Appeals & Complaints

Our Commitment to Fairness

JBRES is committed to fair, transparent, and consistent editorial handling. We take all appeals and complaints seriously and aim to resolve them promptly and impartially. This procedure is aligned with the COPE guidelines on handling editorial complaints and appeals.

Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Grounds for Appeal

Authors may appeal a rejection decision if they believe there has been:

• A clear factual or scientific error in the review that materially affected the decision
• Demonstrable reviewer bias or a conflict of interest that was not managed appropriately
• A significant procedural failing in the review process
• A misidentification of the manuscript as outside scope, where the authors can demonstrate otherwise

Disagreement with the reviewers' scientific opinions, or submission of revised data or new experiments that were not included in the original manuscript, are not valid grounds for appeal. Authors wishing to revise and resubmit with new data should submit as a new manuscript.

How to Submit an Appeal

1. Email [email protected] with the subject line: APPEAL — [Manuscript ID]
2. State the grounds for your appeal clearly and concisely
3. Reference specific reviewer or editor comments you believe are in error, with your scientific justification
4. Do not resubmit the manuscript as a new submission while the appeal is under review

Appeal Timeline

• Acknowledgement: Within 3 business days of receiving the appeal
• Initial assessment: Within 10 business days — the Editor-in-Chief or a senior editor will determine whether the appeal merits full review
• Decision: Within 30 business days — where a full review is warranted, a different editor from the original handling editor will assess the manuscript, potentially involving a new referee

The Editor-in-Chief's decision on appeal is final. JBRES will not enter into further correspondence on appeals once a final decision has been communicated.

Complaints About the Review Process

What Can Be Complained About

JBRES accepts formal complaints about:

• Unreasonable delays in the review process beyond those stated in our Peer Review Timeline
• Unprofessional, offensive, or discriminatory reviewer comments
• Suspected reviewer misconduct (e.g., plagiarism of submitted work, breach of confidentiality)
• Suspected editor misconduct or undisclosed conflict of interest
• Failure to handle a post-publication concern appropriately

How to Submit a Complaint

1. Email [email protected] with the subject line: COMPLAINT — [Manuscript ID or Topic]
2. Describe the nature of the complaint with supporting detail and, where relevant, documentary evidence
3. Complaints should be submitted within 6 months of the event giving rise to the complaint

Complaint Timeline

• Acknowledgement: Within 3 business days
• Investigation: Complaints are handled by a senior editor who was not involved in the original manuscript handling
• Resolution: Within 30 business days; complex cases may require longer and will be communicated to the complainant

Escalation

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint, you may escalate the matter to the Editor-in-Chief at [email protected]. If you remain dissatisfied after that stage, you may refer the matter to COPE, of which JBRES is a member, at publicationethics.org.

Third-Party Concerns

Readers, reviewers, and other third parties who wish to raise a concern about a published article — such as suspected data fabrication, plagiarism, or undisclosed conflicts of interest — should contact us at [email protected] with full details. All concerns are treated confidentially and investigated in accordance with our Corrections & Retractions Policy and COPE flowcharts.