The IJSSE and GAERPSY Publishing are committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly publishing and handling all appeals and complaints fairly, transparently, and in a timely manner. This policy is aligned with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
- Scope
This policy applies to appeals against editorial decisions and to complaints regarding the conduct of the editorial process, including, but not limited to, concerns about peer review quality, publication ethics violations, or editorial misconduct.
- Appeals Against Editorial Decisions
Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision must submit a formal appeal in writing to the Editor-in-Chief at Editor-ijsse@gaerpsy.com. The appeal must include:
- A detailed explanation of the grounds for the appeal, addressing each point raised in the decision letter.
- A point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments, clearly explaining why the author(s) believe the original decision was incorrect.
- Any additional evidence or data that supports the appeal.
Appeals must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the original decision notification. Appeals received after this period may not be considered.
- Appeal Review Process
Upon receiving a formal appeal, the following process applies:
- The Editor-in-Chief will acknowledge receipt of the appeal within 5 working days.
- The appeal will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and, if necessary, an independent member of the Editorial Board who was not involved in the original decision.
- The Editor-in-Chief may seek additional peer reviews from independent reviewers if the appeal raises substantive scientific concerns.
- A final decision will be communicated to the author(s) within 30 working days of receiving the appeal.
The decision of the appeal review is final, and no further appeals will be considered for the same manuscript.
- Complaints
Complaints concerning editorial conduct, reviewer behaviour, publication ethics, or any other aspect of the journal’s operations may be submitted to:
- Editorial Office: Editor-ijsse@gaerpsy.com
- Complaints E-mail: complains@gaerpsy.com
- Publisher: Publisher@gaerpsy.com
All complaints will be treated confidentially and investigated thoroughly. The IJSSE aims to resolve all complaints within 30 working days of receipt. If the complaint involves the Editor-in-Chief, the matter will be escalated to the Publisher (GAERPSY Publishing) for independent review.
- Escalation
If the complainant is not satisfied with the journal’s response, the matter may be escalated to GAERPSY Publishing at Publisher@gaerpsy.com. GAERPSY Publishing will conduct an independent review and communicate its findings within a further 30 working days. In matters involving potential breaches of publication ethics, the IJSSE will follow COPE guidelines and flowcharts to ensure proper resolution.