Complaints and Appeals Procedure

Complaints and Appeals Procedure

JMISIP takes all complaints and appeals seriously and is committed to resolving them fairly, transparently, and within reasonable timeframes, in line with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance.

Scope of This Procedure

This procedure covers:

  • Appeals against an editorial decision (rejection, requested revisions, etc.)
  • Complaints regarding suspected research or publication misconduct
  • Complaints regarding reviewer or editor conduct
  • Complaints regarding journal policies, service, or administrative issues

Appealing an Editorial Decision

  1. Submission of appeal: Authors who wish to appeal a decision should email support@jmisip.com within 30 days of receiving that decision. The appeal should clearly state the grounds for disagreement (e.g., a reviewer misunderstood the methodology, a factual error influenced the decision) and include supporting evidence or argumentation. Appeals based solely on disagreement with a reviewer's scholarly opinion, without new evidence or identified error, are unlikely to succeed.
  2. Independent reassessment: The appeal is reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or a senior editor who was not involved in the original decision, to ensure impartiality. This editor may consult the original reviewers, seek a new independent reviewer, or make a determination directly, depending on the nature of the appeal.
  3. Response time: Authors will receive a written response within 4–6 weeks of submitting their appeal.
  4. Finality: The outcome of an appeal is final. JMISIP does not offer a second-level appeal beyond this process, consistent with standard academic publishing practice.

Reporting Ethical Concerns or Misconduct

  1. Complaints regarding suspected plagiarism, data fabrication/falsification, undisclosed conflicts of interest, authorship disputes, or reviewer/editor misconduct should be submitted in writing to support@jmisip.com, with as much supporting detail and evidence as possible.
  2. Acknowledgment: The editorial office will acknowledge receipt within 5 business days.
  3. Investigation: Complaints are investigated confidentially, following COPE flowcharts and guidelines where applicable. This may involve contacting the author(s)' institution, requesting raw data or supporting materials, or consulting independent subject-matter experts.
  4. Outcome: A substantive response, including any resulting action (correction, retraction, no action, etc.), is typically provided within 6 weeks, though complex investigations may take longer. Complainants will be kept informed of significant delays.

General Service Complaints

Complaints regarding website functionality, communication delays, or general administrative service should be directed to support@jmisip.com and will be addressed as promptly as possible, generally within 2 weeks.

Confidentiality

All complaints are handled with appropriate confidentiality. Identities of complainants are protected to the extent possible, particularly in cases involving allegations against authors, reviewers, or editors, unless disclosure is necessary to conduct a fair investigation or is legally required.

Non-Retaliation

JMISIP does not tolerate retaliation against any individual who raises a good-faith complaint or concern. Authors, reviewers, and editorial board members submitting future work or continuing to serve the journal will not be disadvantaged for having raised a prior complaint.