Behaviour policy and other applicable publication ethics policies.
Where appropriate, IJES may request additional information or refer the matter to an institution, employer, funding organization, research integrity office, regulatory authority, or other competent body for further investigation.
Complaints concerning published articles may be assessed regardless of the time elapsed since publication.
Where a complaint identifies a material error or raises substantial concerns about the reliability or integrity of the published scholarly record, the journal may take appropriate post-publication action in accordance with its Retraction and Correction Policies.
Appropriate action may include publication of a Correction, Expression of Concern, Retraction, or another relevant post-publication notice.
IJES will consider complaints and appeals submitted in good faith and will seek to ensure that individuals are not disadvantaged merely because they have raised a legitimate concern.
Complaints or appeals that are abusive, threatening, knowingly false, malicious, repeatedly submitted without substantive new information, or otherwise constitute misuse of the procedure may be declined or closed by the journal.
The journal will provide the complainant or appellant with the outcome of its assessment where appropriate. Once a complaint or appeal has been fully considered, the journal may regard the matter as closed unless significant new evidence or information becomes available that could materially affect the outcome.
In handling complaints, appeals, and related publication ethics concerns, IJES considers relevant principles, guidance, and recommendations provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
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