Complaints and Appeals

Editorial Policies

Complaints and Appeals

The Review of Studies on Criminology, Sociology, and Law (RSCSL) is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, accountable, and impartial editorial process. The journal recognizes the importance of providing authors, reviewers, readers, institutions, and other stakeholders with clear procedures for raising concerns regarding editorial decisions, peer review, publication ethics, or journal operations.

RSCSL welcomes constructive feedback and is committed to resolving complaints and appeals professionally, confidentially, and without prejudice. All concerns are assessed objectively and in accordance with internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and editorial best practices. The journal seeks to ensure that every complaint and appeal receives appropriate consideration while preserving the integrity of the editorial process and the scholarly record.

Complaints Procedures

 

Complaints Policy

RSCSL accepts complaints concerning matters directly related to the journal's editorial and publishing activities.

Complaints may relate to:

  • Editorial decisions;
  • Editorial conduct;
  • Peer review procedures;
  • Publication ethics;
  • Alleged research misconduct;
  • Conflicts of interest;
  • Plagiarism or duplicate publication;
  • Authorship disputes;
  • Delays in editorial processing;
  • Journal policies or procedures;
  • Corrections, retractions, or other post-publication matters;
  • Alleged breaches of confidentiality;
  • Concerns regarding editorial independence.

Complaints should be submitted respectfully and in good faith.

 

Submission of Complaints

Complaints should be submitted to the Editorial Office using the journal's official email address.

Authors or complainants should provide:

  • Full name and contact information;
  • Manuscript title or published article title, where applicable;
  • Manuscript identification number, if available;
  • A clear description of the concern;
  • Relevant supporting documentation or evidence;
  • Any previous correspondence related to the matter.

Providing complete and accurate information facilitates a fair and efficient review.

 

Editorial Assessment of Complaints

Upon receipt of a complaint, the Editorial Office will:

  • Acknowledge receipt of the complaint within a reasonable period;
  • Conduct an initial assessment of the issues raised;
  • Determine whether additional information is required;
  • Refer the matter to the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriate senior editor where necessary.

Where the complaint involves potential publication misconduct, the journal may initiate a formal investigation under its Publication Ethics Policy.

Complaints are evaluated on their merits and without discrimination.

 

Investigation Process

Depending on the nature of the complaint, the journal may:

  • Request clarification from the complainant;
  • Seek explanations from authors, reviewers, or editors;
  • Review editorial records and correspondence;
  • Consult members of the Editorial Board;
  • Seek advice from independent experts;
  • Communicate with affiliated institutions where appropriate;
  • Obtain legal or ethical guidance when necessary.

Investigations are conducted confidentially, objectively, and in a timely manner.

Individuals involved will be given an appropriate opportunity to respond before a final decision is reached whenever practicable.

 

Complaints Outside the Journal's Scope

RSCSL may decline to investigate complaints that:

  • Fall outside the journal's editorial responsibilities;
  • Concern matters unrelated to published or submitted manuscripts;
  • Are unsupported by sufficient information;
  • Are frivolous, repetitive, or made in bad faith;
  • Contain abusive, threatening, defamatory, or discriminatory language.
Where appropriate, complainants will be informed if the matter falls outside the journal's jurisdiction.

Appeals Procedures

 

Appeals Policy

Authors may appeal editorial decisions if they believe that a decision resulted from:

  • A factual error;
  • A procedural irregularity;
  • A significant misunderstanding of the manuscript;
  • A potential conflict of interest;
  • Evidence of reviewer bias;
  • Failure to follow the journal's published editorial policies.
Appeals are intended to ensure procedural fairness and are not an opportunity to negotiate editorial judgments or simply disagree with reviewers' opinions.
 

Grounds for Appeal

Appeals should demonstrate credible evidence that:

  • The editorial process was materially affected by error;
  • Reviewer comments contained significant factual misunderstandings;
  • Editorial procedures were not properly followed;
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest may have influenced the editorial decision;
  • Important evidence was overlooked during editorial evaluation.

Disagreement with reviewers' academic opinions alone is generally insufficient to justify an appeal.

 

Submission of Appeals

Authors wishing to appeal an editorial decision should submit a formal written appeal to the Editorial Office.

The appeal should include:

  • Manuscript title;
  • Manuscript identification number;
  • Date of the editorial decision;
  • Detailed grounds for appeal;
  • A point-by-point response addressing the issues raised;
  • Supporting documentation or evidence where applicable.

Appeals should be submitted within a reasonable period following notification of the editorial decision.

 

Review of Appeals

Appeals are normally reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or another senior editor who was not directly involved in the original decision whenever possible.

During the review process, the journal may:

  • Review the complete editorial record;
  • Consult the original reviewers;
  • Invite additional independent reviewers;
  • Seek advice from members of the Editorial Board;
  • Obtain external expert opinions where appropriate.

The journal will carefully consider all relevant information before reaching a final decision.

 

Decisions Following an Appeal

Following review, the journal may:

  • Uphold the original editorial decision;
  • Invite submission of a revised manuscript;
  • Initiate an additional round of peer review;
  • Assign new reviewers;
  • Reverse or modify the original decision where procedural or factual errors are confirmed.
The decision following the appeal process is final.

Confidentiality

All complaints and appeals are handled confidentially.

Information relating to investigations will be shared only with individuals directly involved in resolving the matter or where disclosure is required by law or necessary to preserve research integrity.

The journal respects the privacy of all parties throughout the process.

Protection Against Retaliation

Individuals who submit complaints or appeals in good faith will not be disadvantaged solely because they have raised legitimate concerns.

Likewise, complaints that are knowingly false, malicious, or submitted in bad faith may themselves constitute misconduct and may be dismissed without further consideration.

Commitment to Editorial Fairness

The Review of Studies on Criminology, Sociology, and Law (RSCSL) is committed to ensuring that all complaints and appeals are handled fairly, consistently, transparently, and without prejudice. By providing clear procedures for raising and resolving concerns, the journal promotes accountability, strengthens editorial integrity, and reinforces confidence in its peer review and publication processes. These principles support the journal's commitment to ethical scholarly publishing and responsible editorial governance.

 

Alignment with International Standards

This Complaints and Appeals Policy has been developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, editorial accountability, and responsible scholarly publishing and is aligned with:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – Core Practices and guidance on complaints, appeals, editorial decision-making, publication ethics, and dispute resolution:
    https://publicationethics.org/
  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) – Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, requiring journals to maintain transparent procedures for complaints, appeals, editorial accountability, and ethical governance:
    https://doaj.org/apply/guide/

RSCSL periodically reviews and updates this policy to ensure continued alignment with evolving international standards for publication ethics, editorial transparency, research integrity, and responsible open-access scholarly publishing.