How to raise an appeal or complaint
Authors may appeal an editorial decision or raise a complaint by writing to sriwijayajournalsurgery@gmail.com, identifying the manuscript or article, explaining the concern, and providing supporting evidence. Appeals should address the scientific or procedural basis of the decision rather than merely disagreeing with the outcome.
How it is handled
An editor who was not involved in the disputed matter will assess the concern wherever possible. Concerns about the Editor-in-Chief are referred to the publisher for independent handling, without commercial interference in scientific decisions. The journal may seek further expert advice and will communicate the outcome and reasons to the complainant.
An appeal does not guarantee acceptance or a change in decision. Good-faith complaints are handled confidentially and without retaliation: raising a concern does not prejudice the complainant’s standing with the journal, whether as an author or as a reviewer.
What belongs elsewhere
- Allegations of misconduct — fabrication, plagiarism, duplicate publication, undisclosed interests — follow the procedure in Publication Ethics and Authorship and Similarity and Plagiarism Policy.
- Errors in a published article are addressed under Corrections, Retractions and Article Updates.
- Scholarly disagreement with a published article is not a complaint; it is addressed through correspondence with the journal and, where appropriate, published comment.
A complainant who remains unsatisfied after the journal’s process is exhausted may approach the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Read together with Publisher and Editorial Governance, Publication Ethics and Authorship and Peer Review Policy. This policy is reviewed at least once a year.